NCJ Number
188167
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2001 Pages: 149-176
Date Published
2001
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Douglas County Drug Court (Nebraska) in reducing offender recidivism.
Abstract
The Douglas County Drug Court, which was established in April 1997, consists of three components: judicial monitoring of participants, with a specialized court docket presided over by a dedicated district court judge; case management provided by Diversion Services, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that administers various community corrections programs in Douglas County; and drug treatment provided by Behavioral Health Administration Region 6 and its network of alcohol and drug treatment providers. Pending felony charges against the offender are dismissed following completion of all drug court requirements. Three groups of similar offenders were included in the evaluation: Drug Court participants, felony drug offenders assigned to the County Attorney's Diversion Program prior to 1997, and individuals arrested for felony drug offenses between January 1997 and March 1998 and who subsequently had charges filed in County District Court. Data on all Drug Court participants, including those who were terminated from the program, and on pre-1997 diversion cases were provided by Diversion Services. The findings showed that Drug Court participants had substantially lower rates of recidivism than traditionally adjudicated felony drug offenders. Findings also showed that the differences in recidivism rates between Drug Court participants and drug offenders who participated in a diversion program prior to the implementation of the drug court disappeared once the study controlled for the offender's assessed level of risk as indicated by his/her score on the Level of Service Inventory. 6 tables, 3 figures, 8 notes, and 33 references