Questionnaires were distributed to 263 operating adult drug courts, and 212 courts responded (81 percent). The survey was conducted in October 1999. The survey findings showed that treatment services designed for and used by drug courts comported with scientifically established principles of treatment effectiveness. Overall, the structure of drug court treatment was consistent with the principles established by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1999) and was delivered according to the Drug Court Key Components and related Performance Benchmarks. A broad continuum of primary treatment services is available to drug courts. An analysis of the findings concludes that drug courts can cooperate with treatment providers and administrators, TASC programs, and other offender management efforts to generate sufficient resources and support at the local, State, and national levels to incorporate drug court activities into a larger strategy for managing substance-involved justice populations. This movement will provide the foundation for an effective, community-based strategy to reduce the drug use and criminal activity of the significant number of substance-involved offenders that are burdening our systems and our society. Drug courts can be more successful and attain greater impact by continuing to improve operations and expand to larger and more significant populations. Six policy recommendations are offered for achieving this. 2 figures
Similar Publications
- 20-Year Prospective Follow-Up Study of Specialized Treatment for Adolescents Who Offended Sexually
- Adolescent Neurocognitive Maturity Mediates Paths to Altered Social Norms and Vulnerability in Emerging Adulthood
- Civil Protection Orders: The Benefits and Limitations for Victims of Domestic Violence Executive Summary