Predicting Termination from Drug Court and Comparing Recidivism Patterns: Treating Substance Use Disorders in Criminal Justice Settings

Abstract

Drug courts have been used in the criminal justice system to treat substance use disorders since 1989. This study evaluates a drug court in Indiana, focusing specifically on the most predictive variables for being terminated from the program and comparing recidivism patterns of drug court and probation participants. Participants were most likely to be terminated from drug court if they did not have a high school diploma or equivalent at admission, were not employed or a student at admission, identified cocaine as a drug of choice, had more positive drug tests, had a violation within the first 30 days of the program, and had a criminal history. Additional findings suggest that drug court is more effective than probation at reducing criminal recidivism rates for offenders with substance use disorders. Implications for drug court practice and future research are discussed.

Improving Graduation Rates in Drug Court Through Employment and Schooling Opportunities and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

“…In a Texas drug court, for example, participants who were employed or were students at the start of drug court were nearly 5 times more likely to graduate than their counterparts (Gallagher, 2013b). Being employment, in particular, has consistently increased the likelihood of drug court participants having increased graduation rates and reduced recidivism rates (Dannerbeck et al, 2006;Gallagher et al, 2015;Goldkamp, 1994;Listwan, Shaffer, & Hartman, 2009;Mullany & Peat, 2008;Peters & Murrin, 2000).…”

“…This variable is not commonly measured in drug court evaluation. The few studies, however, that have assessed participants' compliance within the first month of drug court have found that those with better compliance are more likely to graduate (Gallagher et al, 2015;Newton-Taylor, Patra, & Gliksman, 2009) and less likely to recidivate . This suggests that the first month of the program is a critical timeframe in determining long-term outcomes related to graduation and recidivism.…”

Validating a Measure of Client Change

“…Not only is drug use related to crime, but drug treatment that is directly related to reducing drug use is related to reduced recidivism (Aos et al, 2006). Relating to drug courts, Gallagher et al, (2015) analysed differences in recidivism for offenders who had been convicted of drug related offences and were eligible for drug court with those who actually participated in drug court. Recidivism rates were collected for 36 months post discharge from probation or drug court.…”

The Impact of Health-Related Quality of Life on Retention in Drug Treatment Courts [English and Spanish versions]

“…4 Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs), specialty courts that mandate probationers to participate in substance use treatment, seek to aid this high risk population. DTCs are effective in reducing drug and alcohol use, [5][6][7][8] but have early dropout (or failure to complete the program) rates as high as 75%. 6 Predictably, individuals who do not complete the Drug Treatment Program are more likely to continue using substances, have more frequent relapses, and continue to engage in high risk behaviors.…”

“…Past research has focused on DTC dropouts as a function of participant characteristics (e.g., age, criminal history) or treatment program features (e.g., frequency of DTC hearings). 8 Our study, The Impact of Health-Related Quality of Life on Retention in Drug Treatment Courts, proposes to shift the focus to health-related Quality of Life (QOL) and its impact on dropout. QOL examines self-perceived physical and mental health and its effect on daily functioning 9 and has been shown to predict retention in various treatment models.…”