New Directions in the Courts' Response to Drug and Alcohol Related Legal Problems: Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Abstract

Collaboration in addressing offending-related substance use problems can be considered, amongst other things, in the sense of collaboration between professionals from multiple disciplines and as collaboration with offenders with substance use problems to address their problems. Collaboration between professionals recognizes that such offenders commonly have interrelated problems in areas such as health, housing, relationships and employment and that they need to be addressed to promote rehabilitation. Collaboration with offenders recognizes the importance of autonomy and that positive behavioral change requires offenders to undergo internal as well as external change processes. Where possible, courts and rehabilitation professionals should support these processes. Hitherto collaboration has been largely foreign to court processes. However, consistent with the judicial function, judges and magistrates can play an important role by using these forms of collaboration in appropriate cases to promote the rehabilitation of offenders with substance use problems.

Keywords: substance use, offenders, professionals, rehabilitation, courts, judges, magistrates, alcohol, drugs, collaboration

JEL Classification: K00, K10, K14, K19