NCJ Number
158390
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Judicial diversion of first-time drug offenders from the criminal justice system is examined, with emphasis on the Broward County (Fla.) Drug Court.
Abstract
Several States and jurisdictions have experimented with drug diversion in recent times. Florida has been experimenting with drug diversion since the enactment of the Baumgartner Act of 1979. Broward County implemented a Drug Court. Following most of the models around the country, no pretrial intervention occurs. Persons participating in the Drug Court must plead guilty before they are allowed officially to begin the program. However, they may have been in the program some weeks before the final judicial proceedings are completed. The court focuses on offenders arrested for the possession or purchase of cocaine. The Drug Court is a three-phase program that includes group and individual therapy, fellowship meetings, case staffing, urinalysis, and acupuncture. Problems with drug diversion programs include costs, equity, and difficulties in forming a consensus in the criminal justice community regarding the program. Benefits of the programs include their cost- effectiveness in comparison to incarceration, the possibility of creating systemic programs in which criminal justice agencies work in harmony with the communities and local governments they serve, and potential rehabilitation for addicts. 25 references