The benevolent watch: Therapeutic surveillance in drug treatment court
| Published date | 01 August 2011 |
| Date | 01 August 2011 |
| Author | Dawn Moore |
| DOI | 10.1177/1362480610396649 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Corresponding author:
Dawn Moore, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
Email: moore@ccs.carleton.ca
Theoretical Criminology
15(3) 255 –268
© The Author(s) 2011
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DOI: 10.1177/1362480610396649
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Article
The benevolent watch:
Therapeutic surveillance
in drug treatment court
Dawn Moore
Carleton University, Canada
Abstract
This article offers an alternative to the traditional, technocentric and control oriented
focus of surveillance studies. Drawing on field work in drug treatment courts (DTCs),
I theorize the notion of ‘therapeutic surveillance’ as a seemingly benevolent form of
monitoring which also troubles the ‘care/control’ dichotomy familiar to surveillance
studies and social theory more generally. I look specifically at the roles of judges,
treatment workers and DTC participants in constituting a surveillant assemblage which
relies on personal relationships, intimate knowledge and pastoral care. I suggest that
surveillance studies can move beyond the panopticon by recognizing the varied ways
in which surveillance takes place. These strategies can include benevolent acts and
intentions alongside (and sometimes coterminous with) coercive manoeuvres.
Keywords
drug treatment court, pastoralism, rehabilitation, surveillance, therapeutic surveillance
Introduction
Philly is called up before the judge. He was released from custody two days ago, having spent
the weekend in the detention centre for leaving his assigned residence. On this appearance,
Philly’s list of complaints to the judge is long. He is dope sick because the doctor is pulling him
off the methadone too quickly; he has bed bugs from the jail; the counsellor at the recovery
house he was supposed to reside at is an asshole and he feels like the judge is interfering in his
treatment plan. For her part, the judge offers an equally cantankerous response. She cites a poor
report from the treatment centre indicating that he is not as compliant as he could be with his
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