Findings from the Evaluation of the D.C. Superior Court Drug Intervention Program

The Urban Institute2100 M Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20037Adele HarrellShannon CavanaghJohn RomanFINAL REPORTFINDINGS FROM THE EVALUATIONOF THE D.C. SUPERIOR COURTDRUG INTERVENTION PROGRAMDecember 1998 This research was supported by the National Institute of Justice under Grant No. 94-IJ-CX-K011. Fundswere provided by the Center on Substance Abuse Treatment of the Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration of DHHS under interagency transfer. Points of views or opinions in thisdocument are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of theU.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of publicconsideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the UrbanInstitute, its trustees, or its funders. iiiTABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION................................................................1The Superior Court Drug Intervention Program ................................1CHAPTER 2COURT-BASED DRUG INTERVENTION PROGRAMS.....................................4The Evolution of Court-Based Interventions with Drug-Involved Defendants.........4The Legal Context of Court-Based Drug Intervention............................5The Research Rationale for Specialized Drug Dockets ..........................7Combining Treatment and Supervision.......................................9CHAPTER 3THE EVALUATION DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY......................................11The Process Evaluation..................................................11The Impact Evaluation ..................................................13The Analysis of Costs and Benefits.........................................22CHAPTER 4OVERVIEW OF DRUG FELONY CASE HANDLING DURING THE SCDIP EXPERIMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Plea Offers............................................................26Identifying Drug-Using Defendants.........................................27The Standard Docket....................................................31CHAPTER 5 THE GRADUATED SANCTIONS PROGRAM...........................................35The Program Model.....................................................35Recruitment...........................................................35Case Management......................................................37Drug Testing.........................................................38Judicial Monitoring.....................................................39Use of Sanctions.......................................................40Program Retention and Completion.........................................44Defendant Opinions about the Program .....................................44Lessons on the Sanctions Program..........................................46CHAPTER 6 THE IMPACT OF THE SCDIP GRADUATED SANCTIONS PROGRAM........................47The Impact of Program Participation on Drug Use.............................48Reduction in Drug Use during the Year after Sentencing........................50The Impact of the Sanctions Program on Crime ...............................53The Impact of Program Participation on Other Outcomes........................62 iiiUse of Drug Treatment Services ..........................................64Differential Effects of the Sanctions Program.................................67CHAPTER 7 THE TREATMENT PROGRAM.....................................................69The Treatment Program Model ............................................69The Treatment Content..................................................69Recruitment...........................................................71Drug Testing..........................................................74Judicial Monitoring.....................................................76Program Operations.....................................................78Treatment Attendance...................................................79Program Completion....................................................80Sentences Imposed .....................................................81Participant Opinions about the Program.....................................82Lessons on Court-Based Treatment.........................................85CHAPTER 8 THE IMPACT OF THE SCDIP INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAM................87The Impact of Program Participation on Drug Use.............................88The Impact of the Treatment Program on Crime...............................90The Impact of Program Participation on Other Outcomes.......................101Differential Effects of the Treatment Program...............................103CHAPTER 9PROGRAM COSTS AND CRIME REDUCTION BENEFITS.................................105Overview............................................................105Costs of Operating the Treatment and Sanctions Programs.....................1