Drug courts represent a significant development in criminal justice during the past 15 years, and a small but growing literature suggests they are effective in reducing drug use and criminal behavior. Most of these studies evaluate the effects of drug courts in urban areas, however. This study adds to this literature by considering the effects of this intermediate sanction among adult offenders in a small, nonmetropolitan county of northwest Washington. Using a retrospective comparison group of matched control participants, these results show that the prevalence and incidence of rearrest is significantly lower among drug court graduates than probationers. These differences in recidivism persist even when the age, race, gender, and number of days at risk in the community are statistically controlled. Among those who did recidivate, drug court graduates did not significantly differ from controls in duration to first arrest and arrest incidence. Policy implications are discussed.
Aos, S. (1999). Can drug courts save money for Washington State taxpayers?Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
2.
Aos, S., & Barnoski, R. (2003). Washington state’s drug courts for adult defendants: Outcome evaluation and cost-benefit analysis. Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
3.
Banks, D., & Gottfredson, D. C. (2004). Participation in drug treatment court and time to rearrest. Justice Quarterly, 21, 637-657.
4.
Belenko, S. (1998). Research on drug courts: A critical review. Alexandria, VA: National Drug Court Institute.
5.
Belenko, S. (1999). Research on drug courts: A critical review, 1999 update. Alexandria, VA: National Drug Court Institute.
6.
Belenko, S. (2001). Research on drug courts: A critical review, 2001 update. New York: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Columbia University.
7.
Breckenridge, J. F., Winfree, L. T., Maupin, J. R., & Clason, D. L. (2000). Drunk drivers, DWI, “drug court” treatment, and recidivism: Who fails?Justice Research & Policy, 2, 87-105.
8.
Brewster, M. P. (2001). An evaluation of the Chester County (PA) drug court program. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 177-206.
9.
Burdon, W. M., Roll, J. M., Prendergast, M. L., & Rawson, R. (2001). Drug courts and contingency management. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 73-91.
10.
Cox, G., Brown, L., Morgan, C., & Hansten, M. (2001). NW HIDTA/DASA Washington State Drug Court evaluation project: Final report. Seattle: Alcoholand Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington.
11.
Cullen, F. T., & Agnew, R. (2003). Part VII: Reviving classical theory: Deterrence, rational choice, and routine activities theories. In F. T. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological theory: Past to present (2nd ed., pp. 263-271). Los Angeles: Roxbury.
12.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2002). Crime in the United States: Uniform crime reports. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
13.
Fox, W. (1998). Social statistics. Bellevue, WA: MicroCase.
14.
Goldkamp, J. S. (2003). The impact of drug courts. Criminology & Public Policy, 2, 197-205.
15.
Goldkamp, J. S., & Weiland, D. (1993). Assessing the impact of Dade County’s felony drug court. Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute.
16.
Goldkamp, J. S., White, M. D., & Robinson, J. B. (2001). Do drug courts work? Getting inside the drug court black box. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 27-73.
17.
Gottfredson, D., Najaka, S., & Kearley, B. (2003). Effectiveness of drug treatment courts: Evidence from a randomized trial. Criminology & Public Policy, 2, 171-196.
18.
Herz, C. (2000). Drugs in the heartland: Methamphetamine use in rural Nebraska (NCJ 180986). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
19.
Herz, C. (2003). Exploring arrestee drug use in rural Nebraska. Journal of Drug Issues, 33, 99-118.
20.
Huddleston, C. W., III, Freeman-Wilson, K., Marlowe, D. B., & Roussell, A. (2005). Painting the current picture: A national report card on drug courts and other problem solving courts in the United States. Washington, DC: Office of National Drug Control Policy.
21.
Listwan, S. J., Shaffer, D. K., & Latessa, E. J. (2002). The drug court movement: Recommendations for improvements. Corrections Today, 64, 52-54.
22.
Mariner County. (2003). Mariner County Adult Drug Court policies and procedures manual-revised. Mariner County, WA: Author.
23.
MM Bell, Inc. (2000). Mariner County Juvenile Drug Court evaluation: Final report. Seattle: Author.
24.
Office of Justice Programs. (1997). Defining drug courts: The key components. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
25.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2002). Pulse check: Trends in drug abuse, November 2002 (NCJ 197242). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
26.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2003). ONDCP Drug policy information clearinghouse fact sheet: Methamphetamine (NCJ 197534). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
27.
Roman, J., Townsend, W., & Bhati, A. S. (2003). Recidivism rates for drug court graduates: Nationally based estimates (NCJ 201229). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
28.
Singleton, R. A., & Straits, B. C. (1999). Approaches to social research (3rd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
29.
Spohn, C., Piper, R. K., Martin, T., & Frenzel, E. D. (2001). Drug courts and recidivism: The results of an evaluation using two comparison groups and multiple indicators of recidivism. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 149-177.
30.
State of Washington Office of the Administrator of the Courts. (2003). Judicial information system. Olympia: Author.
31.
United States Bureau of the Census. (2005a). Census Bureau quick facts: Washington. Retrieved January 18, 2005, from http://www.quickfacts.census.gov
32.
United States Bureau of the Census. (2005b). Statistical abstract of the United States, 2004-2005. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
33.
United States Government Accountability Office. (2005). Adult drug courts: Evidence indicates recidivism reductions and mixed results for other outcomes (GAO 05-219). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
34.
Walker, S. E. (2001). Sense and nonsense about crime and drugs: A policy guide. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
35.
Wolfe, E., Guydish, J., & Termondt, J. (2002). A drug court outcome evaluation comparing arrests in a two-year follow-up period. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 155-171.
