Amerikanische Drug Treatment Courts

Since the first opened its doors in Miami in 1989, Drug Treatment Courts have spread throughout the United States of America and have also been adopted internationally. However, in Germany, this phenomenon has remained almost completely unknown in criminological and criminal literature.

Drug Treatment Courts allow drug-addicted offenders to participate in judicially monitored therapy as an alternative to traditional criminal proceedings. While these justice programmes, which are considered a subset of problem-solving courts, were developed by practitioners, the theory of therapeutic jurisprudence provides an academic foundation for them.

This work comprehensively examines US Drug Treatment Courts and discusses the concept as an alternative or supplement to German regulations that deal with drug-addicted offenders.