The Drug Treatment Court Concept : The Jamaican Drug Courts

The Drug Treatment Court (DTC) model was conceived out of the need to solve the numerous and intractable problems that drug related cases create for court systems. A DTC is generally seen as a court that deals specifically with offenders who have committed offenses while under the influence of drugs and provides an alternative to incarceration. DTCs make use of a multidisciplinary team involving judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, treatment providers, police officers, and educational and vocational experts. The criminal justice and health service systems join to provide drug-dependent offenders with the mechanisms to recover from drug addiction and lead a productive and crime-free life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of DTCs. After providing an overview of the origins of the DTC, looking at its roots in the United States and Canada, the paper examines the foundation and present-day experiences of DTCs in Jamaica. It also refers to some efforts among various countries in the Western Hemisphere to monitor DTCs and evaluate their effectiveness. The paper concludes with a return to the achievements of DTCs in Jamaica and a brief look at the future of the DTC program worldwide.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Haisley, Stephane Jackson
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013-01
Subjects:	ACCESS TO JUSTICE, ADDICTIONS, ADVOCACY, ALCOHOL, ALCOHOL USE, ATTORNEYS, BAIL, BOUNDARIES, CANNABIS, CASE LAW, CHILD WELFARE, COCAINE, CONFIDENCE, CONFLICT, CONFLICT MANAGEMENT, CONSENT, CONVICTION, CONVICTIONS, CRIME, CRIME PREVENTION, CRIME REDUCTION, CRIMES, CRIMINAL, CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, CRIMINAL ACTS, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, CRIMINAL CASES, CRIMINAL COURT, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS, CRIMINAL LAW, CRIMINAL OFFENDERS, CRIMINALITY, CRIMINALS, CURFEW, DEFENCE, DEPENDENCE, DETENTION, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DRUG, DRUG ABUSE, DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT, DRUG ADDICT, DRUG ADDICTION, DRUG COURT, DRUG COURTS, DRUG DEPENDENCY, DRUG DEPENDENT, DRUG TRAFFICKING, DRUG USE, DRUGS, DUE PROCESS, ECONOMIC BENEFITS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, EMPOWERMENT, ETHICS, EU, EXTRADITION, FAMILIES, FEMALE, GRAVE, HEROIN, HOME, HOMELESSNESS, ILLICIT DRUGS, IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION, IMPRISONMENT, INCARCERATION, INJURIES, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, JAIL, JAILS, JUDGE, JUDGES, JUDICIAL PROCESS, JURISDICTION, JUSTICES, LAWYER, LAWYERS, LEGAL ASSISTANCE, LEGAL EDUCATION, LEGAL PROCEDURES, LEGAL STATUS, LEGISLATION, LIBERTY, LITERACY, MARIJUANA, MEDICAL CARE, MEETING, MEETINGS, MENTAL HEALTH, MINISTER, NARCOTIC, NARCOTIC DRUGS, NARCOTICS, NATIONS, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, OFFENCES, OFFENDER, OFFENDERS, OFFENSE, OFFENSES, PARENTS, PEACE, PERPETRATORS, PILOT PROJECT, POLICE, POLICE OFFICER, POLICE OFFICERS, POLITICAL WILL, PRISON, PRISONS, PROBATION, PROBATION OFFICERS, PROSECUTION, PROSECUTIONS, PROSECUTOR, PROSECUTORS, PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES, PUBLIC AWARENESS, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC OFFICER, RECONSTRUCTION, REHABILITATION, RESIDENCE, ROADS, RULE OF LAW, SANCTIONS, SENTENCING, SEX, SMOKING, SOCIAL REINTEGRATION, SOCIAL SERVICES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCY, THIEVES, TRIAL, TRIALS, VICTIMS, VIOLENCE, WAR, WILL, WOMAN,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/17682901/drug-treatment-court-concept-jamaican-drug-courts https://hdl.handle.net/10986/16609
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!