NCJ Number
36545
Date Published
1974
Length
14 pages
Annotation
COMPARISON OF THREE GROUPS RELEASED ON BOND IN DENVER TO DETERMINE WHETHER UNSUPERVISED, UNTREATED ADDICTS ARE POOR PRETRIAL RELEASE RISKS AND WHETHER COURT SUPERVISED DRUG TREATMENT IMPROVES THEIR COURT APPEARANCE RECORD.
Abstract
GROUP I CONSISTED OF ADDICTS NOT INVOLVED IN A COURT SUPERVISED TREATMENT PROGRAM DURING THE PRETRIAL RELEASE PERIOD, GROUP 2 OF ADDICTS PARTICIPATING IN THE DENVER TASC (TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES TO STREET CRIME) PROGRAM DURING RELEASE; AND GROUP 3 OF NON-ADDICT FELONY DEFENDANTS RELEASED ON BOND AND NOT PARTICIPATING IN A SUPERVISED PRETRIAL RELEASE PROGRAM. DEMOGRAPHIC AND CHARGE DATA WERE COLLECTED FOR EACH GROUP, AND COURT FILES WERE EXAMINED FOR COLLECTION OF VARIOUS MEASURES OF THE BOND EXPERIENCE, PARTICULARLY THE APPEARANCE PERFORMANCE OF EACH GROUP. TREATMENT SPECIFIC DATA WERE COLLECTED FOR GROUP 2'S TASC CLIENTS. THE GROUPS WERE FOUND TO BE GENERALLY COMPARABLE WITH RESPECT TO DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS BUT SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE WITH REGARD TO APPEARANCE VARIABLES. IT WAS REVEALED THAT UNSUPERVISED, UNTREATED ADDICTS DO PERFORM SUBSTANTIALLY POORER THAN NON-ADDICT DEFENDANTS IN ATTENDANCE AT REQUIRED COURT APPEARANCES WHILE ON BOND. IT WAS FURTHER FOUND THAT INVOLVEMENT IN SUPERVISED DRUG TREATMENT IMPROVES THE COURT APPEARANCE OF ADDICT DEFENDANTS RESULTING IN PARITY WITH PERFORMANCE OF NON-ADDICT DEFENDANTS. THE AUTHORS RECOMMEND REPLICATION OF THE STUDY DESIGN IN OTHER AREAS TO TEST GENERALIZABILITY OF RESULTS.