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When Carolyn, a mother of two who struggled with addiction for two decades, found herself in court on a drug charge a few years ago, she had a negative view of the law. “I didn't like the court system. I always felt the court system was out to get you,” she said. But her most recent court experience changed her mind: “Now I see it as really the opposite. They really give you the opportunity to get help.”
This is a glimpse into just one of the lives represented in over 50 stories in Drug Courts: Personal Stories, a book from the Center for Courts and the Community and the New York State Unified Court System that documents the remarkable recoveries of graduates of drug treatment court programs across the state. Drug Courts: Personal Stories offers personal accounts of individuals at the core of drug treatment courts – the men and women whose lives change dramatically by participating in drug treatment court programs, and the judges and case managers who help make that happen. The Center for Courts and the Community has developed materials to help schools and courts realize the educational potential of Drug Courts: Personal Stories.
Background:
Drug treatment courts have emerged in recent years as a powerful tool for working with drug-addicted offenders in New York’s justice system. By linking addicted offenders to long-term, judicially monitored drug treatment, the courts bring together judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers and court staff in a collaborative effort to enforce compliance with court orders. Through a system of graduated rewards and sanctions, drug treatment courts help substance abusers attain – and maintain – a drug-free life.
Since the New York State Unified Court System first established the Rochester Drug Court in 1995, it has developed over 200 drug courts in all of New York’s 62 counties. In just a short time, research has shown that these programs:
- Reduce recidivism, with graduates 74% less likely to recommit a crime than other drug-addicted criminal offenders;
- Are more effective at producing sober, drug-free citizens than treatment alone;
- Reduce crime and make communities safer; and
- Save taxpayers’ money that would otherwise be spent on incarceration, other criminal justice costs, emergency room visits, shelter stays, and public assistance.
The impact can be felt in communities and families in which drug addiction has taken its toll. Drug Courts: Personal Stories offers vivid testimony of the power of drug treatment courts to make a positive difference in the lives of New Yorkers. The stories recounted in the book come from across the state and involve a diverse array of individuals from all walks of life.
The Drug Courts: Personal Stories Toolkit is a short curriculum to help schools educate youth about the important work of drug courts and to promote student literacy of the justice system.
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