African American Participants Suggestions for Eliminating Racial Disparities in Graduation Rates: Implications for Drug Court Practice

• NCJ Number: 253200
• Author(s): John R. Gallagher; Anne Nordberg
• Date Published: May 2018
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-MU-BX-K004
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Corporate Author: National Assoc of Drug Court Professionals
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Since the literature on drug courts has highlighted a pattern in some drug courts in which African-Americans are less likely to graduate from the court program than Caucasian participants, this article reports on the largest known qualitative meta-synthesis of African-Americans' (N = 70) views on drug court programs and their perceptions of any service or treatment disparities related to a participant's race.

Abstract

Many of those in the sample had favorable views of key components of the drug-court model. Many noted that submitting frequent and random drug screens and having frequent interview sessions with the same judge was significant in providing motivation to graduate from the court program. On the other hand, most of the African-Americans interviewed had unfavorable views of their counselors and the quality of treatment they received for their substance-use disorders. They perceived that their treatment was not tailored to their perceptions of their individual needs, particularly regarding their mental health needs. They also felt that the drug court did not support them in the development of sustainable, career-oriented employment. The discussion of these findings gives high priority to drug courts incorporating qualitative methods into their program evaluations. It is only through qualitative methods that drug courts can obtain an understanding of how drug-court participants are experiencing various elements of drug court programming. The report recommends that program evaluations be done by independent researchers who have expertise in mixed-methods (both quantitative and qualitative) research designs. Because of the expense of such an evaluation, drug courts should consider applying for local, state, and federal grants for such evaluations, In addition, it is recommended that drug court personnel and stakeholders screen treatment providers to ensure they are providing evidence-based interventions that meet a variety of individualized needs. 61 references