Manual Written By Oakland Drug Court Founder

IN THE COURTS November 1994

Judge Jeffrey Tauber, founder of Oakland's FIRST* Drug Court, has written "Drug Courts: A Judicial Manual" for the California Center for Judicial Education and Research. In the manual he outlines five features of a successful drug court:

• A single drug court judge and staff provide leadership and focus to the program.
  
  
• Intervention is immediate and "front loaded."
  
  
• Supervision is comprehensive and well-coordinated to ensure accountability.
  
  
• The drug-using offender is given intensive, long-term treatment and aftercare.
  
  
• The court must apply a patient, flexible approach in monitoring compliance.

Tauber also makes recommendations for criminal justice planners and judges about how to set up a drug court, including contact information for funding. The manual contains other useful information such as the number, location, and officials of drug courts across the nation, court documents, electronic database forms, flow charts, and a bibliography.

One of the large spending programs in the 1994 crime bill is Drug Courts. For FY 1995, $29 million has been appropriated for drug courts (out of $100 million authorized). The authorization increases to $150 million per year for FY 1996 and FY 1997, and $200 million per year for FY 1998, 1999, and 2000. These amounts would be Federal payments to State and local governments.

* "FIRST" stands for fast, intensive, report, supervision and treatment.

[To obtain a free copy of this report, contact the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 701 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2045, 703-706-0560. Also see a partial reprint in the October 1994 issue of Overcrowded Times, P.O. Box 110, Castine, ME 04421-0110. Back issues are available for $10 each.]