Are Drug Courts a Solution to the Drug Problem Research Paper

Are Drug Courts a Solution to the Drug Problem - Research Paper Example This paper proves that drug courts help to reduce recidivism rates in various states and help to save taxpayers money by reducing costs. However, some researches show that there are negative effects such as increasing more crime and additional court monitoring costs. This paper bases its argument on the notion that is difficult to determine whether the positive effects of drug courts outweigh the negative effects. One of the most vital issues in drug courts is to know whether these courts have any effects and whether the effects are long-term effects on offenders who pass through the court processes. It is not easy to access the long-term effects of these courts because of the impeding issues that relate to the results attained after offenders pass through the processes of drug courts. For instance, it is quite challenging to find whether the observed pattern of encouraging results reflects a suppression effects on drug related crimes (Mitchell, 2011). During the processes involved i n drug court participation, the examination of numerous outcomes mainly focuses on recidivism. It is vital to note that there is a probability that drug courts can suppress drug related behaviors and crimes while the offender is active in the court program. Likewise, an actively involved offender in the treatment program can change his discharge from a drug treatment program after the removal of behavioral contingencies (Mitchell, 2011). ... Since most drug courts fail to monitor the abstinence of drug related offenders from drug usage after undergoing treatment programs, it could be difficult to determine the long-term effects of drug court participation than determining the short-term effects. For instance, it could be difficult to determine whether drug court programs help to reduce substance abuse, criminal victimization recidivism, and other factors associated with drug abuse. In addition, it is hard to estimate the effectiveness of drug courts because these courts are varied depending on their countries and constitutions of these countries (Mitchell, 2011). Effects of Three Strikes legislation on Criminal Behavior In spite of the impeding challenges to the effectiveness of drug courts, most people consider drug courts as the most effective strategy for reducing criminal activities and recidivism among offenders. There is a significant increase in the number of drug courts since the initiation of the first drug cour t in Florida, 1989 (King & Pasquarella, 2009). This is a clear indication of the importance of such courts in the society, hence their spread throughout the whole country and other states. The participation of drug courts helps to reduce criminal behaviors according to a research conducted by (Mitchell, 2011). Drug courts reduce the probability of an offender to repeat the same offense leading to a reduction in the overall number of criminal undertakings. Drug courts play a significant role in reducing drug related crimes such as illegal possession of drugs and sales offenses. One remarkable effect of the participation of drug courts is the significant reduction of the number of drivers driving under the