The law is a sacred tool that should be administered and enforced accurately, fairly and justly. I think one of the things that makes it effective is enforcing the law efficiently. There is a concern, however, that drug courts may be too lenient to be effective in a criminal justice system. It also complicates how the entire system can be managed as a single domain. Specialists will be able to understand offenders better, which, when coupled with their human side, can help offenders come out of the system, as changed and better individuals (Gallagher et al., 2017). This concern also frees up space in general courts to handle other legal issues.
Drug courts are not more prevalent due to structural and systemic differences that exist in the current legal system. Most of the issues arise from the fact that the rehabilitation and treatment facet is overruled by the legal facet. Enforcers of the law and probation officers favor the tough approach used by the criminal justice system. Doctors and rehab officers, on the other hand, think a therapeutic approach suffices. The problem is that neither of the two are open to a middle-of-the-road option that involves a compromise.
Implementing drug courts can be a major challenge due to a number of issues. One of the most common issues is the structure of the criminal justice system. Resources are committed to handling immediate problems in the system and dealing with punishment. Whatever remains can be insufficient to help cover the operations of a drug court in a community. Structural issues, like rehabilitation and reintegration to the community, can also be challenging. The two facets in this matter should reach a compromise for a platform in which they can co-exist. The health facet and communal welfare can increase the reluctance of a community to get a drug court when they are unable to collaborate and find a common ground.
Reference
Gallagher, J. R., Nordberg, A., & Dibley, A. R. (2017). Improving graduation rates for African Americans in drug court: Importance of human relationships and barriers to gaining and sustaining employment. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse.