Court Cases Involving Drugs: Observations Concerning Future Volume of Court Cases in North Carolina

• NCJ Number: 120245
• Author(s): L Wallace
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 51 pages
• Corporate Author: North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The lack of available case data on cocaine and crack necessitates using other data to estimate the current problem and predict future trends.

Abstract

Data on drug filings and drug arrests in North Carolina and other States shows that drug -- particularly cocaine-related offenses are rising rapidly. Breaking down drug arrest data by specific drug types indicates that arrests for cocaine sales and possession have shown the greatest percentage increase of all drug types reported. Drug filings nationwide are showing a steady increase, corroborating the North Carolina experience. Drug use, drug arrests, and drug court filings are clearly inextricably related. It is inevitable that as drug arrests increase so will the number of court filings. To manage this growing caseload some cities have begun experimental programs to address this problem. A pilot program in Tacoma, Washington sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, instituted a "differentiated case management system" especially for drug cases. 1 Appendix. (Author abstract modified).