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Drug Court Interventions

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Submitted By nat011013
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Pages 5
ABSTRACT
“As the judge enters the courtroom to take the bench, the court officer loudly proclaims: ‘All Rise!’ These two words inspire a sense of awe and respect for our judicial process. But what if the command, ‘All Rise!’ represented a promise — a promise that the court will lighten the burden of people whose problems have become too difficult to overcome alone? What if ‘All Rise!’ became a pledge by the court to look beyond the chaos and wreckage in peoples’ lives caused by addiction and to see their potential? What if ‘All Rise!’ offered the promise to provide the treatment and other tools needed to help people permanently change their lives? When an addict rises out of addiction and crime, we all rise” (West Huddleston, 2011). I thought that was very well put. In this paper, I will touch on the history of drug courts, how they work, and the benefits to the American taxpayers as well as society itself. HISTORY
In 1989, the first Drug Court came to be and was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida The Miami-Dade Drug Court ignited a sudden national transformation that has changed our justice system. Ten years later, 492 Drug Courts were in full swing. As of June 30, 2012, 2,734 Drug Courts were in service in every U.S. state and territory.
Millions of lives have been changed, thanks to Drug Courts, and they are continuing to spread all over the country and the world. This year, 2,734 Drug Courts will serve over 136,000 people (National Association of Drug Court Professionals, n.d.). A variety of problem solving courts are using the Drug Court model to address additional issues that we face as a society. Problem-solving court programs are successfully challenging developing issues in the US. For instance, Veteran’s Treatment Courts are accommodating the needs of our vets who sometimes have difficulty readjusting to civilian life and may find

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