NCJ Number
214482
Date Published
2006
Length
105 pages
Annotation
This report on the second stage of the evaluation of the Christchurch Youth Drug Court Pilot (New Zealand) focuses on a followup assessment of the 30 youth who participated in the court during its first 12 months of operation.
Abstract
Within follow-up periods of 6 months and 12 months, youths in the Youth Drug Court (YDC) pilot sample were as likely to reoffend as a national sample of youth in regular Youth Court and a partially matched sample from the Youth Court, although the YDC sample was slightly less likely to commit a violent offense, but slightly more likely to commit a property, drug, or traffic offense within both follow-up periods. Both the rate of offending and the seriousness of offending by the pilot participants declined significantly after completing the drug court regimen. This also occurred for both Youth Court samples, however. Interviews with six YDC youth and five family members yielded positive assessments of YDC participation, and interviews at 12 months or longer after leaving the YDC showed the same youth had maintained reduction in alcohol and other drug use achieved while in the program. The average cost of the YDC was about four times that of the cost for youth advocates in the standard Youth Court. A number of YDC features identified as good practices are listed. The YDC pilot, which began operating on March 14, 2002, is an innovative program intended to reduce offending linked to alcohol and/or other drug dependency among youth. The program facilitates the early identification of such youth, reduces delays in service delivery to them, facilitates effective interagency coordination, and monitors the youth in the treatment process. 28 tables, 3 figures, 19 references, and appended evaluation materials