Courses

This seminar will address the evolution and growth of therapeutic justice, including, but not limited to, how courts are responding to the current opioid crisis. The focus will be on the theoretical and practical aspects of drug courts, mental health courts, family courts, veterans’ courts and other specialty courts. Public policy and political implications of establishing and operating these specialty dockets will be covered as well as how they work in practical terms. There will be close examination of the unconventional roles of the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney in the largely non-adversarial setting characteristic of these courts. Myriad legal, political and financial challenges have inevitably arisen. Numerous scholarly studies have addressed whether these courts actually meet their goals, i.e., do they reduce crime, minimize incarceration, lower criminal justice costs and restore individuals suffering from addiction and/or serious mental health conditions, etc.? These issues will be addressed by the reading materials, guest speakers and class discussion. Students will be asked to observe and report on the operation of one of the local specialty courts. This could include attending a session of the adult drug treatment court, the family treatment court or any other specialty court in the area. Readings will be drawn from law and social science journals, plus other contemporary media. The range of guest speakers may include one of the following: judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, administrator, case manager and addiction/mental health treatment specialist. A “graduate” of one or more of the local specialty courts will also be included on the speaker list.