Drug Court Observation

Today I sat in on “Drug Court” which was very interesting and not what I expected at all. I sat in on an adult session of drug court which I thought would be like the probation violations hearing I previously went to where the defendant and the judge would talk about criminal history, but it was very different than that. Drug court is actually more of conversation between the judge and the defendant. They discuss sobriety and things that have been going on their lives since they have become sober. Everything is off the record in the conversation which makes it seem like a casual discussion. The other party in the room that is part of the conversation is a group of probation officers that offer notes on each person and give a run down on their attitude. The probation officer said, “put yourself first because everything else will go away.” I think this is very good advice because it …show more content…
There was about twenty people in the group that I saw and they all had one defender who supported them as well. They spoke to the judge who was very understanding and kind. The judge discusses with them what makes them want to stay sober whether it is their kids, their jobs, or their special housing. The judge encourages the people in drug court to find positive aspects to staying clean because the negative aspects of doing drugs do not motivate people long term. He knew each person and remembered parts about their personal life which was very nice to see. Each of the people in the program also have a sponsor who supports them. Many people in the program even look forward to becoming sponsors one day themselves. The drug court was very interesting to me because it did not seem like a criminal proceeding but instead the people in the room who worked for the court seemed to be genuinely concerned for the well being of the people in recovery. I liked this aspect of the court because it made the court not so intimidating to