Drug courts offer court-supervised drug treatment for people who might otherwise be sent to jail or prison. While finding alternatives to jail is an honorable undertaking, are drug courts a fresh approach or just a new version of the old paradigm?
A diverse panel discusses lessons learned from the U.S. drug courts and their implications for the change in criminal justice practice around the world.
Speakers
- Rick Jones, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
- Jim Parsons, Vera Institute of Justice
- Elaine Pawlowski, parent advocate and retired educator
- Jason Cherkis, investigative reporter, Huffington Post
- Denise Tomasini-Joshi, (moderator) Open Society Foundations
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Voices
Are Drugs Courts a Viable Alternative to Prison or Just Another Problem?
Drug courts are mandatory, court-supervised drug treatment programs presented as an alternative to incarceration, but they themselves are controversial and problematic.
Drug Policy
The Prescription for Saving Lives
A person dies every five minutes from overdose in the United States. We have the means to dramatically reduce those numbers. But the medication naloxone is suddenly scarce and prices are too high. What needs to happen next to save lives.
Rest in Peace
Remembering David Rothman, a Liberator and Pioneer
Rothman, a scholar-advocate of the highest order who had a profound influence on Open Society, wrote on a wide array of subjects concerning ethics and medicine, and helped free thousands of people from involuntary institutionalization.