NCJ Number
195685
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Dated: 2001 Pages: 63-72
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article studies whether the length of time spent in drug court treatment programs affects the recidivism rate of drug offenders.
Abstract
While previous research has shown the effectiveness of drug court treatment programs in reducing recidivism rates among drug offenders, sparse research has addressed whether the length of time spent in these programs affects outcomes. Thus, this study assessed whether greater time spent in the drug court treatment program affected the criminal justice outcomes. The authors’ main hypothesis was that the length of participation in drug court treatment programs would be directly related to success of offender rehabilitation during follow-up. In order to test this hypothesis, the authors evaluated records kept by the Clerk of the Court’s office, records from the Pre-trial Release office, and treatment and probation records for 227 individuals. These participants had entered two Florida drug court treatment programs between June 1993 and June 1996. A follow-up period of 1 year after discharge from the drug court program was recorded and studied for each participant. The results of the study confirmed the authors’ hypothesis that the more time spent in the treatment program, the lower the rate of recidivism for drug offenses. The authors suggest that their results support the importance of expanded involvement in drug court treatment programs for drug offenders. They also reiterate the importance of expanding efforts to retain participants in these programs. Tables, references