Jamey H Hueston (United States District Courts for The District of Maryland – District 1, Baltimore City) has posted The Mindful Court: Meditation for Substance Abuser (American Bar Association Criminal Justice Magazine, Magazine, Fall 2015 p36) on SSRN.

Here is the abstract:

Meditation, has long been practiced throughout the world to promote physical, emotional healing and well-being. More recently, it has been scientifically proven to reduce drug cravings, and aid those with substance abuse problems to achieve calmness which facilitates their receptivity to treatment. I have promoted meditation in my drug court program for many years as one tool to help program participants suffering from chronic drug dependence to decrease drug usage and relapse and stimulate positive change. The recuperative benefits of meditation are so extensive and without a negative downside that I have now expanded its use into the traditional courtroom when presiding in both civil and criminal dockets.

In this article, I address the background of mindfulness meditation and the value of integrating this practice for substance abuse offenders, and its applicability in all court settings as a means to help litigants.