How Do Specialized Courts Work

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Specialized Courts: Do They Work? Ian, J, Martin 300389067 Department of Criminology, Douglas College CRIM 1100: Intro to the Criminal Justice System Dr. Aaen Ivers July 16, 2024. Traditional courts in Canada are strict and are often used to come to a general conclusion of many crimes committed in Canada but often do not often solve repeat offenders. Now imagine a court that is more individualized, problem focused and is meant to help the offender never commit the crime again, these are specialized courts. Specialized courts are also known as problem-solving courts and are defined as “courts that are designed to divert offenders with special needs from the criminal justice system” (Griffiths, 2019, para. 13.) - a. With the courts primary …show more content…

With this understanding, specialized courts often go by the concept of therapeutic justice, which is the use of the law to promote and improve the health and well-being of offenders while maintaining legal rights and providing justice. This paper will help us understand the two types of specialized courts: Mental Health Courts (MHC) and Drug Treatment Courts (DTC). Specialized courts in Canada, such as the two stated above, effectively address specific legal issues by integrating therapeutic justice and restorative justice approaches which improve the outcomes of offenders and the community. This paper will discuss and critically analyze, compare and contrast the two specialized courts labeled above and show that they end up helping more people in crisis than the adversarial system Drug Treatment Courts (DTC) are an effective and promising option for offenders who are struggling with reoccurring substance abuse, recidivism and want to change for the better. …show more content…

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