Examining the Potential for Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) to Help Mainstream Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Abstract

This article builds on the emerging understanding of Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) probation when viewed through the lens of therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ). The article commences with recent conceptualizations of TJ through the metaphor and methodology of ‘wine’/‘liquid’ and ‘bottles’ (Wexler, 2014). Next, the article presents an overview of how HOPE works and clarifies a number of misconceptions about the approach taken. The article then examines the potential of the principles underlying HOPE to help in realizing the promise of mainstreaming TJ. Specifically, it is argued that HOPE is more economical than drug courts and can reach far more people. It addition, it promotes procedural justice and desistance, is flexible and can be extended across the criminal justice system.

Keywords: Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE), therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ), mainstreaming, David Wexler