The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed and veterinary products. As of 2017, 3/4th of the FDA budget is paid by people who consume pharmaceutical products, due to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.
Drug courts are judicially supervised court dockets that provide a sentencing alternative of treatment combined with supervision for people living with serious substance use and mental health disorders. Drug courts are problem-solving courts that take a public health approach using a specialized model in which the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social service, and treatment communities work together to help addicted offenders into long-term recovery.
Probation and Parole Officers play a role in the criminal justice systems by supervising offenders released from prison or sentenced to non-custodial sanctions such as community service. In some jurisdictions probation and parole officers are involved in presenting reports on offenders and making sentencing recommendation to courts of law.
Crime in Washington, D.C., is directly related to the city's demographics, geography, and unique criminal justice system. The District's population reached a peak of 802,178 in 1950. Shortly thereafter, the city began losing residents, and by 1980 Washington had lost one-quarter of its population. The population loss to the suburbs also created a new demographic pattern, which divided affluent neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park from more crime-ridden and blighted areas to the east.
The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System, also called the Office of Probation and Pretrial Services, part of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, is the office of the federal judiciary of the United States. It serves the United States district courts in all 94 federal judicial districts nationwide and constitutes the community corrections arm of the Federal Judiciary. It administers probation and supervised release under United States federal law.
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) is the administrative agency of the United States federal court system. It was established in 1939.
Mental health courts link offenders who would ordinarily be prison-bound to long-term community-based treatment. They rely on mental health assessments, individualized treatment plans, and ongoing judicial monitoring to address both the mental health needs of offenders and public safety concerns of communities. Like other problem-solving courts such as drug courts, domestic violence courts, and community courts, mental health courts seek to address the underlying problems that contribute to criminal behavior.
A presentence investigation report (PSIR) is a legal term referring to the investigation into the history of person convicted of a crime before sentencing to determine if there are extenuating circumstances which should ameliorate the sentence or a history of criminal behavior to increase the harshness of the sentence. The PSIR has been said to fulfill a number of purposes, including serving as a charging document and exhibit proving criminal conduct, and is said to be akin to a magistrate judge's report and recommendation.
The U.S. state of Maryland has various policies restricting the production, sale, and use of different substances.
The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, also known as the Revitalization Act, was enacted on August 5, 1997, with provisions to reform the criminal justice system in Washington, D.C.. The act was spearheaded by North Carolina Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth.
The San Bernardino County Probation Department serves San Bernardino County, California, which is geographically the largest county in the lower 48 states. The Probation Department supervises juvenile and adult probationers. The department operates two juvenile hall facilities, provides recommendations to the court, and has numerous specialized units to serve the citizens and courts of San Bernardino County.
United States federal probation and supervised release are imposed at sentencing. The difference between probation and supervised release is that the former is imposed as a substitute for imprisonment, or in addition to home detention, while the latter is imposed in addition to imprisonment. Probation and supervised release are both administered by the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System. Federal probation has existed since 1909, while supervised release has only existed since 1987, when it replaced federal parole as a means for imposing supervision on releasees from prison.
Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) is an intensive supervision program that aims to reduce crime and drug use while saving taxpayers' dollars spent on jail and prison costs. HOPE deals with offenders who have been identified as likely to violate the conditions of their probation or community supervision.
Drug courts have been established in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. People appearing in Australian drug courts often fall outside the parameters for other pre-court diversion programs.
The first drug court in the United States took shape in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 1989, as a response to the growing crack cocaine problem plaguing the city. All 50 US states now have drug courts, with a total of more than 2,400 courts. About 120,000 people are processed annually in drug courts, though an estimated 1.5 million eligible people are currently before the courts.
Pretrial Services Programs are procedures in the US to prepare cases for trial in court. In most jurisdictions pretrial services programs operate at the county level. Five U.S. States operate and fund pretrial services programs at the state level. The United States federal courts system operates pretrial services in all 94 federal districts.
Incarceration prevention refers to a variety of methods aimed at reducing prison populations and costs while fostering enhanced social structures. Due to the nature of incarceration in the United States today caused by issues leading to increased incarceration rates, there are methods aimed at preventing the incarceration of at-risk populations.
The District of Columbia Courts, Public Defender Service, and Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency Act of 2014 is a bill that would make changes to the District of Columbia Official Code that governs the D.C. Courts system.
The Pretrial Intervention Program (PTI) is a program targeted at providing first-time offenders charged with non-violent crimes in the state of New Jersey with an opportunity to avoid the crippling consequences often associated with a felony criminal conviction, and attempts to relieve some of the burden on the criminal justice system caused by such offenders. The program renders early rehabilitative services and aims to deter future criminal behavior. Many other states have similar programs employed under a variety of names.
