Why Juvenile Drug Courts?
Since the late 1980’s and influx if drug offenders into the criminal justice system has severely strained the courts. In an effort to address growing caseloads, courts employed specialized court dockets to expedite processing of drug cases which were found to have repeatedly appearing issues surrounding family and mental health problems. Just as the number of drug offenders has grown among the adult population, growth as also been experienced among adolescents. Based on annual average of data collected 2005 – 2006 by the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health for the state of Arkansas, there were 15,000 youth ages 12 – 17 years that needed treatment for illicit drug use but did not receive it. This study also reported that approximately 20,000 persons in this same age group experienced at least one major depressive episode within that year. To address these matters, a partnership emerged among court officials, OADAP and treatment services providers for the concept of treatment-oriente
