NCJ Number
187720
Journal
National Drug Court Institute Review Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: Summer 1999 Pages: 61-85
Date Published
1999
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article presents findings from interviews pertaining to drug court participants’ perceptions of the Maricopa County, Arizona drug court program.
Abstract
In 1992, Maricopa County began a post-sentence drug court for first-time felony probationers convicted of drug possession or use. The program combines specialized drug treatment with court supervision and utilized behavioral contracts, status hearings before the judge, a system of rewards and sanctions, a phased outpatient treatment regiment, and urine monitoring. Participant interviews were conducted three years after initial program placement. Twenty-nine participants offered their perceptions of the drug court program. Interviewees’ assessments focused on the difficulty of drug court program compliance, the helpfulness of the drug court experience, the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and whether they would recommend the program to other first-time drug offenders. An overwhelming majority would recommend the program to other offenders. Although, they did not feel it had a positive impact on all areas of their lives. Participants also felt the drug court was a greater help in remaining “crime free” than “drug free”. The program requirements that were perceived as difficult to complete were probation conditions unrelated to the drug court program, such as payment of financial conditions and completion of community service. Results such as these can be useful to program planners and policymakers ensuring that drug court programs respond to the needs of offenders and serve as sound community supervision options. References