Specialized courts for drug addicts.

Today there is no discussion between scientists about the existence of various links between drug use and involvement in crime, the link is well documented as is the failure of the traditional criminal justice system to break that link. For example in Lithuanian criminal code there are only two norms related to abuse of drugs – one of them enables courts to impose treatment to offender in a case prosecution of punishment is suspended; the other enables legal institutions to discharge the offender from punishment for illegal manufacture, acquisition and possession of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in case one voluntary applies to legal institutions or health institutions for treatment or wants to submit drugs. The basic problem with the norm – one can use it only if the offender applies to the mentioned institutions voluntarily, and when there is no lawsuit against the offender. But there is no possibility in Lithuanian legal system to give treatment to the offender as the alternative to the punishment for the offences. However, there are a number of alternatives to formal criminal justice system that can significantly reduce the criminal behaviour of these offenders through reducing their ongoing drug dependency. One of such alternatives is revealed in the article-drug courts. The concept of drug courts originated and in the last ten years widely spread in a common law system in the USA. A drug court is a special court given the responsibility to handle cases involving drug-addicted offenders through an extensive supervision and treatment program. Participants of the program undergo long term (in medium from several months to 1 year) treatment and counselling, frequent testing for drugs, sanctions, incentives and frequent appearances before the court...Straipsnyje pristatoma viena iš specializuotų teismų rūšis – teismai narkomanams (angl. Drug Courts), kurie pastaruoju metu ypač paplitę JAV, aptariami jų tikslai, veiklos principai, veiksmingumas kovojant su asmenimis, piktnaudžiaujančiais narkotikais, ir nusikalstamumo mažėjimu. Autorė pasirinko analizuoti šias institucijas todėl, kad tai viena iš veiksmingiausių šiandienos priemonių kovoti su narkomanais pažeidėjais. Jungtinių Tautų institucijose 2000 m. parengė pavyzdinį šių teismų veiklos įstatymą su komentarais dėl jo taikymo kitose valstybėse. Straipsnyje, atskleidžiant šios institucijos veiklos principus, siekiama padiskutuoti apie galimybę tokius teismus steigti Lietuvoje