About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

44 J. Res. Crime & Delinquency 3 (2007)

handle is hein.journals/jrcd44 and id is 1 raw text is: VI~m 4 i 4 Number 1 Ferar'007 3-35 How Drug Treatm ent © 2007 Sage Pubications Courts Work An Analysis of Mediators ht,:oine.sagepubcom Denise C. Gottfredson Brook W. Kearley Stacy S. Najaka Carlos M. Rocha University of Maryland, College Park This study examines program elements related to reductions in drug use and crime among Drug Treatment Courts (DTC) participants as well as theoretical mechanisms-increased social controls and improved perceptions of proce- dural justice-expected to mediate the effects of DTC on these outcomes. Data are from 157 research participants interviewed three years following random- ization into treatment and control conditions in the evaluation of the Baltimore City DTC. Findings indicate that perceptions of procedural justice reduce crime and that social controls reduce drug use. Hearings attended, drug testing, and drug treatment reduce drug use. Participation in the DTC increases the number of judicial hearings attended, which directly reduces drug use and indi- rectly reduces crime by increasing perceptions of procedural justice. Participation in the DTC increases social controls both directly and indirectly by increasing the duration of drug treatment. These increased perceptions of social control reduce drug use. Implications for DTC's are discussed. Keywords: drug treatment courts; randomized experiment; mediating effects D rug treatment courts (DTCs) were first developed in the late 1980s in response to a justice system overburdened by drug crimes. Various social and political forces during that time (most important the crack cocaine epidemic and the subsequent war on drugs) created an environment in which court dockets were overwhelmed by drug cases and prisons were filled to capacity with drug offenders (Belenko 1993; Controlled Substances Act 1988; McColl 1996). Practitioners and reformers, impressed with positive results found in the drug treatment literature (Anglin and Hser 1990; Collins

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most