Drugs & Substance Abuse in Corrections - Drug Courts

Drug Courts' Effects on Criminal Offending for Juveniles and Adults

“The objective of this review is to systematically review quasi-experimental and experimental (RCT) evaluations of the effectiveness of drug courts in reducing recidivism, including drug courts for juvenile and DWI offenders. This systematic review critically assesses drug courts’ effects on recidivism in the short- and long-term, the methodological soundness of the existing evidence, and the relationship between drug court features and effectiveness” (p. 6).

Results are provided for: a description of eligible studies; overall mean effects by type of drug...

Six Steps to Improve Your Drug Court Outcomes for Adults with Co-Occurring Disorders

“One of the biggest challenges for drug courts is effectively working with participants with co-occurring disorders. By definition, persons with the dual diagnosis of both substance use disorders and mental illnesses have co-occurring disorders ... every adult drug court can achieve positive outcomes for persons with co-occurring disorders-if the court is committed to doing so. With some creativity and thoughtful planning, most persons with co-occurring disorders can successfully participate in drug courts” (p. 1). This publication explains very clearly how...

Guidance to States: Recommendations for Developing Family Drug Court Guidelines

This publication “provides guidance for implementing an FDC [Family Drug Court], including the development of FDC partnerships and a common vocabulary for describing FDC components, with a focus on improving services to families who are involved with the child welfare system and are affected by substance use disorders. The authors hope that this document will help jurisdictions select and improve practices and, ultimately, outcomes for children and families” (p. 2). The recommendations made are: create a shared mission and vision...

A Statewide Evaluation of New York’s Adult Drug Courts: Identifying Which Policies Work Best

This study documented the positive impact of drug courts in New York on re-arrest and re-conviction both. If you are looking for ways to implement an effective drug court program or are looking to improve one you already have then you will find some helpful strategies to guide your efforts. This report contains eight chapter following an executive summary: introduction; research design and methodology; profile of drug court participant characteristics; profile of drug court policy characteristics and constructs; the impact...

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Adult Drug Courts

“This Issue Review provides a summary of national and Iowa research on the effectiveness of Adult Drug Courts, an overview of these programs currently operating in Iowa, including a description of offenders served and funding mechanisms, an analysis of the costs and benefits of the Adult Drug Courts operated by Community-Based Corrections, and the estimated need for funding” (p. 1). Sections of this report cover: the current situation in Iowa-funding history, offenders and risk, admissions, closures, and recidivism; cost-benefit analysis-Iowa...

Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Guide for Drug Courts and Other Criminal Justice Programs

"As resource constraints have tightened, the role of researchers in informing evidence-based and cost-effective decisions about the use of funds, labor, materials and equipment - and even the skills of workers - has increased. We [the authors] believe research that can inform decisions about resource allocation will be a central focus of criminal justice research in the years to come, with cost-benefit analysis (CBA) among the key tools" (p. 3). This is required reading for those individuals tasked with determining...

Juvenile Drug Courts: A Process, Outcome, and Impact Evaluation

"As an alternative to traditional juvenile courts, juvenile drug courts attempt to provide substance abuse treatment, sanctions, and incentives to rehabilitate nonviolent drug-involved youth, empower families to support them in this process, and prevent recidivism. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) sponsored a multisite study of juvenile drug courts to examine the ability of these courts to reduce recidivism and improve youth’s social functioning, and to determine whether these programs use evidence-based practices in their treatment services...

NIJ's Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation

This website provides access to materials related to the National Institute of Justice’s Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation (MADCE). You should look at the information provided here If you are thinking of implementing or improving drug courts in your jurisdiction. Sections cover: description of the evaluation; research questions; data collection; and links to results from the evaluation (publications, dataset, and presentations).