Drug Treatment Courts--A Viable Option for Canada? Sentencing Issues and Preliminary Findings From the Toronto Court

• NCJ Number: 198586
• Journal: Substance Use & Misuse:International Interdisciplinary Forum Volume: 37 Issue: 12 & 13 Dated: October/November 2002 Pages: 1529-1566
• Author(s): Carol LaPrairie Ph.D.; Louis Gliksman Ph.D.; Patricia G. Erickson Ph.D.; Ronald Wall Ph.D.; Brenda Newton-Taylor Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Stanley Einstein Ph.D.
• Date Published: October 2002
• Length: 38 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special Issue on Drug Treatment Courts for additional articles see NCJ-198583-85 and NCJ-198587-93.

Annotation

This paper describes the aspects of the evolution, structure, and operation of the first drug treatment court in Canada which began operation in 1998.

Abstract

Data obtained from the federally-funded evaluation of the first 18 months of operation of the new drug treatment court in Toronto, with 198 drug-dependent individuals being admitted, is described and compared to an Australian study and to select American studies. Significant differences in sentencing practices for drug offenses between Canada and the United States are highlighted. It is noted that the typical client that is successful in the Canadian experiment may be quite different from the typical successful American drug court treatment client. Tables provide information on drug treatment court client demographic profile; criminal history, admitting offenses, and reoffenses; court related retention factors, ongoing versus expelled; and health status by measure. In conclusion, it is recommended that further long-term monitoring of the program and collection of more complete information is needed to establish the viability of this approach for Canada. A list of source references is included.