2009 Florida Drug Court Statewide Distance Learning Session

Dr. Douglas B. Marlowe Presents:
“Targeting Dispositions for Drug Offenders by Risks and Needs” and Best Practices in Drug Courts

October 21st, 2009, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm, Brevard County Courthouse
Viera, Florida

Available to all circuits via the courts video conferencing network!

If you need additional information on the 2009 Florida Drug Court Distance Learning Session, please contact Aaron Gerson at: gersona@flcourts.org

Florida started the drug court movement by creating the first treatment-based drug court in the nation in 1989. The drug court concept was developed in Dade County (Miami, Florida) stemming from a federal mandate to reduce the inmate population or suffer the loss of federal funding. The Supreme Court of Florida recognized the severity of the situation and directed Judge Herbert Klein to research the problem. Judge Klein determined that a large majority of criminal inmates had been incarcerated because of drug charges and were revolving back through the criminal justice system because of underlying problems of drug addiction. It was decided that the delivery of treatment services needed to be coupled with the criminal justice system and the need for strong judicial leadership and partnerships to bring treatment services and the criminal justice system together. Ultimately, the model for treatment-based drug courts was born.