Helped Change a Life in the Process CONTINUED... Man in H is C ourt to a Game of Chess, Challenged a Man A Judge Challenged a
they’re realizing that it’s not like a choice … it’s an epidemic.” He adds that the “Just Say No” campaign launched by the Reagan administration wasn’t particularly realistic or helpful. “If it was that easy, it wouldn’t be like this,” he says. “And I think programs like drug court really recognize that. And they’re doing something about that.” Green says Mitchell represents that shift in mindset. “It’s not strictly about drug court when you go to (Mitchell’s) court,” he says. “He’s just talking about what’s going on with you. And how your day’s going, how your life is going, what’s working for you,
A change in mindset Mitchell and Green both said the drug court represents a shift in the way the system approaches drug-related crimes. “Rather than what happened in the 90s with the crack epidemic, we’ve really turned the corner to say this is not about punishment. It is recognizing that people have a sickness, and we just need to make sure that we’re responding to the sickness and not just treat them as straight criminals,” Mitchell says. “It has taken time to support people in that process of working through their sobriety and then reducing their criminal behavior at the same time. We see a correlation of the two.” “I think people are getting smarter about this drug thing,” Green says. “I think
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“It is recognizing that people have a sickness, and we just need to make sure that we’re responding to the sickness and not just treat them as straight criminals.” -Judge Mitchell
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