Court Ordered Drug Rehab – Is it Effective?

Drug Treatment Court or DTC, has been an ongoing program in Canada since 1998.  There are currently six operating Drug Treatment Courts in Canada, located in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Regina.  The purpose of the Drug Treatment Court is to help reduce the crimes, which are committed because of illegal drug use and abuse.  All of these programs are court mandated, and involve such things as drug addiction treatment and community service.  All of this is designed to help support offenders, because there is nine billion dollars spent annually due to drug addiction and drug crimes; this also includes the cost for law enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration. 

These programs are structured out-patient programs, which do consist of individual counseling, group counseling, and medical attention, such as methadone maintenance, which has its own argument as to its effectiveness.  The program will also include random drug testing done on the participants.  There is also a requirement for the offenders to appear before a judge, so the judge can review their progress and determine if they are to be reprimanded or rewarded for their progress.  The staff that work with the Drug Treatment Courts also work with other betterment groups and organizations to help the offenders establish stable employment, safe housing, and job training. 

If the offender is successful at their program and can remain drug and crime free, the judge will then review their case file.  At that point the judge can recommend a suspended or postponed sentence, which could mean house arrest.  If unsuccessful the offender will be prosecuted and sentenced as would normally happen.  These programs are funded through the Drug Treatment Court funding program, which has the following objectives, according to the nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca website. 

The objectives of the DTC Funding Program are as follows:

• To promote and strengthen the use of alternatives to incarceration with a particular focus on youth, Aboriginal men and women and street prostitutes;
• To build knowledge and awareness among criminal justice, health and social service practitioners, and the general public about drug treatment courts; and
• To collect information and data on the effectiveness of DTCs in order to promote best practices and the continuing refinement of approaches.

The overall purpose is preventing relapse with both crime and drugs.  But how effective is this program.  There were no real statistics found; yet, The Commission on Narcotic Drugs says the programs have been effective where they have been implemented. 

If you or someone you know is battling a drug or alcohol addiction, call our toll free hot line number at, 1-877-782-7409, or visit us at, http://narconon.ca/

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