Abstract
The article discusses the growing popularity of specialized drug treatment courts in the U.S. It states that a specialized court was first created in Miami, Florida. It notes that the drug courts have replaced the parole system with the judge-supervised treatment for drug offenders. It cites the events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which established the political dynamics that have driven the growth of drug courts to address the racial disparities in prison systems. It refers to the human rights reports which determined the disparity among Black or White inmates that received prison terms for drug conviction.
Citation: Michael M. O’Hear. 'Rethinking Drug Courts: Restorative Justice as a Response to Racial Injustice' (20 Stanford Law & Policy Review) 2009