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Abstract

Literature indicates that drug courts produce lower recidivism rates, increased retention rates, and lower costs than traditional criminal justice case processing. As drug courts approach their second decade, there is a void in the literature regarding factors that influence the success of drug court programs. This work aimed to fill that void by equipping policy makers with meaningful information regarding (a) drug court success and (b) factors that facilitate and challenge the implementation of drug court programs. This study measured the perceptions of drug court judges and administrators in five states to examine factors identified by respondents as key to program success. Federal, state, and local factors (agencies and actors) influenced the success of drug court programs, with state and local factors consistently identified as most supportive and influential. Findings also indicated that perceived success was higher for drug court personnel (a) without graduate and professional degrees (law) and (b) with more experience guiding drug courts.

Keywords

drug courts implementation public policy drug offenders drug treatment crime control policy

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