NCJ Number
167378
Date Published
1997
Length
104 pages
Annotation
This report reflects the comments of 250 participants in the final phases of 50 drug courts that are operating in 22 States and the District of Columbia.
Abstract
The comments from these participants were compiled as part of the 1997 "information update" conducted by the Office of Justice Programs Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project at American University. Drug court judges were asked to distribute a questionnaire to at least five participants in the final phases of their drug court programs. The questionnaire's purpose was to determine participants' reasons for entering the drug court and their perceptions of the relative value of certain key program components common to most programs. Information on respondents' backgrounds addresses prior treatment program experience, time between arrest and entry into the program, age, gender, marital status, parental status, education level, and military status. Participants' comments regarding the drug court experience encompass the most important reasons for entering the program, the most important reasons for remaining in the program, and the most significant differences between drug court and their prior treatment program. Participants' comments regarding drug court components pertain to the duration of the drug court programs, drug-testing frequency, the role of acupuncture in participant's retention in the program, and participants' perceptions regarding the significance of potential changes in key components of drug court programs on their retention. Participants also offer suggestions for how to make the drug court more effective. Extensive charts of participant responses by drug court site