Mexico to Begin Drug Court Pilot Program

Mexico will begin setting up the country’s first drug courts to work exclusively on cases that involve crimes committed by addicted offenders, the Associated Press reported July 27.

The drug courts, which will be established in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico, will send people to treatment rather than prison, similar to how drug courts work in the U.S.

“Successful programs like drug courts, which will break the cycle of addiction and crime by mandating treatment for certain offenders, are going to receive strong support,” said Gil Kerlikowske, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, who was in Mexico for meetings. 

Mexico’s Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora, who announced the pilot program for the drug courts, said he plans to propose that the specialized courts be created all across his country.