Long Term Effects of Drug Court Participation: Evidence from a 15-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial

• In Event: Responses to Substance Use and Abuse: Specialty Courts and Treatment

Abstract

Meta-analyses of drug court evaluations conclude that drug courts are a more effective criminal justice response for drug offenders than traditional probation processing, but their long-term effects are unknown and it is not clear whether they are effective with offenders with significant criminal history records and chronic drug abusing histories. One of the most rigorous primary studies to date is the randomized trial of the Baltimore City Drug Treatment Court (BCDTC). Three-year follow-up data from this study showed that participation in the program reduced recidivism and that subjects self-reported less crime and substance use than did controls. These positive changes are promising, but the ultimate goal of drug court programs is long-term, meaningful change for offenders.

The current study compares 15-year recidivism, incarceration, and mortality outcomes. Findings suggest that the BCDTC had lasting effects on recidivism – both arrests and convictions - but incarceration and mortality outcomes did not differ significantly between treatment conditions. The project is unique in that it extends one of the few randomized trials of an established drug court and includes a group of offenders with substantial criminal and substance abuse histories.

Authors

• Brook Kearley, University of Maryland, Baltimore

• Denise Gottfredson, University of Maryland