NCJ Number
196702
Date Published
2001
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of the Shelby County, Tennessee Drug Court on recidivism, comparing rearrest rates of Drug Court graduates with a sample of individuals arrested for drug possession offenses during the same time frame.
Abstract
The Shelby County, Tennessee Drug Court was designed and implemented in 1997 providing an alternative to incarceration for those voluntarily entering and completing a prescribed treatment program. The Drug Court's intent is to decrease the incidence of drug-related crime, encourage participating offenders to enter and complete a rigorous and long-term treatment program, and alleviate some of the saturation of drug-related cases in the county's courts. This study examined the impact of the Shelby County Drug Court on recidivism. The study examined the cohort of 190 individuals graduating from the drug program from its initial group of graduates in 1998 through 2000. This cohort group was compared to a random sample group of 172 arrested for drug possession from 1997 through 1999. Major findings included: (1) 24 percent of all drug court graduates were rearrested for an offense compared to 80 percent of the comparison group; (2) 76 percent of the comparison group were rearrested for non-traffic offenses compared to 20 percent of the drug court graduates; and (3) of those rearrested for a non-traffic offense, 57 percent of the comparison group were rearrested for a felony charge in contrast to 36 percent of those graduating from the drug court. These results are consistent with data obtained from evaluations conducted by other drug court programs indicating substantial reductions in recidivism of offenders graduating from a drug court program. Charts and tables