Today the Huffington Post posted an article from West Huddleston, CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Huddleston uses the widely publicized case of actress Lindsay Lohan as a cautionary tale in the debate between punishment and treatment in the criminal justice system. Lindsay Lohan: Punishment or Treatment addresses the perception that Drug Courts are soft on crime. In fact, many offenders work to avoid specialty court dockets because those programs are far more demanding and provide substantially stricter supervision for longer periods than standard sentencing.
What do you think? Is Lohan an example of the need to get more offenders into drug and DUI courts? Or is incarceration the most appropriate next step?
As one who has been involved with Drug Couts for the past 13 years, I think Drug Courts could work for Ms. Lohan.
If she was ordered into a Drug Court Program it would certainly not hurt her to the extent she is hurting herself now.