U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Miami Drug Court Gives Drug Defendants a Second Chance

NCJ Number
148435
Journal
Judicature Volume: 77 Issue: 5 Dated: (March-April 1994) Pages: 268-271
Author(s)
P Finn; A K Newlyn
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Dade County Diversion and Treatment Program, also known as the Drug Court, channels almost all nonviolent drug offenders into a court-operated rehabilitation program.
Abstract
The program provides a year or more of treatment and case management services along with strict monitoring through periodic urinalysis and court appearances. Defendants who finish the program successfully are cleared of all related charges. While the program is more complex, and perhaps more costly, than incarceration, its potential for crime reduction outweighs these drawbacks. The program has three distinct phases -- detoxification, stabilization, and aftercare. Counselors and the courts exercise a great deal of discretion in designing the program to fit the individual needs of each client. Several sets of data, measuring participation, cost, and recidivism, indicate that the program is achieving many of its objectives. 3 notes

Downloads

No download available

Availability