This report presents an evaluation of 11 drug courts in New York State, including an analysis of drug court policies, participant characteristics, and participant performance.
New York is one of a handful of States that is making an effort to institutionalize drug courts statewide. The 11 drug courts participating in the evaluation process are from large urban counties, suburban counties, medium-sized cities, and from small city/semi-rural areas. All 11 of the drug courts were evaluated in terms of their drug court policies and participant characteristics; 6 of the 11 drug courts were also evaluated on recidivism of the participants. In these six cases, participant characteristics and programmatic features were identified as likely to increase the success of drug court outcomes. Data include an analysis of reconviction rates of the drug court participants versus a control group; survey responses; site visits to nine courts; demographic characteristics of participants; policy statements of the courts; and participants outcome documentation. Part 1 of the report provides a description of the drug court policies and of the participants. The Adult Drug Court Model is introduced and the policy context of New York State's Drug Courts is examined. Differences in drug court participants are delineated by gender and by graduates versus failures. Part 2 evaluates the treatment and recovery process, including an assessment of the treatment component of drug courts, participant compliance with program requirements, and the relationship between infractions and sanction in three of the courts. Part 3 focuses on drug court retention and recidivism and offers possible predictors of drug court success. Part 4 discusses the impact evaluation. Previous studies of recidivism are reviewed, followed by a description of the research design and analysis plan. Six separate chapters provide the results of the impact evaluation in six of the drug courts, including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Suffolk County, Syracuse, and Rochester. Finally, part 5 offers conclusions about the drug court participation process, drug court impacts, and future directions for the drug courts. Core lessons learned from the evaluation process are that drug court policies vary substantially; drug court participants face severe and complicated problems; early engagement in the drug court process improves chances of success; noncompliance are typical facets of the recovery process; and drug court graduation significantly reduces post-program recidivism. Tables, figures, appendix, references