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Strategies for Improving Coordination Between Enforcement and Treatment Efforts in Controlling Illegal Drug Use

NCJ Number
157618
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1995) Pages: 73-90
Author(s)
P W Greenwood
Date Published
1995
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews what is currently known about interactions between drug law enforcement, prevention, and treatment strategies and identifies a number of problems that impede better coordination between them.
Abstract
Some problems that impede better coordination between law enforcement, prevention, and treatment strategies are organizational incentives, differences in philosophy, and differences in the timing of impacts. One approach for addressing the impediments is to superimpose a new position or agency on top of the others to develop a coordinated policy. An alternative to comprehensive planning and unified control is provided by the concept of limited joint operations or task forces. A third approach somewhat related to the joint task force approach involves establishing an independent agency to provide case management functions that cut across what are traditionally thought to be law-enforcement and treatment-provider roles. A fourth approach involves the assignment of middle-level managers and senior practitioners to liaison posts in sister agencies on either a short-term or part-time basis. Other approaches would involve explicit training and organizational development efforts designed to make officials aware of the problems and provide them with tools that can be used to overcome them. Such sessions could be included as part of the training conferences that law enforcement and treatment officials periodically attend. 29 references