Juvenile Drug Courts and Recidivism: Results From a Multisite Outcome Study

• NCJ Number: 251346
• Journal: Justice Quarterly Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2016 Pages: 291-318
• Author(s): C. J. Sullivan; L. Blair; E. Latessa; C. C. Sullivan
• Date Published: February 2016
• Length: 28 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007-DC-BX-0016
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports findings from a study of nine juvenile drug courts (JDCs) from across the United States.

Abstract

A quasi-experimental design, with one-to-one matching on possible confounders and sociodemographics, was used for the outcome assessment (n = 1,372). Baseline and outcome data were drawn from justice system records. The study found that although there was variation across sites and, to some extent, outcomes, these JDCs were generally ineffective in reducing recidivism. Similar findings have emerged in other recent studies of JDCs. Given the results of this study and others, it is essential that juvenile courts work to improve the effectiveness of JDCs by increasing adherence to known principles of effective intervention. (Publisher abstract modified)