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Drug
and alcohol addiction is a problem that has grown in scope
dramatically over the past three decades. During the
decades of the 1980s and 1990s the problems associated with
drug and alcohol abuse were considered by many to be the paramount
public health issue facing the United States (U.S. Department
of Justice, 1997, 1997 Drug Use Forecasting: Annual Report
on Adult and Juvenile Arrestees). Drug courts
were devised as a means for effectively using the resources
of a community to fight the problem of drug and alcohol addiction.
The
first identified drug court was established in Dade County,
Florida in 1989 as an experiment in problem solving.
The design was premised upon the ability of a judge, with
the help of all the justice system stakeholders, to supervise
individuals who needed services.
These services combine both treatment and educational components
with the ability of a supervising judge to award incentives
and sanctions based upon the performance of the clients while
in treatment. Treatment is community based and drug
court participants are required to meet with the judge on
a regular basis to review progress. Drug court clients
are tested regularly and are required to attend varying levels
of treatment based upon the individual needs of each client.
Drug
courts are organized based upon the following components:
•
Drug testing must be incorporated into case processing.
•
The creation of a relationship between the court and the
defendant that is non-adversarial.
•
Defendants must be screened and referred to treatment
shortly after arrest.
•
There must be access to a continuum of treatment, rehabilitation,
and educational services.
•
There must be frequent, mandatory drug testing to monitor
abstinence.
•
Each court must establish a coordinated and comprehensive
strategy to govern the court's responses to the compliance
or non-compliance of the drug court client.
•
Each drug court must maintain judicial interaction with
each drug court client.
•
Drug courts must be monitored and evaluated regularly.
•
There must be continuing training that is interdisciplinary
to promote best practices for both treatment and court
operations.
•
Drug courts must be based upon partnerships between public
and private agencies to support and maintain operations.
(For
more information about these 10 key components of drug courts,
see www.nadcp.org/whatis/
.)
Drug
Courts in Louisiana
Funding for drug
court programs in Louisiana is administered by the Supreme
Court Drug Court Office (SCDCO). There are currently 45 programs
providing services to approximately 2,700 adult and juvenile
clients monthly in the state.
The
SCDCO has developed fiscal and programmatic standards for
local programs and works closely with drug court judges, coordinators,
the Louisiana Association of Drug Court Professionals, the
Office for Addictive Disorders, and other partnering entities
to promote accountability and best practice.
For more information
about drug courts in Louisiana, please contact the SCDCO at
(504) 568-2020.
Louisiana
Supreme Court Drug Court Office Staff:
Julia Spear, JD
Deputy Judicial Administrator
Drug Court Program
Director
jspear@lajao.org
(504) 568-2025
Pat Angell
Administrative Assistant
pangell@lajao.org
(504) 568-2020
Johanna Braud
Accounting Manager
(504) 568-2032
Gwen Byars
Program Analyst
gbyars@lajao.org
(504) 568-3552
Veronica Lee
Accountant/Fiscal Monitor
vlee@lajao.org
(504) 556-9989
Jerry Tassin
Data Analyst
jtassin@lajao.org
(504) 568-2276
Supreme Court Drug
Court Office
1555 Poydras Street,
Suite 1550
New Orleans, LA 70112-3701
(504) 568-2027 -
Fax
Other relevant
web sites:
- National
Center for State Courts
- Drug
Court Clearinghouse at American University
- National
Association of Drug Court Professionals and National Drug
Court Institute
- Louisiana
Association of Drug Court Professionals
- Center
for Substance Abuse Research
- National
Center on Addictions and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
- State
Justice Institute
- National
Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health
- U.S.
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
- National
Institute of Justice
- Bureau
of Justice Assistance
- Justice
Management Institute
- National
Criminal Justice Reference Service
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