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| Vancouver Law Courts - traditional courthouses are formal and intimidating. Photo by Joe Mabel, Creative Commons |
A colleague and I were discussing petty theft and property crime in his community. After consulting the community, we were told that very few people reported these incidents to the police. I asked him what he thought was going on with so many people experiencing petty theft from their property.
“It’s addiction” he responded.
This was not a new revelation. Research often finds that addiction is a driving factor for stolen property. We have discussed this a number of times in this blog.
However, the illness of addiction is rarely taken into account when convicting individuals who commit a crime just to get their next score. Consequently, the justice system becomes a revolving door for those battling substance abuse. Unable to obtain their drug of choice legitimately, they turn to illegitimate activities like petty theft, robbery or even the sex trade.
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| Pineville, Oregon county court - Criminal courts are far from the reality of street-level drug addition Photo Ian Poelett, Creative Commons |
Many addictive substances like alcohol are legal and many alcoholics hold regular jobs and pay for their addiction without engaging in crime. But drug addicts who end up in criminal court are defined as burglars, robbers or sex workers. In reality, they are better defined as individuals living with substance abuse and very little support for addressing their addiction. Drug courts offer an alternative.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Drug courts take a public health approach to substance abuse disorder. All parties work together including lawyers, police, public health professionals, drug counsellors and members in the community. Unlike a traditional criminal court, drug courts are specifically focused on helping addicted offenders into long term recovery.
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| Drug courts can be housed in regular office buildings next to drug treatment facilities |
Drug courts are particularly important for marginalized populations that already suffer additional roadblocks on the road to recovery. While different drug courts have different configurations, they are gaining support around the world, such as in Canada, the United States and Australia.
Many crime prevention tactics in CPTED, for example, focus on preventing opportunities for property crime. However, if we don’t consider the social factors influencing some of these crimes, then those battling substance addictions merely find another way to feed their habit.
It’s easy to think that we just need harsher laws for drug use. But anyone who has dealt with addiction personally, or watched someone experience it first hand, knows that punishment and deterrence tactics rarely work.
Why do people get addicted in the first place? The answers are complex. While drug courts may not resolve every cause of addiction, they do offer a public health approach to what is largely a public health problem, not a criminal one.
2 Replies so far - Add your comment
I am not an expert in addictions, but I believe that timing and circumstance are crucial elements for individuals dealing with addictions. I have often heard addiction professionals say "the person has to be ready to take advantage of the help available". Timing and circumstance have a lot to do with being "ready". One of the major advantages of drug courts is that they provide the circumstance. The choice for the individual is incarceration or committing themselves to available resources to address the root issues. This just might create the circumstance that will result in an individual choosing the resources. Incarceration has not proven itself as an effective deterrent, and we see many individuals, after serving their time, falling right back into the same patterns of addiction and crime. Drug Courts make good sense and should be more fully explored as effective crime reduction tools.
Hi Herb,
Your comments here are much appreciated. In some of my research with partnerships around substance abuse and addiction, I often heard similar frustrations. Folks would decide they were ready for support and then they would be told there weren't enough spaces or that they had to wait a month or more. This, more often than not, resulted in the individual returning to using. Additionally, when individuals do receive support, any slip ups ban them from future support. This model fails to acknowledge the rollercoaster ride of addiction and recovery. Drug courts are just one of the several harm reductions methods we must use in tandem with prevention to reduce addiction and its social byproducts. Hopefully more folks will take up this challenge and offer much needed supports.
Thank you again for joining the discussion!
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