NCJ Number
207358
Journal
Drug Court Review Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: 2004 Pages: 49-66
Date Published
2004
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article identifies the source and content of ballot initiatives that have passed in various States and been proposed in other States that would undermine drug-court strategies that have proven effective in reducing crime and substance abuse.
Abstract
Drug courts, which are presented as an alternative to incarceration for drug-abusing offenders, provide for involuntary drug treatment that holds clients accountable for treatment progress under the threat of incarceration for willful noncompliance with the court's treatment mandates. The strict, community-based regimen of drug courts has been cost-effective in reducing repeat offenses and substance-abuse relapse. Proponents of drug legalization have sought to undermine these drug-court achievements by promoting State ballot measures that would remove drug users from the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system, thus dismantling any mechanism for structuring involuntary treatment and ensuring client accountability for treatment progress and the cessation of substance abuse. This article provides background information on three proponents of such ballot initiatives, namely, George Soros, a financier; John Sperling, the founder of the University of Phoenix; and George Lewis, an insurance executive. These three men have formed the Drug Policy Alliance and the Campaign for New Drug Policies as a means of promoting State ballot initiatives that constitute an incremental approach to legalizing the use of currently illegal drugs. This article profiles several recent State ballot initiatives that remove judicial oversight and offender accountability from drug treatment, thus undermining drug court regimens. Such initiatives have been passed in Arizona, California, and the District of Columbia; and similar ballots have been defeated or delayed in Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. 15 references