This podcast episode features a conversation between host Karen Friedman and Carolyn Hardin on the U.S.’s 3,800 drug and treatment courts, and their impact on the criminal justice system’s treatment of people with substance use and addiction issues.
In this Justice Today episode, Director of Training and Research at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, Carolyn Hardin, discusses how drug courts change lives, reduce crime, and make society fairer and safer. Hardin lays out how drug courts function compared to traditional courts, and the demonstrated results that have led to their spread across the nation, including the tools, skills, and incentives that drug courts provide in addition to sanctions, that allow and encourage individuals who have had their behavior affected by substance use and addiction. Hardin notes the direct link between helping people to become productive citizens and public safety, and discusses the role of drug court professionals in that process.