Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts in the United States: Initial Lessons Learned and Issues Being Addressed*

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the development of juvenile drug treatment court programs in the United States; the goals of these programs; a comparison of the traditional juvenile justice process and services with that of the juvenile drug treatment court; and principal areas in which the juvenile drug treatment court experience has differed from that of the adult drug treatment court. The paper also provides a description of early models and the modifications and enhancements that have subsequently been instituted to enhance program effectiveness; a summary description of the range of juvenile drug treatment court activity currently underway in the United States; the nature of substance use and other issues presented by participating youth; and the major challenges juvenile drug treatment courts are currently addressing.

Determining What Works for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

“…Although an evaluation of the full sample found that drug court youth were less likely than those in the comparison group receiving standard probation to commit subsequent delinquent acts, it also found that the number of days spent in the program significantly increased the number of delinquent offenses and that drug court youths were 2.7 times more likely than those in the comparison group to test positive for cocaine during treatment. Also, no significant differences were found between drug court youth and those in the comparison group in marijuana use (Cooper, 2002;Rodriguez & Webb, 2004). In contrast to the mostly negative effects in the full sample, girls were less likely than boys to commit delinquent offenses and use marijuana while in treatment.…”

A Juvenile Drug Court Model in Southern Arizona: Substance Abuse, Delinquency, and Sexual Risk Outcomes by Gender and Race/Ethnicity

“…Belenko and Logan (2003) detailed a conceptual model for juvenile drug courts in which the main components include (a) planning, (b) implementation, and (c) evaluation. Furthermore, Cooper (2002) outlined the general characteristics of juvenile drugs courts which include (a) earlier and more comprehensive intake=assessment, (b) integration of information from a variety of sources (family, education), (c) inclusion of family, (d) more intensive and broad focused support services (mentoring, parenting education), (e) greater coordination among systems (e.g., treatment, schools), (f) more active and continuous judicial supervision (weekly), (g) increased range of personal and skill development services (e.g., music, technology), and (h) immediate judicial use of both sanctions for non-compliance and incentives for recognition of participants' progress. The United States Department of Justice (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2003) developed a monograph that details the strategies that are recommended for use in practice with juvenile drug courts.…”

Sustained Outcomes? an Exploratory Study of Juvenile Drug Courts and Long‐Term Recidivism

“…Juvenile drug courts across the country share a similar mission; to function as a specialized court within the juvenile justice system and provide justice‐involved juveniles who have a substance use problem with a comprehensive collaboration of services/treatment to address their needs, eliminate substance use, and increase their overall self‐efficacy (Butts & Roman, ; Cooper, , ). Key elements of JDCs include: (1) early identification of eligible juveniles; (2) a drug court team comprised of a probation officer, prosecutor and defense attorney, school representative, treatment provider, judge, and in some jurisdictions, a school resource officer; (3) substance use treatment and any other treatments necessary to address additional needs; (4) continuous judicial monitoring; (5) the use of a sanctions and rewards model; (6) and lastly, reduction or dissmisal of the juvenile offense(s) upon program completion (Copper, , ; National Association of Drug Court Professionals [NADCP], ).…”