The effect of drug treatment court on recidivism: a comparison with traditional court intervention

Abstract

Drug treatment courts have transformed the way in which courts process drug-related cases and respond to drug-involved offenders. Established as a diversion program, drug courts help to reduce recidivism among substance-involved individuals. Given the rapid expansion of drug courts across the nation, research examining their effectiveness has also increased. While there is evidence that drug courts are successful at reducing recidivism compared to more traditional court interventions, several studies in the literature have lacked an adequate comparison group using appropriate statistical techniques to reduce selection bias. Further, questions remain whether specific types of interventions or outcomes of those interventions are more beneficial than others. The current study adds to the existing drug court literature by conducting an outcome evaluation in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin to determine whether differences in recidivism existed between individuals in a drug treatment court and a comparison group of traditionally adjudicated individuals. Within-group differences were also examined to determine whether the type of intervention (drug court graduates, drug court revoked, traditional probation, traditional incarceration) was significantly influential in the likelihood of recidivism.