Problem-Solving Courts Are All Around You

For years, lawmakers introduced more and more punitive responses to repeated minor offenses until people were serving life sentences for minor crimes. For example, Leandro Andrade is serving a life sentence in California for stealing VHS tapes from K-Mart because of three strikes laws that were on the books at the time of his conviction. In Texas, Rose Ann Davidson is serving a life sentence for repeat DUIs, despite the fact that she never caused an accident while driving drunk. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Eventually the criminal justice system realized that it would make more sense, and save taxpayers more money in the long-term, to address the problems underlying the offenses, such as drug or alcohol addiction, housing instability, or domestic violence. Today, problem-solving courts are available in all 50 states, and the problem-solving court phenomenon started right here in South Florida. To find out more about problem-solving courts in South Florida, and to participate in one if you are eligible, contact a West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer.

South Florida’s Problem-Solving Courts Offer Hope Instead of Punishment

Problem-solving courts are a form of pretrial diversion. Each problem-solving court is a separate docket dedicated to processing a certain type of case. Defendants in problem-solving courts begin the program by entering a provisional plea of no contest. The court then orders a year of probation and other requirements meant to address the underlying problems that led to the circumstances of the defendant’s arrest. For example, if you got arrested for drug possession, the court will order substance abuse treatment. If you complete the program successfully, the court will drop your charges, but if you do not, it will change your plea to guilty.

Florida has over 100 problem-solving courts, but they are not evenly distributed throughout the state. The eastern panhandle is a problem-solving court desert, and several counties in the Florida Heartland do not have any problem-solving courts. Luckily for Palm Beach County residents, we have five problem-solving courts here. Palm Beach County has an adult drug court, a juvenile drug court, a dependency drug court, an early childhood court, and a veterans’ court.

Broward County and Miami-Dade County also have at least that many problem-solving courts. For example, each of those counties has two mental health courts. There is even one juvenile mental health court, but it is in Hillsborough County, not on the Atlantic coast of Florida. There are also four DUI courts, but the nearest one is in Sarasota County.

Eligibility for problem-solving courts has as much to do with the defendant’s overall situation as it does with the alleged offense as indicated on the police report. Your lawyer can help you persuade the court to accept you to a problem-solving court.

Contact a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Attorney William Wallshein has more than 41 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Office-of-Problem-Solving-Courts