The Social, Political and Theoretical Context of Drug Courts

This paper situates the drug court phenomenon within the social, political and theoretical framework in which it operates. It addresses the philosophical underpinnings of drug courts within the context of criminal punishment, drawing on influences from recent criminological theory. The importance of understanding the background and rationale for drug courts cannot be underestimated if they are indeed, as the author suggests, a possible template for the criminal justice system of the future.