I doubt that as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that courts could not dictate attendance at 12 step programs due to the religious nature of those programs.
In what could be a blow to the 12-Step Movement's stranglehold over substance abuse treatment, an appellate court has ruled that a parolee cannot be ordered into a treatment program that uses the model.
At least eight other federal and state courts have issued similar opinions in the past, holding that coerced treatment in a religion-based program is unconstitutional. On Friday, the Ninth District Court of Appeals reiterated that precedent.
The case involved a Buddhist, Ricky Inouye of Hawaii, who had objected to religiously oriented drug treatment while in prison on a drug case. Over his objection, his parole agent ordered him to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings after a urinalysis tested positive for drugs. He has since died, but Friday's ruling allows his son to continue Inouye's civil lawsuit against his parole agent. The opinion held that Narcotics Anonymous has pronounced religious overtones, including references to God, a "higher power," and prayer.
“I doubt that as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that courts could not dictate attendance at 12 step programs due to the religious nature of those programs.
In what could be a blow to the 12-Step Movement’s stranglehold over substance abuse treatment, an appellate court has ruled that a parolee cannot be ordered into a treatment program that uses the model.”
Is “stranglehold” a word you picked, on your own?
FYI the 12 step groups do NOT ask the courts to send people. They merely sign attendance cards, voluntarily, signifying the person’s attendance, as a courtesy to the court.
The 12 step groups often comment that they do NOT have any legal obligation to sign any attendance cards. Some groups do NOT sign cards, for various reasons.
The 12 step organizations are not money making enterprises, so they don’t want or need a stranglehold on anything.
If you want the court to do something else, plan on an expensive alternative, dreamed up by some professional government employee types, to skirt the “higher power” objection.
AA maintains its “stranglehold” as you call it, by offering an essentially free program, which started in 1935, and has now been translated into 40 languages.
Good luck with the alternative. Sorry it didn’t work out for dead Ricky of Hawaii. All the 12 step alternative wanted to do was help save his life.