“All Hands On Deck”: A Phenomenological Study Of Lived Experiences Of Drug Treatment Court Judges

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines the experiences of drug treatment court judges in Virginia relative to their implementation of therapeutic jurisprudence, procedural justice, and working across a multidisciplinary team. Method: A transcendental phenomenological design using semi-structured interviews from nine judges was conducted. Results: The findings were summarized in three themes: judges’ experiences with drug court participants, judges’ experiences with the drug court team, and judges’ experiences as learners. Discussion: Universal themes revealed a lack of training in addiction on the part of the judges and emphasized the role of the judge as key to shaping the culture of the court. Conclusions: The judge serves as the fulcrum for drug treatment court operations, yet most judges do not have the requisite training in addiction science. Recommendations include mandatory judicial training on substance use disorders is important. Further research is needed to offer a theoretical guide to explain the lived experiences of drug treatment court judges.