NCJ Number
118039
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Recommendations of the preliminary report of the Orleans County (Louisiana) District Attorney's Commission on Illegal Drug activity focus on interdiction, education, prevention, treatment, criminal enforcement, sentencing, and incarceration.
Abstract
Recommendations for the criminal and juvenile justice systems are that the law enforcement effort concentrate on both the user and the distributor and that the police department, district attorney's office, and the judiciary require at least one-third of their staffs to specialize in narcotics cases or use a systemwide focus on narcotics. Among the recommendations for justice system procedures for adults and juveniles are that a uniform bond-setting formula apply in all drug cases, that no property bonds be accepted in any drug case, and that release on recognizance be used in a limited number of cases. The commission recommends that all persons convicted of a drug offense be required to serve some incarceration. Compulsory guidelines for sentencing in narcotics are also recommended. Recommendations for education require that both public and private schools have drug education/prevention programs beginning in the primary grades and extending through secondary schools. This would include parental participation. Upon notification of a student arrest for a drug violation, the commission recommends that school officials require both students and parents to participate in a monitored drug treatment program. Treatment recommendations focus on mandatory, monitored treatment for all offenders who test positive for drugs. Appended explanatory notes for recommendations.