Drug Courts: A Rebirth of Rehabilitation?
More jurisdictions are establishing drug courts to deal with first and second offenders rather than the usual criminal justice system, but their motivation has probably been more of financial necessity than due to an increase in social awareness. With mandatory sentencing and increased enforcement prompted by the War on Drugs, the nation’s courts and correctional systems found themselves overwhelmed with drug-related defendants. Local jurisdictions began to seek other alternatives to deal with the growing problem. According to “Miami’s Drug Court: A Different Approach” published in 1993, the first “drug court” was established by Judge Herbert M. Klein, who saw the damage drug cases were causing the Dade County Court system. Klein’s first drug court became the model for the nation, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Drug Courts Growing Rapidly As of May 2004, according to NCJRS research, there were 1,160 drug courts operating in all 50 States, the District of
