ABSTRACT
The Denver Drug Court was formed on the strength of four central goals articulated by its proponents: it would not greatly widen the nets; it would be self-contained, and would handle most of its own trials and motions hearings; it would substantially reduce drug defendant recidivism; and it would reduce the numbers of drug defendants being sentenced to prison. The attempt by drug courts to bridge the unbridgeable gap between crime and disease is having serious consequences. Drug court defendants are released on bonds that contain as conditions the requirement that the defendants submit to drug testing. Drug courts appeal to both ends of the political spectrum because they are designed specifically to finesse the troubling question. One of the most important promises of all treatment-based drug courts is that they should interrupt the drug /crime cycle. At the court appearances, the drug court judge reviews the results of the drug tests and the defendant's general progress in treatment.
