Answer to Question 1
Elements include integration of substance abuse treatment with justice system case processing; use of a nonadversarial approach; early identification and prompt placement of participant; frequent testing for alcohol and illicit drugs; coordinated strategy among judge, prosecution, defense, and treatment providers to govern offender compliance; ongoing judicial interaction with each participant; monitoring and evaluation of program goals; continuing interdisciplinary education; and partnerships with public agencies and community-based organizations to generate local support and enhance drug court effectiveness.
Drug courts are a far more effective and more rehabilitative way of handling drug offenders than costly and often dangerous prison settings.
Answer to Question 2
Active phone line systems employ a transmitter that is attached to an offender's ankle; the receiver is inside the offender's home. The active system continually monitors offenders as the transmitter sends a signal to the central office. Passive phone line systems lack a continuous signal from a transmitter to a receiver. Generally, random phone calls are generated by computers to which offenders must respond within a certain time frame. The offender verifies his or her presence at home by placing the transmitter on the verifier box. Remote location monitoring monitors an offender periodically or continuously throughout the day and night by means of a pager number that only the probation officer knows. The offender has to call the probation officer when the pager beeps. Voice verification is able to determine a positive match between the voice sample and the voice on the phone. Global positioning systems have affected electronic monitoring technology; GPS transmitters make continuous calls to a reporting station that updates the offender's location.