State of New Jersey Drug Court Program

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State of New JerseyAdult Drug Court Program
New Jersey Judiciary Administrative Office of the
Courts Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice Glenn A.
Grant, Acting Administrative Director John P.
McCarthy, Jr., Director, Trial Court Services
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Drug Courts A Brief History

• Drug use in the US expanded with the crack
  cocaine epidemic of the mid-1980s the number of
  drug arrests skyrocketed
• The initial Criminal Justice System response was
  stricter laws that filled the US prisons
• As drug use was not influenced by the new laws,
  court dockets were overwhelmed and new strategies
  were developed to deal with the increase
• Expedited Drug Case Management, the early Drug
  Courts dealt with case processing issues only
• Even when mandated into treatment, most did not
  remain

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Drug Courts A growing crisis meets business as
usual..

• The traditional adversarial system of justice,
  designed to resolve legal issues, was found to be
  completely ineffective at addressing drug abuse
• In fact, traditional court roles actually
  contribute to drug abuse by reinforcing denial
  (defense counsel role)
• Referrals for treatment were generally made after
  disposition, long after the trauma of arrest
  could be used as a crisis point for intervention
  treatment retention rates were very low
• Services were generally fragmented, supervision
  caseloads overburdened and judges focused on
  expediting cases and not on case outcomes

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Why Drug Courts for New Jersey?

• As much as 70 to 80 of all crime in the U.S. is
  committed by persons under the influence of drugs
  or alcohol.1
• Prison overload Disproportionate number of
  minorities in NJ prisons
• Cost effective alternative to prison
• Research Coordinating treatment and supervision
  has been proven to be much more effective in
  reducing drug use and recidivism than treatment
  alone or supervision alone
• Because early outcome studies in other states
  indicates there is reason for optimism
• 1 Drug Use Forecasting, Annual Report on Adult
  and Juvenile Arrestees, NIJ

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The Cycle of Addiction

Substance Abuse
Crime
No Treatment
Courts
Incarceration
Drug Courts Work to Stop this Endless Cycle
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Definition of a Drug Court

• Drug Courts are a highly specialized court
  process that functions within the existing
  Superior Court structure to address the
  non-violent drug addicted offender.

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The Drug Court Team

• Superior Court Judge
• Assistant Prosecutor
• Assistant Deputy Public Defender
• Private Bar Representative
• Team Leader
• Optional Used in counties with a high
  percentage of private bar cases

• Drug Court Coordinator
• Probation Supervisor
• Probation Officer(s)
• Substance Abuse (TASC) Evaluator
• Court Clerk
• Treatment Provider(s)

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Essential Elements of Drug Court

• Non-adversarial process
• Non-traditional courtroom dynamic
• Intensive probation supervision
• Frequent and random drug testing
• Treatment partners with the CJS
• Focus on collaboration among agencies and other
  parts of the court system
• Holistic approach to dealing with the drug
  addicted criminal offender

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Who is Eligible for Drug Court

• Non-violent substance abusing offenders
• N.J.S.A. 2C35-14 applies to some cases
• Drug court targets offenders who, were it not for
  their substance abuse, may never have been
  involved with the system
• Applicants must be clinically assessed and
  legally screened before acceptance
• An applicants suitability for the program is
  determined by the drug court team

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Who is Not Eligible for Drug Court

• Offenders whose current or any other pending
  charges involve a violent offense
• Offenders who have a prior conviction for a
  violent crime
• Offenders motivated by profit, not addiction
• Offenders who use juveniles for drug distribution
• Other criteria apply, please refer to the State
  of New Jersey
• Manual for Operation of Adult Drug Courts located
  at
• http//www.aoc.judiciary.state.nj.us/directive/dct
  man.pdf

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New Jersey Statewide Program

• 5 grant funded pilot counties Camden, Essex,
  Mercer, Passaic and Union
• Chief Justice asked Presiding Judges to
  investigate drug courts for expansion
• PJs report recommended drug courts as a best
  practice in New Jersey
• On 9/6/01, legislation was signed to appropriate
  funding to implement the statewide program (P.L.
  2001, c.243)

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3 Phase Implementation Project

• Transfer grant funded pilots to state funding
  Camden Essex Mercer Passaic Union
• 5 new court vicinages began on 4/1/02 Bergen
  Cumberland/ Gloucester/ Salem Monmouth Morris/
  Sussex Ocean
• Final 5 vicinages began on 9/1/04 Atlantic/Cape
  May Burlington Hudson Middlesex
  Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren

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Drug Court Works !!!

• Programs report high participant retention rates,
  between 65-85
• Participants note judges supervision, coupled
  with drug court treatment services and strict
  monitoring, is key to their success
• Drug courts are increasingly targeting the
  chronic recidivists as well as first offenders
• Many jurisdictions are adapting the adult drug
  court model to juvenile populations and family
  matters drug courts are resulting in family
  reunifications and the birth of drug free babies

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Financial Impact of Drug Courts

• Drug courts are continuing to achieve cost
  savings for the justice system, particularly in
  the use of jail/prison space
• Incarcerating an adult for one year costs up to
  37,000. In contrast, residential
  substance-abuse treatment costs an average of
  14,600 and outpatient treatment costs an average
  of 2,300.2
• Every dollar spent on treatment leads to a 7.46
  reduction in crime-related spending and lost
  productivity, according to a study conducted for
  the Office of Natl Drug Control Policy.2
• 2 American University, Drug Court Clearinghouse
  and Technical Assistance Project, Washington, DC

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DC Outcomes for New Jersey

• NJ retention rate is comparable to national
  rates
• Early re-arrest, re-conviction and
  re-incarceration data provide much reason for
  optimism
• Drug free babies are being born, sober parents
  are regaining custody of their minor children
  and families are being strengthened
• Participants are improving their education level,
  obtaining job skills, obtaining maintaining
  employment and supporting their families.
• For latest statistics, click here

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DC Benefits CJS Staff

• Collaborations necessary for drug court reap
  benefits in other initiatives
• Focus on relationships between agencies can
  improve service delivery
• Focus on training for staff can educate them in
  their dealings with all addicted offenders
• Improved morale, job satisfaction and ability to
  make a difference

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Drug Court Network
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Drug Court Related Links

• http//www.ndci.org or www.nadcp.org
• http//www.american.edu/justice
• http//www.whitehousedrugpolicy.org
• http//www.samhsa.gov/csat
• http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov.BJA
• http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJS