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New Mexico
Problem-Solving Courts
use the collaborative treatment-based Drug Court model to work with repeat offenders whose criminal activity is driven by underlying substance abuse or mental illness. As alternatives to incarceration, these programs focus on the successful rehabilitation of participants through early, continuous, and intense judicial oversight, treatment, mandatory periodic drug testing, and use of appropriate sanctions, incentives, and other community-based rehabilitation services. In New Mexico, we include the four types of drug courts (Adult, Juvenile, Family Dependency, and DWI) along with Mental Health (or "Treatment") courts under the term Problem-Solving Courts.
The first New Mexico Problem-Solving Court started in 1994 and there are currently 50 active Problem-Solving Courts in the state (with several more in the planning or pilot stage). These include seventeen Adult/Felony, seventeen Juvenile, four Family Dependency, seven DWI/Drug Courts, and five Treatment Courts.
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Information Alert
There is a debate going on in various local media outlets, as well as at the national level, regarding a recently released report by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) (click on the link for the report: www.nacdl.org/drugcourts). Many of the report's recommendations contain information (such as "Courts frequently select those most likely to succeed to participate in drug court - - a process called skimming.") and language ("Most drug courts require a guilty plea as the price of admission. When guilty pleas are required before offering treatment, drug courts become little more that conviction mills.") that those who work with problem-solving court programs would find problematic at the least, if not outright inaccurate and incendiary.
West Huddleston, CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, along with other national leaders and practitioners, is replying forcefully to this report as references to it pop up in local and national discussions (click on the following link: www.nadcp.org/node/445 ). We wanted to make sure you were aware of the NACDL's report and some of the more accurate information being provided by our own national leadership so as to forewarn and forearm you in case references to the report appear in your area.
Thanks, as always, for all that you do in support of your problem-solving court programs and communities.
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