NCJ Number
176575
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 1998 Pages: 169-187
Date Published
1998
Length
19 pages
Annotation
A national sample of 183 male property offenders sentenced to felony probation was used to study the impact of court-ordered drug treatment on probationers' recidivism rates, based on proportional hazards analytic techniques.
Abstract
The research sought to determine whether participation in court-ordered drug treatment reduces future criminal involvement among convicted property offenders who have a history of drug abuse. Results indicated that the level of success of white males in completing court-ordered drug treatment programs has no significant effect on their recidivism rates. In contrast, black and Hispanic males who satisfied the expectations of their drug treatment programs were significantly less likely to be arrested. Overall, findings supported the contention that drug treatment reduces further criminal behavior among men on probation for felony property offenses. Thus, it is recommended that court service personnel strive to provide drug treatment programs for property offenders with a history of drug abuse and that supervisors closely monitor probationers' activities while in treatment to assure lower rates of recidivism. Table and 52 references (Author abstract modified)