Understanding Success and Nonsuccess in the Drug Court

Abstract

The drug court was developed as a response to the ineffectiveness of the traditional criminal justice response to addiction. It has grown from 1 Miami court in 1989 to more than 2,100 drug court programs across the United States in 2011. The drug court has been described as a restorative or community justice intervention that can benefit the offender, direct and indirect victims, and the community as a whole through its combination of treatment, intensive supervision, and regular court appearances. Although the number of qualitative drug court studies has increased in recent years, there are few studies that compare those who successfully complete the drug court program with those who do not complete. This article is a qualitative study of drug court participants in an Arkansas drug court program. The article compares and contrasts the perceptions of those graduated from the program with those who were terminated from the program.

Rethinking Court‐Sanctioned Reintegration Processes: Redemption Rituals as an Alternative to the Drug Court Graduation

“…Essentially absent, though, are studies that explicitly focus on the practice and implications of DC graduation ceremonies, or put forward position statements to support particular approaches. At most, a small number of studies (for example, Fulkerson, Keena and O'Brien 2012;Jensen and Mosher 2006) have made passing reference to graduation ceremonies as a process of reintegrative shaming (Braithwaite 1989). Only one study (Fader 2011) to date has attempted to apply elements of reintegration rituals to graduation ceremonies.…”

“…Surprisingly, little focus has been given to the role of graduation in the DC process. Only very sparse evidence of graduation functioning as a positive reward is available from this body of research (Burns and Peyrot ; Fulkerson, Keena and O'Brien ; Roberts and Wolfer ; Wolfer ). Even less common are studies that have investigated participants’ opinions and perceptions of any aspect of their graduation experience.…”

“…Between 1 January and 1 June 2016, the existing literature on DC graduation ceremonies was surveyed (from 1989 to 2016) using keyword combinations including, but not limited to: continuum of care, problemsolving courts, graduation ceremonies, therapeutic jurisprudence, and drug court. This range of search terms initially resulted in the identification of six journal articles (Burns and Peyrot 2003;Fulkerson, Keena and O'Brien 2012;Nolan 2002;Roberts and Wolfer 2011;Wolfer 2006;Wolfer and Roberts 2008) that mentioned DC graduation ceremonies of which several made passing reference to reintegrative shaming (Braithwaite 1989).…”

Jail diversion: a practical primer

“…If the person does not complete the program, then probation can be revoked with sentencing and potential incarceration following. 32 Sanctions are an important component associated with decreased drug use and recidivism of drug court participants. 33 Sanctions can be wide ranging and include jail incarceration, increased treatment, performing community service, increased court appearances, verbal reprimands, increased court appearances, and program termination.…”

Healing the Wounds

“…When effective, drug courts give offenders the space they need to address their addictions and obtain employment, which benefits all stakeholders (Fulkerson, Keena, & O'Brein, 2013;Heck, Rousell, & Culhane, 2009;Lutz & van Wormer, 2007). Specifically, drug courts, which VTCs are modeled after, have come under scholarly scrutiny.…”