Factors Associated with Two-Year Recidivism Rates among Participants in a Drug Court Program

• In Event: Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Alternatives for Criminal Offender Populations

Abstract

Drug courts seek to break the cycle of substance use and crime by providing an alternative to incarceration via community-based treatment. Reduced recidivism is one of the most common benefits of drug court; however, recidivism has been measured in various ways (i.e., re-arrests; re-incarcerations; re-convictions). The study purpose was: 1) to examine recidivism rates among program participants (i.e., graduates and drop-outs [terminators]) and 2) to identify factors associated with recidivism. Five hundred thirty four participants were randomly selected from the larger Kentucky Drug Court (KDC) population (N = 4,881). Secondary data, including the program assessment, Management Information System, and CourtNet records, were used to examine pre-program information, during program performance, and recidivism. Examining any two-year post-program recidivism (i.e., arrest, conviction, or incarceration), a little over one-third (37.6%) of graduates and almost all program terminators (95.3%) had some type of recidivism (p<.001). Age, outpatient treatment referrals, marital status, substance use (i.e., past 30 day cocaine use), number of positive drug tests, number of incarceration sanction days, and criminal activity before drug court (i.e., felony property crime conviction; misdemeanor eligible violent crime) were associated with two-year post-program recidivism. Findings provide information for targeting resources at clients most at risk of post-program recidivism.

Authors

• Lisa Shannon, Morehead State University

• Afton Jackson Jones, Morehead State University

• Jennifer Newell, Morehead State University

• Elizabeth Perkins, Morehead State University