Therapeutic justice & problem-solving courts

Therapeutic justice sees crime as a manifestation of the offender's illness in body or character and focuses on the offender's rehabilitation and healing and teaching the offender accountability. Examples of therapeutic justice projects include wellness courts, mental health courts, and drug courts.

See also:
Courts > Mental health courts
Courts > Drug courts
Criminal justice > Restorative justice

Therapeutic justice in Alaska

• Carns, Teresa W. (Spring 2005). "Therapeutic Justice in Action: An Evaluation of Three Therapeutic Courts." Alaska Justice Forum 22(1): 2-6.
• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Spring 2005). "Reports and Websites Relevant to Therapeutic Courts in Alaska." Alaska Justice Forum 22(1): 2.
• Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Winter 2002). "Alaska Therapeutic Court Projects." Alaska Justice Forum 18(4).

Background information

• "Table 1. Comparison of Justice Theories." Table comparing retributive, therapeutic, restorative, and community justice theories. In "Alaska Therapeutic Court Projects." Alaska Justice Forum 18(4), Winter 2002.
• Problem-Solving Courts. Information from the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
• "Problem-Solving Courts: A Brief Primer" by Greg Berman and John Feinblatt. New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2001. Originally published in Law and Policy 23(2), 2001.
• "Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Emergence of Problem-Solving Courts" by David Rottman and Pamela Casey. National Institute of Justice Journal, July 1999.
• "Therapeutic Jurisprudence in the Courts" by Pamela Casey and David B. Rottman. National Center for State Courts, Institute for Court Management, August 2000.

Therapeutic jurisprudence & problem-solving courts

• Center for Problem Solving Courts (CPSP). Provides support for the integration of problem-solving (therapeutic) courts into the mainstream of court systems nationwide.
• Center for Court Innovation. New York-based public-private partnership that promotes new thinking about how courts can solve difficult problems like addiction, quality-of-life crime, domestic violence, and child neglect.
• International Network on Therapeutic Jurisprudence. University of Arizona Law School.

Conferences

• Therepeutic Jurisprudence: The Second International Conference. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2001.

Email discussion lists

• Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Specialized-Problem-Solving Courts. tjsp@topica.com. International discussion group comprised of judges, court professionals, and researchers/academics involved with therapeutic jurisprudence and problem-solving courts.

Mental health courts
Mental health courts are special courts which handle cases involving mentally ill offenders by engaging them with appropriate routines of care.

• See Mental health courts.

Drug courts
Drug courts integrate alcohol and other drug treatment services with justice system case processing of substance-abusing adult and juvenile offenders. Since 1989, more than 500 courts in the United States have implemented or are planning to implement a drug court to address the problem of substance abuse and crime.

• See Drug courts.