Drug Courts: What's the Verdict?

• NCJ Number: 163740
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1996) Pages: 6-7
• Author(s): L O Maddox
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 2 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report summarizes the findings from a study of the operations and impact of 20 drug court programs that have been operational for at least 1 year.

Abstract

Drug courts combine needed substance abuse treatment with intensive, judicially monitored probation and frequent urinalysis to guarantee abstinence. In return for successful completion of the drug court program, participants have a "clean" criminal record. The Bureau of Justice Assistance's Drug Court Resource Center has recently published the first volume of "Drug Courts: An Overview of Operational Characteristics and Implementation Issues." This report is the first comprehensive profile of drug court programs in the United States, as it documents the operations and impact of 20 drug court programs that have operated for at least 1 year. The study found that recidivism has been significantly reduced for drug court program participants. There has been a significant decrease in drug use among most drug court participants while involved in the program, along with a substantial period of abstinence prior to graduation for those who successfully complete the program. An unanticipated beneficial impact of the programs has been the birth of a significant number of drug-free babies to women enrolled in the programs. Many programs are now expanding their targeted population, based on the success of their initial implementation experience. Support for the drug court programs from prosecutors and law enforcement officials has been strong. Judges involved with drug court programs believe that this approach is more effective than the traditional criminal case process for those offenders who want to address their substance abuse problem. The average cost for the treatment component of a drug court program ranges between $900 and $1,600 per participant. Savings in jail bed days alone have been estimated to be at least $5,000 per defendant.