Drug Court vs. Incarceration
Rebeca Manns
ENGL 112
Argumentative Paper
September 2, 2012
Drug Court vs. Incarceration Drug addiction has increased drastically across America in the last fifty years. Non-violent drug offenders fill our jails and prisons. Taxpayer dollars are put into a prison system that is proving to be counter-productive. Recidivism rates are high. Drug Court is an alternative to incarceration that offers rehabilitation to criminal offenders. In drug court, the traditional functions of the U.S. justice system are profoundly altered. The judge is the leader of a treatment team. The judge makes all final decisions and holds a range of discretion unprecedented in the courtroom, including the type of treatment mandated and how to address relapse. In 1989, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade County in Florida was the first in the nation to implement Drug Court, a diversion and treatment program for drug offenders which is overseen by the Court. “The Miami-Dade Drug Court sparked a national revolution that has forever changed our justice system. Ten years after the first Drug Court was founded, 492 Drug Courts existed. By December 31, 2010 2,633 Drug Courts were operating in every U.S. state and territory” (National Association of Drug Court Professionals, para 3). Drug Court has allowed participants an opportunity to become productive members of their communities. Although not all people agree that drug court is an effective countermeasure for incarceration, drug court offers more treatment options for a criminal offender, reducing the recidivism rates and saving taxpayers money. According to the Indiana Department of Corrections, it costs $54.28 per day to incarcerate an individual in Indiana’s penal system. This figure excludes any medical care or other costs the prisoner may incur while incarcerated. Also excluded is the cost with the arrest, prosecution, and supervision of the offender (Indiana Department of Corrections, para 1). This means that
ENGL 112
Argumentative Paper
September 2, 2012
Drug Court vs. Incarceration Drug addiction has increased drastically across America in the last fifty years. Non-violent drug offenders fill our jails and prisons. Taxpayer dollars are put into a prison system that is proving to be counter-productive. Recidivism rates are high. Drug Court is an alternative to incarceration that offers rehabilitation to criminal offenders. In drug court, the traditional functions of the U.S. justice system are profoundly altered. The judge is the leader of a treatment team. The judge makes all final decisions and holds a range of discretion unprecedented in the courtroom, including the type of treatment mandated and how to address relapse. In 1989, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade County in Florida was the first in the nation to implement Drug Court, a diversion and treatment program for drug offenders which is overseen by the Court. “The Miami-Dade Drug Court sparked a national revolution that has forever changed our justice system. Ten years after the first Drug Court was founded, 492 Drug Courts existed. By December 31, 2010 2,633 Drug Courts were operating in every U.S. state and territory” (National Association of Drug Court Professionals, para 3). Drug Court has allowed participants an opportunity to become productive members of their communities. Although not all people agree that drug court is an effective countermeasure for incarceration, drug court offers more treatment options for a criminal offender, reducing the recidivism rates and saving taxpayers money. According to the Indiana Department of Corrections, it costs $54.28 per day to incarcerate an individual in Indiana’s penal system. This figure excludes any medical care or other costs the prisoner may incur while incarcerated. Also excluded is the cost with the arrest, prosecution, and supervision of the offender (Indiana Department of Corrections, para 1). This means that
Cited: Bowers, Michelle, Noble County Drug Court Officer. Personal interview. 29 August 2012. “Do Drug Courts Work?” National Institute of Justice, 12 May 2008. Web. 3 Sept. 2012. < http://nij.gov/nij/topics/courts/drug-courts/work.htm> Kramer, Judge Michael. Personal interview. 29 August 2012. Huddleston, C West and Marlowe, Douglas B. “Painting the Current Picture: A National Report Card on Drug Courts and other Problem-Solving Court Programs in the United States.” (July 2011): 2-57. PDF file. Newman, Tony. “Drug Courts are Not the Answer: Toward a Health-Centered Approach to Drug Abuse.” (2011): 2-28. PDF file. “Noble County Drug Courts.” Noble County Probation Department, 2007. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.<http://www.noblecountycourts.org/ncc/DrugCourt.aspx> Smith, Phillip. “Drug Arrests Top 1.6 Million Last Year Despite Small Drop.” Stop the Drug War. N.p.,19 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/sep/19/drug_arrests_top_16_million_last> “Top 10 Department Facts.” Indiana Department of Correction. State of Indiana, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.<http://www.in.gov/idoc/2378.htm> “What are Drug Courts?” NADCP. National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.< http://www.nadcp.org/learn/what-are-drug-courts/drug-court-history>