Racial differences in drug court referral, admission, and graduation rates: findings from two states and eight counties

Abstract

Drug courts are often the last chance for criminal justice-involved persons with substance use disorders to avoid incarceration. Given this stark reality, participation in drug court should not be influenced by race. This study tracks cohorts of drug court referrals to compare referral, admission, and graduation rates by race in two states and eight counties in diverse regions of the United States. We compared admission and graduation rates by race in each state or county using tests of the difference between independent proportions, displayed graphically with longitudinal state-level data. Black persons had lower referral and admission rates in nearly all jurisdictions for which requisite data were available, and lower graduation rates in six of the ten jurisdictions. In statewide analyses for which adequate longitudinal data were available, racial differences in admission and graduation rates persisted for up to a decade. Practice and policy recommendations are offered to improve measurement of cultural disparities in drug courts and the broader justice system and implement remedial strategies.