Drug court proposal for the ACT has ample merit

In a week when drug trafficking loomed large in the public consciousness and there was renewed discussion about the desirability of countries like Indonesia softening their hardline stance on drugs, it was easy to overlook the reality that such arguments have raged on and off for years. Indeed, since Richard Nixon declared war on drugs in 1971 in
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Family Drug and Alcohol Courts to be extended in England

London has had a Family Drug and Alcohol Court for seven years, and courts have opened more recently in Gloucestershire and Milton Keynes. More will now open in areas including East Sussex, Kent and Medway, Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter, and West Yorkshire. Funding for the expansion comes from the Department for Education. Most families that come into
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Twelve enrolled in Barbados Drug Treatment Court

Twelve persons, 11 males and one female, are now being monitored by Barbados’ Drug Treatment Court, after it held its first session on January 14, at the Supreme Court of Barbados. The Barbados Drug Treatment Court is a Magistrates’ Court, and persons charged with non-violent related offences, whose drug addiction or dependency is a factor in
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Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court marks two years of a new approach

The adult Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment (AODT) Court, Te Whare Whakapiki Wairua, (The House that Heals the Spirit), which sits at the Auckland and Waitakere District Courts, marked its two-year anniversary in early November this year. In honour of the occasion, pioneering international Drug Court expert, Judge Peggy Hora, visited from her San Francisco base,
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Drug court system to be expanded, says Golding

The ministries of justice and health have teamed to expand the drug court system into other areas of Jamaica, minister of justice, Senator Mark Golding, has said. Golding told the Senate on Friday that, although the concept was introduced from 2001, it has not expanded beyond Kingston and Montego Bay since. “Ganja is really a
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Exclusive: Inside Bermuda’s Drug Treatment Court

Within a criminal justice system they have long been loath to trust, non-violent drug offenders are finding empathy, therapy and support — with astonishing results. Clients who complete Bermuda’s progressive Drug Treatment Court — a court-supervised treatment programme — are significantly less likely to commit crimes again than those who serve prison time, according to
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For veterans in legal trouble, special courts can help

Every Wednesday Patrick Dugan, a judge at the Philadelphia Municipal Court and a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves JAG Corps, presides over a special kind of courtroom. “You are here because it’s your choice,” he told a roll call of defendants as he opened court on a recentWednesday morning, pointing to the front bench
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Case for drug treatment court

Drug treatment courts have been touted by a former prosecutor as the most effective process to changing behaviour and stopping recidivism.  Dave Wallace, who was a prosecutor in Washington DC, said it was a fantastic idea to introduce such courts here because of their all-encompassing approach to the drug user as they held them accountable,
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OAS Supports Expansion of Drug Treatment Courts in Mexico

More than 300 professionals from the justice and health sectors gathered in Mexico for the “Drug Treatment Courts Implementation Workshop” beginning on November 21st in Toluca, State of Mexico. This initiative was supported by the Organization of American States (OAS), with the goal of exploring alternatives to incarceration for drug-dependent offenders within the Drug Treatment
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Argentina Opens its First Drug Treatment Court with OAS Support

Argentina opened today in the province of Salta the first Drug Treatment Court (DTC) in the country, in a pilot program developed with the support of the Organization of American States (OAS) through the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). The South American country joined the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada,
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Ecuadorian Delegation Studies U.S. Drug Courts

Ivan Saquicela, an Ecuadorian prosecutor from the town of Cuenca, never thought he would find himself in Tennessee learning about “therapeutic justice.” Theoretically, the notion that the law promotes people’s physical and psychological well-being made sense to him. Yet, he never knew that this was the basis for how some courts conduct their business. Once
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Costa Rica to provide support to incarcerated drug addicts

To get the US$2 he needed to satisfy his crack addiction, Juan Carlos Alemán thought he had no choice but to steal a woman’s purse in Costa Rica’s capital of San José. On the afternoon of July 13, 2012, after smoking crack with one of his friends, Alemán found himself without any money and needing
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Outside Box, Federal Judges Offer Addicts a Free Path

Federal judges around the country are teaming up with prosecutors to create special treatment programs for drug-addicted defendants who would otherwise face significant prison time, an effort intended to sidestep drug laws widely seen as inflexible and overly punitive. The Justice Department has tentatively embraced the new approach, allowing United States attorneys to reduce or even dismiss
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Costa Rica Launches Drug Treatment Court Pilot Projects with OAS Support

The Organization of American States (OAS), through the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) will support the government of Costa Rica in the establishment of two pilot drug treatment courts under judicial supervision that will be presented tomorrow, February 8, in San Jose. The Vice-Minister of the Presidency for Security Affairs and CICAD chair, Mauricio
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Suriname explores the creation of a pilot drug treatment court for drug-dependent offenders

PARAMARIBO, Suriname — The government of Suriname is exploring the creation of a drug treatment court for drug-dependent offenders, with support from the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of Ghent, Belgium and the University of Ghent. This is part of an ongoing program called EU-LAC Drug Treatment City Partnerships to Improve Drug Treatment, financed by the
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