On October 23, 2013 the CFCC
Student Fellows visited the Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court. As we entered
the court room, the first thing I noticed was a chalkboard with “The A Team”
written on it. I soon found out what
that meant. When a participant remained drug-free and complied with treatment,
his or her name would be written on the chalkboard as a member of “The A Team,”
at which point everyone in the courtroom would give a round of applause. I was
quite surprised because I had never seen something like this before.
When the clerk called the case, the
Drug Court participant came to the “defendant’s” table in front of the Judge’s
bench. There was one other person sitting next to the participant, and two
people sitting at the “plaintiff’s” table.
I noticed the informal nature of
the interaction between the Drug Court team members. The Judge was extremely
friendly, even cheerful, and her positive attitude resulted in a calm
atmosphere that is not usually felt in a court room. One member of the Drug Court
team gave an update on how the participant had done since his/her last court
appearance. Depending on how long the
participant remained drug free and complied with drug treatment, he/she would
progress through several levels of the Drug Court Program, and eventually
graduate.
As I looked around the courtroom, I
saw that most of the participants were middle-aged African American men. I took note of the
disparity in ethnicity and gender, which could be linked to Baltimore’s
demographics. As I watched the court
administrator write the names of participants on the chalkboard, I wondered what
the court did about those who did not make it on “The A Team.” We found out
that those individuals still received encouragement and support. For example, there were a couple of
participants towards the end of the docket who had a negative progress report.
I thought the Judge’s demeanor would change from cheerfulness to anger, but,
instead, I was pleasantly surprised to see her disappointment and then
encouragement.
The judge reprimanded the
participant who had been caught drinking, and then handed down a sanction that
did not include jail time. Instead, she ordered this individual to sit in Drug
Court for two days. I later asked the judge why she gave that sanction and she explained
how boring it was for someone to observe the court for an entire day. However, this sanction served a second
purpose: watching Drug Court participants succeed was a demonstration of each
individual’s power to change himself or herself. Further, the reprimanded participant had to
listen to the many excuses made by people who relapse into drug and/or alcohol
abuse and saw for himself or herself how ridiculous they sounded.
When a participant did not get a
good progress report, there was no applause.
However, there did not seem to be a negative vibe in the courtroom,
either. Instead, the judge would focus
on the participant’s goals, motivate and encourage them to do better, and
remind them that they were there to get help and the court was there to help them.
At the end of our visit, I asked
who was on the Drug Court Program team.
I learned that they were the Judge, the public defender, the state’s
attorney, the agent, the case manager, the clerk, the program director, the
bailiffs, and the medical expert. I was surprise to see how everyone worked as
a team, when I first walked into the courtroom.
In fact, I could not identify each person by his or her questions or
demeanor. I left with a good understanding
of problem- solving courts and their purpose of rehabilitation instead of
punishment.
Posts
Ashely, great post. I like what you said regarding the lack of a negative vibe when a participant in the program didn't have a good progress report. I think that was really a great aspect of the program because it doesn't discourage the participant. The only comment I really had to make was that at the beginning of the session, I felt like the Judge was almost condescending to the participants, and talking to them as if they were children. However, my view changed later as I observed how happy the participants were to hear her comments. She also explained that some of these participants have never had anyone in their life tell them that they are proud of them or disappointed in them, so it often means a lot to them to hear that from her. I thought that was really interesting and also great for the participants that they have someone telling them these things now.
ReplyDeleteThank You Gauri, I too felt that the judge was talking to the participants like they were children, but then again my mind did change when she stated that some of the participants never had someone tell them they did a good job or that someone was disappointed in them. I guess someone could think of the program as a rebirth and each level is like growing up, so in a sense the participants are children being reborn and raised to enter back into society sober.
ReplyDeleteAlong with what Gauri said I was also a little skeptical at the beginning. When we read in our class about the Drug Courts and the incentives that they give the participants I thought, could a certificate or your name on a chalkboard really have an effect on these adults. I couldn't have been more wrong. I think this goes along with what Gauri said in that these individuals have never had anyone in their lives to congratulate them or be disappointed. I see this often in the Baltimore City Truancy Court Program. When the judges are harsh with the students or come down on them, most students actually like it. Structure is something they often lack in their homes. To be accountable on a week to week basis to an adult makes these students feel that someone is genuinely interested in their lives and their success. Overall the Drug Treatment Court seemed extremely success and it was unfortunate to hear at the end that it does not receive as much support as it should.
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