The subject of this thesis is criminal justice sentencing policy. The thesis examines the
role of the Drug Court in diverting drug dependent offenders from the conventional
Criminal Justice System. A large percentage of convicted offenders have a drug
addiction problem and such offenders impose staggering burdens on an already
overwhelmed Criminal Justice System. Diversion programs offer a practicable
alternative to the traditional court system, and this thesis will investigate the feasibility of
a Drug Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In examining the advantages and
disadvantages of this method of sentencing, the thesis assesses the value of compulsory
treatment and determines whether criminal justice sanctions should incorporate
compulsory treatment initiatives. To aid in this analysis, additional diversion programs
for drug addicted offenders are examined.
The Drug Court is assessed through a comparison of the court with traditional sentencing
principles. This thesis analyses the success of the Drug Court in other jurisdictions and
looks at how the Drug Court deals with the sociological and environmental factors linked
to drug abuse and criminality. In determining whether a Drug Court is a feasible option
for Vancouver, the thesis examines these external crimogenic factors and the strategies
undertaken by the City to combat drug-related crime.
It is argued that the conventional criminal justice system provides little, if any,
progressive and pro-active drug abuse intervention. This thesis concludes that Vancouver
should implement a Drug Court to divert offenders from the traditional court system, and
argues that the Drug Court diversion program should be available for drug-dependent
property offenders. It identifies how the court can operate alongside pre-existing
community services to ensure that post-release environmental conditions are conducive to
drug abstinence and legitimate activity.
In recommending adoption of the drug court program, the thesis stresses the importance
of making this diversion scheme part of a community-based, long-term, holistic
intervention strategy. The thesis ends with practical suggestions for implementation of a
Drug Court program in Vancouver. / Law, Peter A. Allard School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/9806 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Webb, Suzanne Nicola |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 8817482 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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