The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: 

Document Title: From Whether to How Drug Courts Work: 

Retrospective Evaluation of Drug Courts in 

Clark County (Las Vegas) and Multnomah 

County (Portland) 

Author(s): John S. Goldkamp ; Michael D. White ; Jennifer 

B. Robinson 

Document No.: 194124 

Date Received: 05/05/2002 

Award Number: 98-DC-VX-K001 

This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federallyfunded grant final report available electronically in addition to

traditional paper copies.

 

Opinions or points of view expressed are those 

of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect 

the official position or policies of the U.S. 

Department of Justice.
R 

CRIME AND JUSTICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

.---- PROPERTY OF 

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) 

Box 6000 

Rockville, MD 20849-6000 

From Whether to How Drug Courts Work: Retrospective Evaluation of Drug Courts in 

Clark County (Las Vegas) and Multnomah County (Portland) , 

Phase II Report,fiorn the National Evaluation of Drug Courts (I) 

Johi S. Goldkamp 

Temple University 

Michael D. White 

University of North Florida 

Jennifer B. Robinson 

University of Ottawa 

c 

The researc 

Approved By: 

Bate: 

scribed in this report was supported by grant #98-DC-VX-K001 from the National Institute of 

Justice, United States Department of Justice. The points of view expressed in the document do not represent the 

official positions of the National Institute of Justice, the local justice agencies in Multnomah County and Clark 

County, nor the Federal Government. 

520 N. Columbus Blvd.. Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19123 

21 5-627-3766 FAX: 21 5-627-7810 email: info@cjri.com 

www.cjri.com 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. 

From Whether to How Drug Courts Work: Retrospective Evaluation of Drug Courts in 

Clark County (Las Vegas) and Multnomah County (Portland) 

Phase 11 Report from the National Evaluation of Drug Courts 0 

CONTENTS 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ v 

I . Introduction: The Scope of Phase I1 Research in Clark County. Nevada. and 

Multnomah County. Oregon ............................................................................................ 1 

Phase I1 Findings: The Content of This Rep0 rt .................................................................. 2 

PART ONE Productivity 11: Participant Outcomes and Service Delivery 

11 . Assessing the Impact of the Drug Court Innovation in Two Jurisdictions: Do Drug 

Courts Work? .................................................................................................................... 7 

Impact as a Comparison ...................................................................................................... 8 

Study Design ..................................................................................................................... 10 

Recidivism among Drug Court Participants One. Two. and Three Years after Entry 

........................................................................................................................................... 15 

Measuring Reoffending as Rearrest .................................................................................. 15 

Rearrest among Multnomah County Drug Court and Non-Drug Court Defendants over 

One. Two and Three Years ............................................................................................... 15 

Rearrest among Clark County Drug Court Participants and Non-Drug Court Defendants 

over One. Two. and Three Years ...................................................................................... 19 

Implications of Comparative Public Safety Outcomes ..................................................... 22 

Controlling for Sample Differences .................................................................................. 23 

The Implications of Sample Difference Findings in the Clark County Drug Court Study29 

Controlling for Sample Differences in the Portland Analyses .......................................... 31 

The Implications of Sample Difference Findings in the Multnomah County Drug Court 

Study .................................................................................................................................. 33 

Controlling for Risk and Sample Differences ................................................................... 33 

Rearrest among Drug Court and Comparison Group Defendants in Clark County 

Controlling for Risk .......................................................................................................... 38 

Rearrest among Drug Court and Comparison Group Defendants in Multnomah County 

Controlling for Risk .......................................................................................................... 39 

Controlling for Time at Risk" .......................................................................................... 40 

Controlling for Time Free ................................................................................................. 42 

Implications of the Rearrest Findings: Variation over Time and Arrest Type ................. 44 

Treatment Performance by Participants Two Years after Entering Drug Court .... 47 

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 47 

Increasing Participation in Substance Abuse Treatment among Offenders ...................... 47 

Phase I Findings Highlighted: Participation in Treatment ............................................... 49 

Clark County: Treatment Outcomes Two Years from Entry into Drug Court ................. 55 

Multnomah County: Treatment Outcomes Two Years from Entry into Drug Court ....... 61 

I11 . 

Controlling for Sample Differences in the Clark County Analysis .................................. 28 

66 

IV . 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. 

Predicting Treatment Outcomes Two Years after Entry in Clark County and Multnomah 

Themes and Implications from the Analysis of Treatment Outcomes in the Two Sites ... 95 

County Drug Courts .......................................................................................................... 66 

PART TWO Drug Court Operation: Selected Issues 

V . 

VI . 

vu . 

VI11 . 

Courtroom Workload as a Measure of Drug Court Development ......... : ................. 105 

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 105 

Issues Raised from the Drug Court Workload Analyses ................................................. 127 

Judicial Staffing and ItsEffect on Participant Outcomes in Multnomah County .. 131 

The Assumption of the Central Importance of the Dedicated Drug Court Judge ........... 131 

The Impact of Judicial Staffing in the Multnomah County Drug Court: Taking 

Advantage of a “Natural Experiment” ............................................................................ 134 

Measuring the Impact of Judicial Staffing on Participant Outcomes .............................. 139 

Developing Alternative Measures of Judicial Exposure ................................................. 148 

Judge Exposure as Longest Period Seeing One Judge Controlling for A Priori Risk of 

Rearrest and Sample Period (1 99 1-1 995. 1996- 1997) .................................................... 148 

Measuring Judge Exposure as a Rate: Number of Judges per 100 Days in the Drug Court 

......................................................................................................................................... 154 

The Effect of Acupuncture in Treatment in the Clark County Drug Court ........... 159 

Acupuncture and the Drug Court Model ......................................................................... 160 

Acupuncture in Treatment in the United States .............................................................. 163 

Acupuncture in the Clark County Drug Court: Issues of Study Design ........................ 165 

Use of Acupunctw-e and Outcomes among Participants Entering the Clark County Drug 

The Acupuncture Experiment ......................................................................................... 178 

Acupuncture versus Relaxation: Comparative Treatment Outcomes ............................ 185 

Comparative Criminal Justice Outcomes within Six Months ......................................... 187 

Participant Fees for Treatment in the Clark County Drug Court: 1993-1997 ....... 195 

Paying for Drug Court Treatment Services ..................................................................... 195 

Assessment and Payment of Treatment Fees in the Clark County Drug Court .............. 197 

Court. I 993- 1997 ............................................................................................................ 169 

PART THREE Drug Courts in Context 

Ix . Competition for the Drug Court Population in Multnomah County: The Impact of 

the District Attorney’s Expedited Plea Program (X-PLEA) ..................................... 211 

The District Attorney’s Expedited Plea (X-PLEA) Program .......................................... 212 

Impact of X-PLEA on Drug Court .................................................................................. 215 

Public Safety Implications of the Drug Court versus Early Plea Option: Reinvolvement 

in Criminal Justice within One Year ............................................................................... 224 

Summary: The Effect of Introducing the X-PLEA Option into the Drug Court Target 

Population ........................................................................................................................ 226 

X . The Importance of Community Context for “Downtown” Drug Courts ....................... 229 

Drugs and Crime in the Neighborhood ........................................................................... 232 

Drug Court Neighborhoods and the Location of Drug Courts and Treatment Providers in 

Clark and Multnomah Counties ...................................................................................... 234 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

11 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. 

The Effect of Community Context on Participant Performance in Drug Court .............. 247 

XI . Drug Courts as Catalysts for Change: Rural and Juvenile Drug Court Innovation in 

Clark County ................................................................................................................. 261 

The Rural Drug Court Initiative in Clark County ........................................................... 262 

The Clark County Juvenile Drug Court .......................................................................... 272 

Descriptive Study of the (Rural) Laughlin Drug Court ................................................... 264 

Clark County’s Juvenile Drug Court: Preliminary Observations ............................. ~ ..... 273 

Descriptive Study of the Clark County Juvenile Drug Court during 1999 ..................... 286 

. 

.. I 

PART FOUR Producing the Drug Court “Effect”: An Analytic Method 

XII . Conclusion: Moving Beyond “Whether” Drug Courts Work to “How” They Work, 

The Special Opportunity Provided by Examining the Drug Courts over Time .............. 295 

Toward a (Causal) Model of Drug Court Impact ............................................................ 297 

Getting Inside the Drug Court Black Box ....................................................................... 315 

Modeling the Effects of Drug Court Functions on Outcomes ............................... : ........ 317 

Testing the Model: The Impact of the Drug Court on Offender Behavior .................... 321 

Implications of Clark County and Multnomah County Findings for the Model of Drug 

When They Work ............................................... I .......................................................... 295 I 

Court Impact .................................................................................................................... 335 

Conclusions: The Challenges of Measuring Drug Court Impact .................................. 338 

REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 345 

APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................ 349 

Crime and Justice Research Institute ... 

111 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crime and Justice Research Institute 

iv 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The research we have undertaken involved data collection, observation, interview and 

continuing discussion with a variety of officials and key actors in two of the nation’s first and 

longest operating drug courts. As we have tried to recreate the past and trace the evolutionary 

steps taken by the growing drug courts into the present, we have had to rely on the cooperation, 

assistance and patience of quite a number of very busy people. 

Las Vegas (Clark County) 

In Clark County, the Honorable Jack Lehman welcomed the research and extended the 

assistance of drug court and court administrative staff. Court Administrator Chuck Short and his 

1 staff, Rick Loop and Michael Ware, solved all our logistical problems, providing space, 

cqmputers, data access, and valuable critical insight. We are gratehl to Ken Hoesch, 

Information Technology System Technician, and Dale Huling, Information Technology 

Customer Support Specialist, for their help in dealing with computer data access. John Marr, of 

Choices Unlimited and Marcon Associates, has been our principal contact, source of insight and 

problem-solver in various phases of data collection. We cannot overstate the value of the 

assistance John and his staff have provided us in data collection, or of the critical substantive 

feedback John has provided on an ongoing basis. We appreciate the help that Kendis Stake, 

Drug Court Manager, has provided in helping with our preliminary efforts to examine the Family 

and Juvenile Drug Court applications in Las Vegas. 

Our efforts were also greatly strengthened by valuable assistance and data access 

provided by the District Attorney’s Office and the Defender’s Office. Deputy District Attorney 

Bart Pace was helpful in providing access to data and offering valuable insights into aspects of 

computer. In the Public Defender’s Office, we are most grateful for the help, suggestions, 

insights and data access provided by Deputy Public Defenders, David Gibson and David 

Grauman and other members of their staff, such as Dale Ficklin, Systems Administrator, who 

were helpful from the start. Linda Talley, Computer Systems Manager in the Office of the 

County Clerk, her assistant Jan Boyle, and Mary Mosley, Assistant County Clerk, were 

extremely helpful to us in our efforts to access computerized data describing Drug Court 

operations. Cindy Kim in the Records Department of the Henderson Police Department and 

Barbara Telles in the Records Department of the North Las Vegas Police Department provided 

important help for us in our data collection efforts for which we are grateful. Lynne Cavalieri, 

Director of Detention Records for the Las Vegas Police Department provided invaluable 

assistance in helping us locate confinement information. We thank Shirley Williams and Judy 

Krause of the Las Vegas Justice Court for their assistance in providing data relating to the Justice 

Court and the Laughlin Justice Court. 

Finally, we would also like to thank our data collectors in Las Vegas: this is where the 

real work of the research began, on the front line of data collection. Thanks are owed to Susan 

Lindsay, Erin Reese, Craig Bourke, Cristen Carnell, Lisa Kopinski, Greg and Nicole Kuper, 

Caroline Taylor and Nancy Younan. 

1 

I the drug court. Anita Harold also helped to answer questions relating to accessing data on the 

Portland (Multnomah County) 

Our work in Portland was encouraged and welcomed by the Honorable Harl Haas, the 

original and then returned Drug Court judge, the Honorable Michael Schrunk, Multnomah 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

V 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
County District Attorney for the last 18 years, Jim Hennings, Director of the Metropolitan Public 

Defender’s Office, and Valerie Moore, Direct of InAct, Inc. All four have assisted us in 

providing space, access to computers and data, and answering questions and offering critical 

feedback on an ongoing basis. Our debt of gratitude, for their active participation, interest, and 

willingness to help solve all problems, is enormous. All four have our deepest thanks and 

appreciation. 

In the District Attorney’s Office, where our staff lived and worked for a year an4 a half, 

we have been greatly apsisted by Thomas Simpson, Management Assistant, in working with the 

computer system, and Deputy District Attorney James Hayden, in collecting information about 

the drug-free exclusion zones. Jim Henning’s staff has been especially cooperative, including 

Robert Williams Jr., the STOP Program Manager, and has provided valuable data and staff space 

for which we are very grateful. Robert Williams was always available to answer our questions, 

and often did so at almost any hour of the day or night. we are indebted to Robert for his tireless 1 

assistance. We were saddened by his untimely death. We will miss him. We want to thank 

Valerie Moore and her staff at InAct for their patience as we stayed underfoot in cramped 

quarters for long months of data collection. We thank Fecadu Aghedow for his help in reading 

the computerized data relating to treatment. 

Our data collection effort in Portland was led by Kathe Nagy and assisted by’ Tamiko 

Hennings, Brooke Houglum, Tonya Parson, J.J. Starkey, Melissa Willey, and others. We are 

grateful for their substantial labors that serve as the backbone of the information discussed in this 

report. 

In Philadelphia, we are grateful for the research assistance of Todd Anderson in helping 

prepare and correct the data we analyzed, as well as some last mihute help from Kate Lunger and 

Amy Sawhill. We thank LaSaundra Scott for her data entry assistance. We are thankful for the 

editorial, graphics, and related contributions of Luanne Wong in producing this report. 

4, I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

vi 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

From Whether to How Drug Courts Work: Retrospective Evalubtion of Drug Courts in 

Clark County (Las Vegas) and Multnomah County (Portland) 

Phase I. Report from the National Evaluation of Drug Courts m 

I. Introduction: 

Multnomah County, Oregon 

The Scope of Phase I1 Research in Clark County, Nevada, and 

This report presents Phase I1 findings from the national evaluation of the Portland 

~ __ - 

(Multnomah County) and Las Vegas (Clark County) drug courts funded by the National Institute 

of Justice. With drug courts established shortly after the nation's first was piloted in Miami in 

1989, these court systems have operated two of the longest functioning and most highly 

recognized drug courts in the United States. The dual site research is presented as two case 

studies of important drug courts and as an opportunity to illustrate the value of applying a 

common framework for addressing critical evaluation questions. The research presented in this 

report is not intended as a comparative study, seeking to compare the Portland and Las Vegas 

I drug courts on various outcomes, though it indeed focuses seriously on the production of 

outcomes. With upwards of 600 drug courts in existence, comparing outcomes of Court A with 

those of Court B makes little sense, regardless of their individual significance to the growth of 

the drug court movement. Instead, the purpose of the research is to ask common questions of 

two different drug courts in some depth and to test some of the assumptions of the drug court 

model using the framework of a drug court typology.' The scope of the retrospective evaluation 

conducted in the two pioneering drug court sites was extensive, and involved tracking the 

implementation and development of the Portland (1 99 1-98) and Las Vegas (1 992-98) drug courts 

from their inception through most of the 1990s. 

' For a discussion of the drug court typology organizing this research see the Phase I report (Goldkamp, White, & 

Robinson, 2000) and Goldkamp (2000). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Phase I findings were described in an earlier report (Goldkamp et al., 2000). That report 

traced the developmental histories of the two courts, described impdrtant milestones in their 

implementation, discussed their application of the drug court model, and examined one-year 

outcomes among successive cohorts of participants and comparison group defendants over time. 

The design of the two-court evaluation strategy, described in detail in the Phase I report, had 

several key features. First, the research made use of a drug court typology (Goldkamp, 1999b, 

2QOO) as an analytic framework to organize questions and findings according to critical 

, 

dimensions of the drug court model and to improve the external validity of findings. Second, the 

research considered the evolution of the innovations in each site from a longitudinal perspective, 

examining the changing context of the drug courts and factors influencing their effectiveness. 

The longitudinal approach, involving a retrospective evaluation of the courts from their origins, 

provided a more comprehensive view of the operation of the drug courts than possible using the 

more common evaluation design that focuses on the operation of courts during one period of 

time. Phase I findings emphasized the importance of external factors in influencing the input 

(orientations and enrollments of participants) and output (treatment results and rates of 

reoffending) of the two drug courts over time.2 

Phase I1 Findings: The Content of This ReDort 

In this report, we extend analysis of the impact of the Clark and Multnomah County Drug 

Courts beyond the Phase I research in several ways. 

Public Safety and Treatment Outcomes: First, we describe comparative justice and 

treatment outcomes for drug court participants for one, two, and three years (depending 

on the time periods sampled). In discussing the findings, we address methodological 

’ See Goldkamp et al. (2001a), for an analysis of the impact of such factors as changing laws, prosecutorial policy, 

judicial assignment, etc. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

2 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

questions relating to sample differences and a priori risk attributes that could influence 

the findings and their interpretation. 

0 Drug Court Workload Analvsis: In considering “how” drug courts work, Phase I1 

findings also examine the courtroom workload of the two drug courts, analyzing the 

content of the daily workload and its implications for ,understanding court impact. 

Selected Asuects of Drug Court Oueration: The Phase I1 report then turns to examination 

of selected issues or hnctions critical to assumptions underlying the drug court model. I 

In Portland, for example, we studied the role of the judge in some detail to determine 

t 

t, 1 

0 

whether a dedicated drug court judge, a non-judge, or many judges in rotation made any 

difference in results among participants. We also contrasted the impact and outcomes of 

the drug court with those of an alternative processing option designed by the District 

Attorney’s Office to offer probation to drug defendants (who were also eligible for drug 

court) in exchange for an early plea and prompt disposition. In Las Vegas, we studied 

acupuncture as a treatment adjunct in an experiment comparing outcomes with relaxation 

therapy as part of the treatment regimen. In addition, we examined the use of treatment 

fees in the Clark County Drug Court because of the emphasis placed on the payment of 

some of the cost by participants. 

The Geograuhic ImDlications of the Downtown Drug Court: In our focus groups of drug 

court participants (Goldkamp, White, & Robinson, 2001b), it became clear to us that 

participants in the “downtown” drug courts did not represent a “random” selection of area 

residents, from a cross-section of all areas within the counties represented. Instead, they 

resided in a small number of principal neighborhoods that differed considerably in 

race/ethnicity and in the drug and crime problems they experienced. These geographic 

0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

3 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
implications of the “downtown” drug court led us to consider the drug court as not only a 

“court” but also a “community justice” innovation. 

0 “Spin-Off” Innovation in Las Vegas: In Las Vegas, Portland, and other jurisdictions, the 

drug court innovation led, directly or indirectly, to other related innovations. As 

examples of thi;, we examined the juvenile drug cqurt in Las Vegas and the rural drug 

court in Laughlin, Nevada, that were direct derivations from the main Clark County Drug 

\ 

I 

I1 $4 

Court innovation. In Portland, community court‘s followed the development of the drug 

court in the late 1990s. (We do not describe their operation in this report.) 

0 Conclusion: Moving Bevond “Whether” Drug Courts Work to “How” Thev Work, 

When Thev Work: The Phase I1 report concludes by considering’ the ‘implications of 

findings from Phase I and Phase I1 of the national drug court evaluations in Las Vegas 

and Portland for understanding not only whether ‘and to what extent drug courts “work,” 

but how they work, when they do work. A causal model of drug court impact is proposed 

and tested, which examines the relative influence of key drug court ingredients. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

4 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Part One 

Productivity 11: Participant Outcomes and Service Delivery 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

5 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
\ 

L 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

6 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I 

II. Assessing the Impact of the Drug Court Innovation in Two Jurisdictions: Do Drug 

Courts Work? 

When, referring to the drug court innovation, public oficials ask, “Does it w~rk?,”~,,their 

question implies a compdrison: “Compared to how the justice system was doing without a drug 

court, is the addition of a drug court an improvement?” Implicitly, the “does-it-work” question I 

+ # 

involves at least three basic considerations: 1) “it;” 2) “woxkng;” and 3) a comparative analysis. 11 $4 

The filnctional ingredients of the drug court model-the composite ‘%’’-have been sketched out , 

I 

briefly in the earlier report and in other discussions (Goldkamp, 1994, 1995, 1999a, 1999b; 

Goldkamp et al., 2000; Hora, Schma, & Rosenthal, 1999; Longshore et al., 2001; National 

Association of Drug Court Professionals, 1997). ,I ,I 

However: regarding the second consideration, there are at least two meanings of 

“working.” The first and more common usage simply refers to producing a successful outcome 

on a certain criterion measure. It is no exaggeration to state that the “yardstick” most commonly 

employed by many public officials in assessing the potential utility of drug courts is crime 

reduction, with cost reduction a close second favorite. In short, officials want to know if drug 

courts reduce crime and save money doing so. Drug court advocates argue that a variety of other 

outcome measures, such as substance abuse reduction, improved life functioning, and improved 

skills and health are also essential measures of drug court impact. 

The second meaning of “working” has to do with how a drug court operates to produce 

its effect. It is in this area, that the current research hopes to move evaluation of drug courts in 

an important new direction. We have adopted the position that this question-“how” the drug 

court works when it does-is of critical importance to the evaluation of drug courts, as it goes to 

the core elements of the drug court model that has become so popular. In the conclusion to this 

See, for example, the two reviews published by the General Accounting Office (1995; 1997). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

7 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

report, therefore, we consider a “causal model” of drug court impact that looks inside the ‘‘black 

box” of drug court treatment and tests assumptions underlying drug courts by applying the causal 

analysis to the drug courts in Las Vegas and Portland. 

ImDact as a ComDarison 

The measurement of the relative impact of drug courts, nevertheless, requires a 

comparative framework-the third component implicit in the question “Does it work?” In fact, 

the question is not just “Do drug courts work?,” but rather “Do drug courts work better than . . . 

not having drug courts?” On whichever success criterion one chooses to emphasize (e.g., crime, 

drug use, or dollars), the drug court must be compared to a non-drug court condition to permit 

inferences about relative impact. Drug court participants should show better results than some 

appropriate comparison group not undergoing the drug court treatment process. 

The interface between the need for reasonably rigorous methodological designs and the 

intuitive views of practitioners on research design produce lively discussions of how to frame 

appropriate comparisons and how to form suitable comparison groups to gauge drug court 

impact “in the real world.” Two of the most common debates between evaluators and 

practitioners, for example, involve discussions of the feasibility of experimental designs and of 

the appropriateness of comparing reoffending rates of graduates and non-graduates. 

The appeal of problems associated with this last type of comparison-between graduates 

and non-graduates-is illustrated by findings from the retrospective evaluation of the 

Mulhomah and Clark County Drug Courts in Figures 1 and 2, comparing the one, two, and 

three-yeaq rearrest rates for graduates and non-graduates (for the entire study periods and on a 

4Persons entering drug court in each location were tracked for one, two and, in some cases, three years from the date 

of drug-court orientation. Note the follow-up period portrayed here does not begin with termination from drug 

court, but rather from point of entry. As misleading as these current figures are, follow-up from termination (which 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

8 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

, 

I 

year-by-year basis). The findings appear to show a dramatic and consistent drug court crime 

reduction effeot, with drug court graduates generally showing substantially lower reaiest rates 

over the follow-up periods from entry than non-graduates. As popular as these kinds of analyses \ 

may be among advocates seeking to declare the efficacy of drug courts, they are biased in the I 

direction of showing pdsitive results and, as such, are higwy misleading. Basically, the much- ,, I( 

heralded findings show that the successes succeed and the failures fail-but cannot answer the 

question of whether the drug court had anything to do with the outcomes. I 

Figure 1 .Multnoruab County (Portland): (Any) Rearrests of Drug Court Graduates vs. Non-Graduates over 

One, Two, and Three Years 

100, 

OThree Years (wt. n = 1,309/1,83 1) 

OTwo Years (wt. n = 1,522/2.543) 4 

( Done Year (wt. n = 89/5,101) 

80 

Grad.Non-Ond. Gnd.Non-Gnd. Gd.Non-W. Grad.NncW. Gnd.Non-W. Gnd.Nm-Ond 

Total 1991-1997 1991-1992 1993-1994 1995 1995-1 996 1997 

Weighted 

Study Cohorts 

for non-graduates is when they are expelled from the program for failure and for graduates is after their successfir1 

graduation) would provide even more favorable but biased findings of drug court effectiveness. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

9 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

Figure 2 Clark County (Las Vegas): (Any) Rearrests of Drug Court Graduates vs. Non-Graduates over 

One, Two, and Three Years 

OThrcc Years (wt n = 2,927/1,501) 

I;JTwo Years (wt. n = 1.029/2.024) 

80 

60 

40 

20 

n 

lone Ycar(wt. n = 744955) I 16 ‘ 81 

m 

82 

77 19 80 

Gnd. Non-Gnd. Grad. Non-GRd. Gnd. NO.-Gnd. Gad. Non-Cnd. Grad. Non-CiwL ,Gd. PlonoRd. 

Total 1993-1997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1991 

Weighted 11-3P.l [I-3 P.l 11-3 m.1 [I-3 m.1 r I -2 m.1 

Srudy Cohom I 

Crime and Jvsricc Ruearch Institute 

Studv Design 

A more appropriate analysis would compare, within a given time frame, the outcomes of 

complete cohorts of drug-involved offenders that enter the treatment process with those of 

similar cohorts of defendants who do not enter drug court but whose cases instead are processed 

in the normal fashion. Some participants may have problems that are easier to deal with and are 

likely to do quite well. Some may have extremely serious problems with histones of doing 

poorly at almost everything and are likely to have a much more difficult time succeeding. A fair 

evaluation of drug court impact, however, must consider the relative progress achieved by the 

entire cohort or “class” of drug court enrollees compared to a representative group of their nondrug court counterparts, rather than rely selectively on the predictably great results of the most 

I 

able few. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

10 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

How the comparison of drug court versus non-drug court performance is framed is 

critical to the interpretation of results and their validity. Often, evaluations have little choice but 

to employ non-experimental or quasi-experimental designs to frame the comparisons. The social 

science literature is replete with discussions of the methodological issues associated with the 

various types of designs, experimental as well as pre-, non-, and quasi-experimental. 

Retrospective evaluation poses its own problems in constructing an appropriate comparative 

framework, involving, as it does, a reconstruction of the past. Because experimental designs IL , 

with random assignment are quite obviously impossible in retrospective evaluation, other nextbest comparative approaches must be employed. 

The evaluation design, described in detail in the first report of this research (Goldkamp et 

al., 2000), was constructed to capture the effects of important changes in both drug courts over 

time (including changes in targeted and enrolled populations) by studying cohorts of defendants e 

and stratifying on the basis of time periods. To ensure that the sampling design was I 

representative of each time period, approximately equal numbers of cases were randomly drawn 

in each designated time period for the samples of drug court participants as well as samples of 

comparison groups. 

The Multnomah Countv Drua Court Design: The sampling strategy employed for the 

evaluation of the Multnomah County Drug Court (STOP program) stratified according to twoyear time periods fi-om 1991 to 1997. We randomly sampled 150 drug court participants from 

each stratum represented by the following periods: 1991 -92,5 1993-94, 1995-96, and 1997 alone. 

This resulted in about 75 cases from each individual year, with the exception of 1997, from 

which we sampled 143 defendants (total n=692). 

The 1991-92 sample was supplemented with an additional random sample of 96 cases upon discovering that 

treatment records for the earliest participants were lost when the program changed treatment providers after 11 

months of operation. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

11 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
A special feature of the Multnomah County Drug Court study ,design was to employ two 

comparison groups of drug defendants for each time period selected at the point of entry into the 

judicial process shortly after arrest. The two comparison group strategy subdivided non-drug 

court participants into a) those who did not attend the Defender orientation and who did not 

attend the petition hearing to enter drug court (total n401); and b) those who attended the 

__ 

Defender orientZG-prior- to first appeiGaTcFin- dNgCouT aS wen a3-W dfug court petition 

bearing (first drug court appearance), but did not enter the drug court process (total n401). The 

design employed two comparison groups for greater specificity based on the rationale that the 

two non-drug court groups were quite different, consisting of those not choosing or not entering 

court (though attending all required appearances) and those skipping all initial procedures at the 

outset and also not entering drug court (by design or default). 

Though less than ideal, this retrospective sampling strategy (adjusted by the use of post 

hoc controls in comparative analyses of outcomes) was the only reasonable option available for 

designating comparison groups in Multnomah County, where all eligible defendants were 

referred to defender orientation prior to any further criminal processing. For drug court 

participants and comparison group defendants entering the court process from 1991 through 

1994, the criminal justice outcomes follow-up covered one-, two- and three-year periods. For 

the 1995-96 cases, one- and two-year follow-up periods were employed. For those entering the 

processing in 1997, the follow-up period was one year. 

The Clark Countv Drug Court Design: Our sampling approach in Clark County, 

designed to represent cases from 1993 through 1997; was stratified by one-year periods. For 

each of the years 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, we randomly sampled about 100 drug court 

participants (total n=499) and 100 comparison group defendants entering the judicial process at 

‘In the second phase of the research, we sampled from 1998 as well. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

12 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
the District Court arraignment stage (total n=5 10). I The comparison group defendants were 

identified from overall entering felony drug cases and included mainly defendants who were not 

made aware of the drug court option and whose cases were processed in the normal manner, 

Thus, they were similar to drug court participants who entered the process and who did pursue 

the drug court path. (h Las Vegas, the courts did not employ a central screening process that 

would have allowed us to distinguish among types of non-enrollees as we did in Portland.) The 

4, I 

Las Vegas design incorporated one-, two-, and three-year follow-up periods marked from the , 

point of entry in the judicial process (not from date of termination from the program) for 1993, 

1994, 1995, and 1996 defendants, and one- and two-year follow-up periods for 1997 defendants. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

13 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

14 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
III. Recidivism among Drug Court Participants One, Two, and Three Years after Entry 

A basic assumption of the drug court model is that, compared with essentially similar 

drug offenders, drug court participants should reoffend less often and take longer to reoffend 

when they do from the time of entry into the program through subsequent follow-up periods. 

Measuring Reoffendine as Rearrest 

For the purposes of this study, reoffending among drug defendants was measured by 

qgprrest for any new offense (excluding bench warrants) during the appiicable one-, two-, or 

three-year follow-up period. Although rearrest is the best available practical measure for 

assessing the impact of the drug court on reoffending, its limitations should be kept in mind. 

Rearrest is in some respects an undercount: it only measures instances in which crime has been 

observed by or reported to the police, resulting in an arrest, and does not take into account other 

crimcs conmitted by study participants that may not have come to the attention of police. In 

I addition, all persons arrested have not necessarily committed crimes or, at least, the crimes for 

which they have been arrested. Arrests are also influenced by patterns of police deployment; all 

areas where potential offenders reside may not be equally patrolled and, thus, may have different 

probabilities of producing arrests. These limitations aside, rearrest is a reasonable, practical, and 

available measure of reinvolvement in the criminal justice system and of public safety. 

Rearrest amonp Multnomah Countv Drug Court and Non-DruP Court Defendants over 

One, Two and Three Years 

Figure 3 compares rearrest percentages of drug court and comparison group defendants in 

Portland over one, two, and three years. The figure suggests that overall (left-most columns in 

Figure 3), drug court participants were rearrested (for any offense at all) notably less often than 

their non-drug court counterparts. The largest difference is found one year from drug court entry 

(37 percent of drug court participants compared to 53 and 50 percent of the two non-drug court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

15 

e 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
comparison groups).' Although the differences were 'smaller, proportionately fewer drug court 

participants were rearrested over two and three years as well when all years are considered 

together ( 199 1-97). 

Figure 3 Multnomah County (Portland): (Any) Rearrests of Drug Court Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants over One, Two, and Three Years 

100 

80 

60 

OThree Years (n - 3,140/796/457) 

UTwo Years (n = 4.065/605/561) 

lOneYcar(n=5.300/796/680) 

6'r 69' 

61' 61. 

1 40 

20 

0 

hug Comp Comp hug Comp cotnp COmP COT pug Comp comp Drdg Comp cow 

Total 1991-1997 1991-1992 1993-1 994 1995-1996 I997 

COW A B Coun A B Cowl A B Cowl A B Coun A B 

Wc1ghtcd Unwcighwd Unweighled Unweiqhlcd Unwaghlcd 

(n- 15W1021103) (n- 15U100/98) (n - 143197/101) 

Study Cohorts 

(n - 2371102/92) 

*S~gntficmt at p - LO 05 Crtmr od Justice Ruearch Irrrlttule 

When the defendant cohorts are examined separately, the differences between drug court 

and comparison group rearrest rates varied by time period. Using the one-year observation 

period as a measure, drug court participants were rearrested less frequently than Comparison 

Group A drug defendants (those failing to attend first drug court appearance) in each time period 

studied (1 99 1-92, 1993-94, 1995-96 and 1997).' The rate of rearrest during the first year among 

drug court participants was significantly lower than the rate among Comparison Group B 

defendants (those who attended a first drug court session but did not enter treatment) only in the 

Cohorts from all time periods were measured over one year, cohorts entering the system from 1991 through 1996 

In each case the chi square statistics were significant at .05 or less. 

were followed for two years, and cohorts from 199 1 through 1994 were measured for a three-year follow-up. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

16 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
1993-94 and 1995-96 cohorts. They were not significantly better than Comparison Group B 

defendants during the 199 1-92 and 1997 cohorts. 

These variations maintain for the two-year follow-up period (through 1996 cohorts only) 

and the three-year follow-up period (through 1994 cohorts only). Table 1 shows,one-, two- and 

three-year comparisons in more detail, describing rearrests for any offense, drug offenses, and 

non-drug offenses. The comparatively lower rates of rearrest among drug court participants are 

maintained and increased when only rearrests for drug offenses are considered and are somewhat 

more mixed when only non-drug offenses are considered. Overall, however, these findings 

suggest a positive impact of the Multnomah County Drug Court on rates of reoffending among 

participants when compared to non-drug court counterparts. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

17 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
1- 

Table 1 Any, Drug, and Non-Drug Rearrests among Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group Defendants in Multnomah County, 

Oregon, during One-, Two-, and Three-Year Follow-up Periods 

- 

Drug Court: Any Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

199 1-1 997 3 7.4 (9 .O)-46.4 (3.9-49.9 

1991-1992 46.0 (8.9)-54.9 (5.9)-60.8 

1993-1994 28.0 (12.0)-40.0 (3.3)-43.3 

1995-1996 38.2 (8.8)-47.0 - 

1997 40.6 - - 

Drug Court: Drug Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

1991-1997 22.3 (5.7)-28.0 (2.3)-30.3 

1991-1992 30.4 (5.5)-3 5.9 (3.3)-39.2 

1993-1994 15.3 (6.0)-21.3 (4.7)-26.0 

1995-1996 23.0 (6.1)-29.1 - 

1997 23.1 - - 

Drug Court: Non-Drug Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

1991-1997 26.8 (6.9)-33.6 (4.3)-37.9 

1991-1992 32.5 (5.5)-38.0 (5.9)-43.9 

1993-1994 20.0 (9.3)-29.3 (2.7)-32.0 

1995-1996 27.6 (6.8)-34.4 - 

1997 28.7 - - 

Comparison A: Any Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

1991-1997 53.3 (4.5)-57.8 (2.3)-60.1 

1991-1992 55.9 (5.9)-61.8 (6.8)-68.6 

1993-1994 47.1 (5.8)-52.9 (1 .O)-53.9 

1995-1996 55.0 (6.0)-61 .O - 

1997 57.7 - - 

Comparison A: Drug Rearrest 

1 Year 2Year 3Year 

1991-1997 37.2 (5.8)-43.0 (4.3)-47.3 

1991-1992 47.1 (4.9)-52.0 (5.8)-57.8 

1993-1994 33.3 (5.9)-39.2 (1 .O)-40.2 

1995-1996 36.0 (7.0)-43.0 - 

1997 38.1 - - 

Comparison A: Non-Drug Rearrest 

1Year 2Year 3Year 

1991-1997 36.7 (0.0)-36.1 (1.5)-37.6 

1991-1992 28.4 (6.9)-35.3 (7.8)-43.1 

1993-1994 32.4 (0.9)-33.3 (2.0)-35.3 

1995-1996 34.0 (5.0)-39.0 - 

1997 50.5 - - 

Comparison B: Any Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

1991-1997 50.7 (9.2)-59.0 (1.3)-60.3 

1991-1992 48.9 (4.4)-53.3 (3.2)-56.5 

1993-1994 52.4 (7.8)-60.2 (6.8)-67.0 

1995-1996 5 1 .O (10.2)-61.2 - 

1997 43.6 - - 

Comparison B: Drug Rearrest 

1Year 2Year 3Year 

1991-1997 32.5 (6.8)-39.7 (0.7)-40.4 

1991-1992 41.3 (1.1)-42.4 (1.1)-43.5 

1993-1994 33.0 (2.9)-35.9 (4.9)-40.8 

1995-1994 29.6 (13.3)-42.9 - 

1997 29.7 - - 

Comparison B: Non-Drug Rearrest 

1 1 Year 2Year - 3Year 

1991-1997 34.5 (7.4)-42.3 (2.9)-45.2 

1991-1992 28.3 (7.6)-35.9 (3.2)-39.1 

1993-1 994 36.9 (5.8)-42.7 (9.7)-52.4 

1995-1996 36.7 - (9.2)-45.9 - 

- 1997 ' 34.7 - - 

Crime and JusticeResearch Institute 

18 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Rearrest among Clark County Drug Court ParticiDants and Non-Drug Court Defendants 

over One. Two. and Three Years 

Figure 4 summarizes the same findings from the study of the Clark County Drug Court. 

Again, positive impact (reduced reoffending) is found in the study overall, but with notable 

variations from year to year. When all years are considered together (1993 through 1997), drug 

court participants recorded lower rates of rearrest for any offense at one, two, and three years 

, from the point of entry into the drug court, compared to a similar, contemporaneous comparison 

group of drug defendants who did not enter drug court. At one year, 52 percent of drug court 

- - . - ._ 

, 

participants compared to 65 percent of comparison group defendants were rearrested; at two 

years, 62 percent of drug court participants versus 74 percent of comparison group defendants 

were rearfested; at three years, 65 percent of drug court'participants versus 79 percent of 

comparison group defendants were rearre~ted.~ 

I 

Figure 4 Clark Count?. (Lis Vegas): (Any) Rearrest of Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group 

over One, Two. and Three Years 

loo I RO 

60 

40 

20 

0 

OThrec Yean (wl. n = 2,428/9.450) 

~~. OTwa Ycan (wt. n = 3,053/12.205) 

h8 cmp h8 conv c- Dw cnrp rn cmp hc cq cam hg conp cam can cam Coun 

Total 1993-1997 1993 I994 1995 1996 1997 

WQdUDd (a- 59l109) (n- layg7) (D'100195) (n - IDWE) (n- IWlll) 

lI-3ynl IIJyrrJ ll-3ynl 11-3 F1 1MF1 

Study Cohorts 

s,@nfi.am 11 p - m 05 

Gvnr md_lLTl(c. Ru-ch Ins~uvu 

Note that in the Las Vegas study, one and two-year follow-ups were conducted for all cohorts (1 993-97), and 

three-year follow-ups were conducted for cohorts from 1993 through 1996. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

19 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

When the yearly cohort-specific findings are considered, the variation by year reveals the 

same pattern noted in the Phase I report which dealt only with one-year findings. Differences in 

rearrest between drug court participants and comparison group defendants were large through 

1995, measured at one-, two- and three-year observation periods. However, beginning in the 

1996 cohort, drug cod participants were rearrested more often than their comparison group 

counterparts (at each follow-up interval). For example, 75 percent of drug court participants 

entering in 1996 compared to 66 percent of comparison'group defendants were rearrested within 

three years, measured from the date of entry into the drug court. In 1997, the one- and two-year 

rearrest rates started shifting back in the favorable direction. At one year, drug court participants 

\ 

I 

I1 

(53 percent) were rearrested slightly less frequently than non-drug court comparison defendants 

(59 percent). At the two-year observation mark, a slightly greater proportion of the 1997 drug 

court participants (7 1 percent) than non-drug court defendants (68 percent) were rearrested. 

(Both differences were not statistically significant, however.) Among 1998 drug defendants (not 

shown), the difference in rearrest rates between drug court participants and non-participants was 

not significant. 

These findings are presented in more detail in Table 2. That table shows a consistent'and 

pronounced difference favoring drug court participants when only drug rearrests are considered 

during all years and for all follow-up periods. Results for rearrests involving non-drug offenses 

are much more mixed when drug court and comparison group cohorts are contrasted in Las 

Vegas, however. For non-drug offenses, drug court participants produce clearly lower rearrest 

rates only in the first study year cohort (consisting of defendants entering the court system in 

1993). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

20 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Tauld 2 Any, Drug, and Non-Drug Rearrest among Drug Court Participants and 

Comparison Group Defendants in Clark County, Nevada, during One-, Two-, and ThreeYear Follow-up Periods 

a 

Drug Court: Any Rearrest Comparison Group: Any Rearrest 

1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 

1993-97 52.5 (10.4)-62.9 (2.2)-65.1 1993-97 64.9 (9.6)-74.5 (4.9)-79.4 

1993 39.4 (6.1)-45.5 (6.0)-51.5 1993 66.1 (13.7)-79.8 (5.5)-85.3 

1994 53.0 (9.0)-64.0 (6.0)-70.0 1994 72.2 (8.2)-80.4 (3.1)-83.5 

1995 53.0 (8.0)-61.0 (2.0)-63.0 1995 72.6 (8.5)-81.1 (2.1)-83.2 

1996 63.0 (9.0)-72.0 (3.0)-75.0 1996 56.1 (8.2)-64.3 (2.0)-66.3 

4 1997 53.0 (18.0)-71.0 - 1997 58.6 (9.9)-68.5 - 

- - - - I)' I 1996 53.0 1996 51.0 

Drug Court: Drug Rearrest 

1 Year 2Year 3 Year 

1993-97 26.0 (6.1)-32.1 (5.6)-37.7 

1993 22.2 (2.0)-24.2 (4.1)-28.3 

1994 23.0 (5.0)-28.0 (1 1.0)-39.0 

1995 26.0 (3.0)-29.0 (8.0)-37.0 

1996 34.0 (8.0)-42.0 (4.0)-46.0 

1997 24.0 (12.0)-36.0 - 

- - ! 1996 24.2 

Comparison Group: Drug Rearrest 

1 Year 2Year 3 Year 

1993-97 5 1.6 (8.4)-60.0 (5.5)-65.5 

1993 51.4 (12.8)-64.2 (3.7)-67.9 

1994 64.9 (5.2)-70.1 (2.1)-72.2 

1995 56.8 (6.4)-63.2 (6.3)-69.5 

1996 44.9 (7.1)-52.0 (1.1)-53.1 

1997 41.4 (1 0.9)-52.3 - 

1996 31.0 - 

1993 29.3 (9.1)-38.4 (9.1)-47.5 1993 48.6 (9.2)-57.8 (9.2)-67.0 

1994 41.0 (11.0)-52.0 (11.0)-63.0 1994 44.3 (8.3)-52.6 (9.3)-61.9 

1995 43.0 (11.0)-54.0 (1.0)-55.0 1995 48.4 (1 1.6)-60.0 (4.2)-64.2 

1996 46.0 (13.0)-59.0 (7.0)-66.0 1996 41.8 (8.2)-50.0 (3.1)-53.1 

1997 45.0 (16.0)-61.0 - 1997 39.6 (11.8)-51.4 - 

1996 43.4 - - 1996 41.0 - - 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

21 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Implications of Comparative Public Safety Outcomes 

On a general level, the findings from both of the drug court jurisdictions skdied are 

supportive of the view that drug courts fulfill their promise as a crime control tool. However, as \ 

we found in preliminary analyses of the data from the two sites in the Phase I report, the,impact 

of the drug courts, ,at le'ast as measured through rearrests of its participants, vanes over time (by 

program year), type of rearrest offense, and iengtA of follow-up period. 

The fact that the two drug courts showed variations in their impact from year to year-an , 

important finding only possible through use of a longitudinal study design-raises questions 

about factors that may account for the fluctuations in effectiveness we have noted. We have 

conceived of several possible explanations for these varying outcomes. They could be accounted 

for by: a) changes in the contexts or environments within-which the drug courts operate; b) 

changes in the relative impact of particular operational elements of the drug courts; or c) aspects 

of the research design or analytic method. 

This research has considered each of these possibilities. In the first report, we examined 

the impact of a variety of outside or contextual factors on the operation of the courts (input and 

output measures) over time (Goldkamp et al., 2000; Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a). We fobnd, 

for example, that in Las Vegas the shift in prosecutonal philosophy from diversion to convictionbased entry into the drug court may have explained the differences noted beginning in 1996. In 

Portland, we found that the shift away from assignment of a single drug court judge to rotation of 

many judges and to non-judges may have had an impact on outcomes. Internal factors as well as 

external factors may have accounted for some of the outcomes we noted. For example, 

internally, the drug courts functioned differently over time or were addressing different target 

populations. Later in this report (Section XII), we consider aspects of drug court operation that 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

22 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I , I1 

, 

may have changed over time as explanations for the wariation in drug court outcomes. In this 

section, we consider the possibility that the findings of notable differences in rearrest ‘between 

drug court participants and comparison group defendants could be viewed as artifacts of design 

or of other methodological considerations. 

\ 

I 

Controlling for Sam& Differences I 

I, If 

One of the major challenges in carrying out-a retrospective evaluation of the two drug 

courts over time is the development of an appropriate comparative framework. In a prospective , 

or ongoing evaluation, an experimental design is preferred because it produces the “best” (most 

similar) comparisons groups and addresses most questions of internal validity. However, 

because a “retrospective experiment” is logically impossible (an experiment islby definition a 

prospective rather than retrospective exercise), comparison groups that are suitable must be 

identified, but they are likely to offer less than “identical” comparisons against which the 

progress of the drug court groups can be gauged. We considered matching samples of non-drug 

court defendants to drug court participants in each site for each of the successive study periods. 

However, we were limited in the type of information available that would be useful or 

appropriate for matching. 

Ordinarily, we would assume that by randomly sampling both participants and nonparticipants during each time period, we would be capturing changes in the drug defendant 

population that would be equally reflected in each group of defendants. In fact, when 

Multnomah County Drug Court participants are contrasted with (undifferentiated) comparison 

group defendants (combining those who failed to attend the initial drug court process and those 

who did but did not enroll), the rearrest rates appear generally lower among drug court 

participants overall and during most of the time periods studied (for any type of rearrest and for 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

23 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
drug rearrest, at least). (See Figure 5.) Note, however, that the evaluation design employed for 

the Portland study intentionally opted to distinguish the two subgroups of non-participants (nonattendees and non-enrollees) based on a belief that the two subgroups were different in character 

and that “lumping” them together as “non-participants” would produce aggregate results that 

would mask the underlying group differences.” In other words, it would produce a single 

comparison group representing a mix of “apples and oranges” (a fruit salad) to contrast with drug 

court I/, , participants (oranges?). 

Figure 5 Two-Year Criminal Justice Outcomes for Drug Court Participants and 

Combined Comparison Groups, Multnomah County, 1991 - 1996 

-Drug cow Anv Rearrest 

3 - 80 61 

1991- I996 1991-1992 1993-1994 1995- 1996 

(” - 3.95711.176) (n - 137i240) (n- ISOf484) (n- 151/452) 

Srudy Period 

Anv Drue Rearrest 

1991 -1596 1991-1992 1993- I994 1995-1996 ln- 3.YJ?/1,176) (n - 7.37240) (n - I ~aaw (n- lSIl452) 

Study Period 

Anv Rearrest for Non-Drue Oflenderg 

42 

1991-1596 1991-1992 . 1993-1994 1995-1996 

Study Period 

p (n -3,95711,176) IO - ~J?mo) (n = l50/484) (n- ISINSZ) 

pace: Ovenll touL mkct weighted dab.] 

Crm~ and Jutice ReJmrch lrrrrirvir 

lo See earlier discussion of sampling design and rationale for having two comparison groups in Portland. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

24 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
To examine the possibility that the findings could be explained by differences or changes 

in the comparison samples over time, rather than the impact of the drug courts, the analysis 

contrasted the successive paired samples (comparison and drug court) over time on basic 

descriptive attributes. Tables 3 and 4 show the results of such an analysis for the two 

I 

I 

k 0 

, I I1 IN 

jurisdictions. 

A nuiibTr ofkey diffemices werekkiitified whmidmri-cbnrt and non-dru-g COUrt samples 

were contrasted in Las Vegas. Depending on the year; Las Vegas samples differed on one or I 

more of the following attributes: defendant gender, presence of an alias, having a telephone, 

current charges (drug or theft), whether defendants pled guilty, prior drug arrests, prior 

convictions of various types and prior failures-to-appear in court. The Portland samples differed 

on one or more of the following attributes: age, race (whitehon-white), having a phone, pending 

arrest charge, prior arrests of various types, prior convictions of various types, and prior failures 

to appear in court. In short, the drug court and comparison samples did differ in each location. 

The attributes on which they differed varied by site and year. 

Given possible differences in the samples that could explain the differences in rearrests 

reported above, the question for analysis of rearrest outcomes became the following: Were’ the 

differences in rearrest rates favoring the drug court because of a “drug court effect,” or were they 

an artifact of sample differences? To address this question, we carried out a multivariate analysis 

(logistic regression) to determine whether the sample indicator (drug court versus non-drug 

court) was a significant predictor of rearrest, once identified sample differences were taken into 

account (controlled). If the analyses show that, having controlled for these sample differences, 

drug court versus comparison group status still makes a significant contribution to the modeling 

of rearrest, we would conclude that a “real” drug court difference was found. If the controls 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

25 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

render drug court status non-significant, we would not be able to claim a significant drug court 

effect. 

Table 3 Selected Bivariate Differences among Clark County Drug Court Participants and 

'Comparison Group Defendants, 1993-1997 

Comparison I Drug Court 

4 Total Total , 

Selected Attributes (n)' Percent (n) Percent I1 4' 

Demographics - - __ 

Alias 

Total 

Yes 

No 

Gender 

Total 

Male 

Female 

Current Case 

Drug Charges 

Total 

Yes 

No 

Total 

Yes 

No 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Felony The$/RSP Charges 

Did Defendant Plead Guilty? 

Prior Criminal History 

Number of Prior Drug Arrests 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Prior Felony Arrests 

Number of Prior Serious Person Convictions 

Number of Prior FTAs 

-_ . 

3,053 

1,608 

1,445 

3,053 

2,053 

1,000 

2,872 

2,365 

507 

2;871 

335 

2,536 

3,053 

2,092 

96 1 

3,053 

1,760 

430 

863 

3,053 

1,393 

43 8 

1,222 

3,053 

2,733 

172 

148 

3,053 

1,845 

496 

100.0 

52.7 

47.3 

100.0 

67.2 

32.8 

100.0 

82.3 

17.7 

4 100.0 

11.7 

88.3 

100.0 

68.5 

31.5 

100.0 

57.6 

14.1 

28.3 

100.0 

45.6 

14.3 

40. I 

100.0 

89.5 

5.6 

4.9 

100.0 

60.4 

16.3 

12,205 

7,135 

5,070 

12,205 

9,590 

2,615 

/I ,I 

12,205 

12,055 

150 

12,205 

370 

1 1,835 

12,205 

7,390 

4,815 

12,205 

6,465 

1,700 

4,040 

12,205 

6,015 

1,685 

4,505 

12,205 

10,740 

590 

875 

12,205 

8,295 

1,445 

100.0 

58.5 , 41.5 

100.0 

78.6 8 21.4 

100.0 

98.8 

1.2 

100.0 

3.0 

97.0 

100.0 

60.5 

39.5 

1 oo,.o 

53.0 

13.9 

33.1 

100.0 

49.3 

13.8 

36.9 

100.0 

88.0 

4.8 

7.2 

100.0 

68.0 

11.8 

Two or more 712 23.3 2,465 20.2 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

26 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Table 4 Selected Bivariate Differences among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants and Comparison Group Defendants, 1991-1997 

Drug Court Comparison A Comparison B 

Total* Total* Total* 

Selected Attributes (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent 

Demographics 

Race 

Total 

African-American 

White 

Hispanic 

Other 

, Total 

4 8 

Age 

18-25 

26-30 

31-40 

>40 

Median Age 

Current Case 

Gain Pretrial Release? 

Total 

No 

Yes, at bail hearing 

Yes, from pretrial detention 

Prior Criminal History 

Number of Prior Arrests I Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Total 

None 

One 

Two or more 

Number of Pending Arrests 

Number of Prior Drug Arrests 

Number of Prior FTAs 

5,145 

1,307 

3,286 

388 

164 

100.0 

25.4 

63.9 

7.5 

3.2 

796 

145 

339 

284 

27 

100.0 

18.2 

42.6 

35.7 

3.5 

689 100.0 

156 22.6 

41 1 59.7 

94 13.6 

28 4.2 

5,145 

3 

1,180 

1,009 

2,000 

952 

33.0 

100.0 

0.1 

22.9 

19.6 

38.9 

18.5 

796 

2 

278 

165 

295 

55 

29.0 

100.0 

0.3 

35.0 

20.7 

37.1 

6.9 

689 100.0 

0 0.0 

165 23.9 

134 19.4 

263 38.2 

127 18.5 

32.0 

4,977 

0 

3,457 

1,519 

100.0 

0.0 

69.5 

30.5 

796 

0 

276 

520 

100.0 

0.0 

34.6 

G5.4 

689 100.0 

4 0.6 

316 45.8 

369 53.6 

5,131 

2,3 19 

869 

1,942 

100.0 

45.2 

16.9 

37.8 

796 

355 

120 

32 1 

100.0 

44.6 

15.1 

40.2 

689 100.0 

253 36.7 

111 16.0 

326 47.3 

5,131 

4,701 

284 

146 

100.0 

91.6 

5.5 

2.9 

796 

642 

116 

38 

100.0 

80.8 

14.5 

4.7 

689 100.0 

548 79.5 

107 15.6 

34 4.9 

5,131 

3,873 

643 

615 

100.0 

75.5 

12.5 

12.0 

796 

513 

146 

137 

100.0 

64.5 

18.4 

17.1 

689 100.0 

427 62.0 

115 16.6 

147 21.4 

4,956 

4,038 

379 

539 

100.0 

81.5 

7.6 

10.9 

796 

587 

84 

125 

100.0 

73.8 

10.6 

15.6 

689 100.0 

519 75.3 

67 9.7 

103 15.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

27 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Controlling for SamDle Differences in the Clark County Analysis I 

Tables A1 and A2 summarize the results of logit analysis for the unweighted" combined 

data for the Clark County Drug Court for all years and for each year separately. 

Rearrest (Any Offense): 

0 When these controls for sample differences are exercised, the one-year rearrest rates 

(for any type of offense) fop drug court participants were found to be significantly 

lower than the comparison group drug defendants overall (1993-97) and for the 

._ - 

, 

($7 , 

separate 1994 and 1995 cohort comparisons. 

0 Drug court participants did not show significantly lower one-year rearrest rates in 

1993, 1996, and 1997.12 

0 When the rates of rearrest during the two-year observation period were examined, 

drug court participants showed significantly lower rates overall (1993-97) and in the 

1993 and 1994 cohorts, but not during subsequent cohorts (1995,1996, 1997). 

Rearrest (Drug Offense): 

When only rearrests for drug offenses during the first year were considered with 

control for sample differences, Clark County Drug Court participants showed 

significantly lower rearrest rates overall (1993-97) and during 1994 only. 

When the analysis is extended to encompass the two-year observation period, drug 

court participants showed significantly lower rearrest rates for drug offenses overall 

and in the 1993, 1994, and 1995 cohorts, but not during the 1996 and 1997 study 

'I This analysis employs unweighted data to consider differences between drug court and non-drug court participants 

because the aim is not to produce overall estimates of rearrests from sample groups. 

l2 It is more likely that rearrest differences will be found significant in the overall (all-year combined unweighted) 

comparisons than in the year to year comparisons because of sample size. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

28 

0 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

groups. Thus, in this instance, drug court participants fared better during a longer 

follow-up period. 

Rearrest @Jon-Drug): 

0 When non-drug rearrests during year one were considered, drug court participants 6 

showed significantly lower rates in the overall upweighted combined total (1993-97), 

but in no single year’s cohort comparison. When the non-drug rearrest analysis is 

extended to two years, the overall diffeyence in rearrest between drug court 

participants and comparison group defendants after controls was not significant. The 

4, I 

difference in rate of rearrest for non-drug offenses during the two-year period was 

,, ,I only significant in the 1993 cohorts. 

The ImDlications of SamDle Difference Findinps in the Clark County Drup Court Studv 

These findings suggest that the lower rearrest rates in thelfirst years of the Clark County 

Drug Court appeared to be a product of the drug court’s impact on defendant performance during 

one and two-year follow-up periods, and were not explained by sample differences. Did the 

Clark County Drug Court become less effective beginning in 1996? In Phase I and in the 

bivariate figures presented above (see Figure 4 and Table 2), the findings suggested a change in 

the impact of the Clark County Drug Court beginning at around that time. In analysis of 

contextual factors in our Phase I report (and in Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a), we concluded 

that the shift in prosecutorial policy governing admission to the drug court at that time (shifting 

from a diversion to a required conviction approach) coincided with the changes in the nature of 

the enrollees, the timing of the intervention of the drug court, and the nature of the incentives 

associated with successful participation in drug court (e.g., convictions on reduced charges 

versus dismissed charges and no conviction record). In short, some significant changes were 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

29 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

affecting the operation of the drug court beginning around 1996 and, these may account for the 

findings of a drop in effectiveness beginning in 1996. 

In discussions of the findings in the site, Las Vegas officials questioned whether the 

increased drug court rearrest rates relative to comparison groups beginning in 199b was the result 

of changes in drug court effectiveness (leading to poorer participant performance) or might 

instead be -exphinett by diffePences3n the composition of the sample groups being compared. 

They asked whether the worsening drug court rearrest rates could be explained by the fact that 

the samples of drug court participants, which consisted increasingly of convicted drug offenders 

I 

JL1 I 

beginning in 1996, were “less similar” in the later years to comparison group defendants than in 

the earlier years. During the earlier years, drug court participants were more often unconvicted 

defendants who were seeking diversion. Because the researchers could not have known of the 

nature of this shift in the make-up of the drug court participants until conducting the study 

(which revealed the shift), it was not possible to adjust the sampling design in advance, for 

example, to create matched comparison groups that would mirror the changing composition of 

the drug court enrollees. 

The problem raised by the court officials was that, if the samples of drug court 

participants increasingly included greater proportions of convicted persons than previously, 

while comparison group samples continued to include a mix of arrestees (some of whom would 

be found guilty and some of whom would have their charges dismissed), the higher rearrest rates 

in 1996 and 1997 could be explained by an increased probability of reoffending associated with 

these drug court samples. 

The comparative analysis of rearrests (drug court participants vs. non-participants) 

described above suggests that the apparent differences (favorable and unfavorable) in those later 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

30 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

years were indeed explained by differences in the make-up of the samples rather than changes in 

drug court impact per se. When controlling for sample differences, then, this analysis supports 

the interpretation that the shift to “worse” outcomes may be explained by the changes in the a 

priori attributes of drug court participants over time, relative to those of comparison group 

defendants (whose attributes did not change). The poorer rates did not appear to be explained by 

a change in the effativexrm of drug court crperaticm. (Wewikxamimthe question of the a 

priori risk attributes of participants further below under, “The Role of Risk in Explaining 

Comparative Outcomes.”) At the same time, the findings also suggest that, even after taking 

sample differences into account, the record of rearrests associated with drug court participants 

did not differ from that of comparison group defendants beginning in 1996: drug court 

I 

I‘ I 

participant performance was not worse, but it was also not better than the non-drug ccwt 

comparison group defendants. This no-difference finding for these years does appear to 

represent a diminution of the drug court effect on participant performance. 

Controlliw for Sample Differences in the Portland Analyses 

Tables A3 and A4 summarize the results of the comparative rearrest analysis in the study 

of the Multnomah County Drug Court, controlling for sample differences, type of rearrest 

offense, and length of follow-up period. (Recall that the research employed a two comparisongroup design, contrasting drug court participants with a) persons who neither attended the first 

drug court appearance nor entered drug court, and b) those who attended the first drug court 

appearance and did not enroll.) 

Rearrest (Any Offense): 

0 When analysis of rearrest rates for any type of offense during the first year controlled 

for sample differences, drug court participants did not show a lower rearrest rate 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

31 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

overal (1 991 -97); they showed significantly lower rates only in 1993-94 sample 

cohorts. (This was only when contrasting the rearrests of drug court participants with 

rearrests for Comparison Group B, defendants who attended the first drug court 

session but did not enroll.) 

In all other 'years, the analyses controlling for ,sample differences did not result in 

significantly different one-year rearrest rates between drug court and comparison 

group defendants (for either comparison group). 

The analysis of comparative rearrest rates between drug court participants and 

comparison group defendants over a two-year period with controls for sample 

I,, 

I 

differences revealed no year in which the differences were significant." 

- Rearrests (Drug Offenses): 

0 When rearrests for drug offenses were considered with controls, drug court 

participants showed significantly lower rates only in the 1993-94 period for one year 

and in 1995-96 for ~WG years, both when contrasted with Comparison Group B 

defendants. 

Rearrests RJon-DruP Offenses): 

0 During a one-year follow-up, the results were the same when rearrest for non-drug 

offenses were examined (1 993-94, for Comparison B only). There were no significant 

differences for non-drug offenses during a two-year follow-up. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

32 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

The Imr>lications of Sample Difference Findinps in the Multnomah Countv Drug Court 

Study 

When the Multnomah County rearrest analyses exercised controls for sample differences, 

the rearrest rates for any offense for drug court participants were significantly lower in the 1993- 

94 cohort only (when contrasted with Comparison Group B defendants). Rates were 

significantly lower for drug rearrests (when drug court participants were compared with 

, Comparison Group B defendants) in the 1993-94 (one-year) and 1995-96 (two-year) cohorts. 

--~ - - - --_. - - - - ___. --I . - - __ __ - 

Orug court participants recorded significantly lower rates of non-drug arrests in 1993-94 only 

(one-year, with Comparison B). 

These results suggest two important implications. First, even with controls for sample 

differences, a favorable drug court effect was found in both jurisdictions. Second, in neither 

jurisdiction was the effect consistent across study cohorts; rather, the effect appeared to vary by 

year. This analysis specifically addressed the issue raised by the Las Vegas officials, when they 

questioned whether the diminution (lack) of a drug court effect beginning in 1996 could be 

explained by sample composition disparities. When all such differences were controlled 

(including whether or not the defendant pled guilty), the general finding of a reduced effect was 

not changed. (In the 1996 and 1997 cohorts, drug court participants did not show a significantly 

lower rate of rearrest when compared to comparison group defendants.) 

con troll in^ for Risk and Sample Differences 

The principal aim in taking into account sample differences is not just to “equalize” 

treatment and comparison groups so that they are similar, but more importantly, to control for 

sample differences (or independent variables) related to the outcomes of interest-e.g., 

reoffending. (In effect, if samples differed on attributes that had no empirical relation to 

reoffending, they would not pose issues for interpretation of differences in the rates of rearrest 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

33 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

between drug court participants and comparison groups.) Tables A5 through A8 summarize 

analyses (similar to those described above relating to sample differences) to control more 

specifically for risk attributes (sample differences on attributes related to risk of reoffending). 

These analyses ask whether after not only taking into consideration sample diffwences but also 

risk attributes, differences between drug court participants and their comparison group 

counterparts are significant. 

The analyses first modeled rearrest among defendant groups using any or all appropriate 

predictors at the bivariate level. All defendant attributes (demographic, case, prior history, other) 

'hl I 

exhibiting bivariate relations with significant chi-square statistics at .05 or less were considered 

candidates for predictor variables in multivariate (logit) analysis. The analysis was camed out 

for each year separately and for the combined (unweighted) all-year data in each site. 

Comparison group and drug court defendants were combined in a predictive analysis that sought 

to identify a small number of predictive attributes that, when taken together, offer a reasonable 

prediction of (model well) rearrest within the first year and by the end of the second year. Again, 

rearrest (any type), rearrest for drug, and rearrest for non-drug offenses were employed as the 

criterion or outcome being predicted. Although the predictors of rearrest varied slightly 

depending on the analysis (Le., by year, overall), the following were entered as risk-related 

control variables: 

e Portland: Age (25 or over), ethnicity (non-Hispanic, Hispanic), race (non-white, white), 

having an alias (no, yes), having a phone (no, yes), detained after first appearance in 

sample case (no, yes), prior arrests within three years (no, yes), pending charge (no, yes), 

prior drug arrest (no, yes), prior drug sales arrest (no, yes), prior conviction for serious 

person crime (no, yes), prior drug possession conviction (no, yes), prior drug sales 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

34 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

conviction (no, yes), prior failures to appear, in court (no, yes), and prior failures to 

appear in last three years (no/yes). 

0 Las Vegas: Race (non-white, white), gender (female, male), having an alias (no, yes), 

having a phone (no, yes), most serious current charge,13 current theft charge (no, yes), 

current drug charge (no, yes), pled guilty (no, yes), prior arrests within three years (no, 

yes), prior drug arrests (no, yes), prior conviction for serious person crime (no, yes), prior 

drug conviction (no, yes), prior drug sales conviction (no, yes), prior felony convictions , 

(no, yes), prior failures to appear in court (no, yes). 

, 

f, 

Figures .6 and 7 illustrate the differences in risk attributes between drug court and 

comparison group defendants over time using a risk classification derived from modeling rearrest 

for all defendants in each location and applying the classification to each group in each year. 

Figure 6 shows that the risk classification of drug court versus non-drug court defendants in 

Clark County overall (combined 1993-97) was quite similar. For example, 44 percent of the 

drug court sample defendants were “highest risk” (in the group with the greatest probability of 

rearrest in one year) compared to 48 percent of the comparison group defendants. Slightly over 

30 percent of each group was “lowest risk.” 

l3 Most serious current charge includes: possession of controlled substance, under the influence of controlled 

substance, possession with intent to sell, traffickingkale of controlled substance, burglary, robbery, larcenyhheft, 

and other. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

35 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

l 

, 

Figure 6 Risk Level of Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group Defendants in Clark County, 

Nevada, 1993 - 1998, by Year 

100 

80 

60 

& 

40 

20 

0 

OHigh Risk 

OMcdium Risk 

-Low Risk 

I1 

, 

I 

I 

, 

Drug comp. hug comp. Drugcomp. Drug cow. Drug comp. Drug comp. hug conp. 

19513-1997 1993 1994 1995 I996 1997 

Cora Corn coun COM corn corn corn 199d ' I 

(n-3,053/12205) (n-99/109) (n- IW7) (n- 100/95) (n- 10W8) (n- 1001111) (n=%/100) 

Study Cohorts 

[Note: Risk lcvel is calculated for my reams within one year obwrvation mod. Base rate for Drug Coun psnicipntr is 53 pcrcrnt; 65 pcmcnt for Cornpariron 

&up. Rirk anributes are race (non-white. +X bring an din (+). having recnnt prior amsu (i), d bving prior FTAS (+).I 

Crime and Jwticc Resewch Inntituie , 

Figure 7 Risk Level (fur Rearrest within One Year) of Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group 

Dcfendants in klultnoniah County. Oregon, 1991 - 1997, by Year 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

OHigh Risk 

OMedium Risk 

=Low Risk 

DC Comp.Comp. DC Comp.Comp. DC Comp.Comp. DC Comp.Comp. DC Comp.Comp. 

AB AB AB AB 

199 I -I 997 1991-1992 1993-1 994 1995-1996 I997 

(n-5.01li7%/672) (n-245/101/98) (n- I5a/lOlllOZ) (n- ISu99/95) (n- 142/94/100) 

Study Cohorts 

AB 

[Note: Risk level is c8lculated for my manes within one pi observation period. Bue me for Low Ri is I8 percent, 43 percent for Medium Risk, nd 72 peat 

for High Risk Risk mibutex DIC me (wn-white, +). being detained pmu*l(+), having M diu (+A having mmt prior amns (+). and hving mcmt prim FTk 

Crime nnd Justice Rururch lnrrirvtr (+).I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

36 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Notice, however, that the differences in risk classification between the two study groups 

varied by study period. In the 1993 drug court sample, 37 percent were highest risk, compared to 

48 percent of comparison group defendants. The difference was similar (37 versus 50 percent) in 

the 1994 sample. In 1995, both groups had a larger proportion of highest risk defendants (51 

versus 60 percent), again with the comparison group having a greater proportion of highest risk 

defendants. In 1996, the risk profile of the two groups of defendants is quite similar. The profile 

shifts, however, beginning in 1997 (with 45 percent of drug court participants highest risk versus 

38 percent of comparison defendants) and then more markedly in 1998 (when 60 percent of drug 

,/I 

court participants are highest risk compared to 52 percent of comparison group defendants). In 

1998, only 13 percent of drug court participants were classified as lowest risk, compared to 25 

percent of the comparison group counterparts. Moreover, the risk attributes of each group varied 

from year to year. 

Using this defendant risk profile or classification, we can give a partial answer to the 

questions of the Clark County officials who suspected that the poorer rates of rearrest shown by 

drug court participants in 1996 and 1997 might be accounted for by a “risk gap” between the two 

study groups caused by the plea requirement for entry into the drug court-with the result that 

drug court participants were a priori more likely to be rearrested than their counterparts. In fact, 

there were some differences. The question is, do these differences explain the results obtained? 

In Multnomah County, a similar analysis was carried out to develop a simple three-part 

risk classification of drug court participants and the two comparison groups of defendants. 

Using the Portland classification, defendants classified as highest risk would be expected to be 

rearrested within one year about 72 percent of the time, compared to about 43 percent of medium 

risk and 18 percent of lowest risk defendants. Figure 7 shows that a smaller proportion of drug 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

37 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

court participants were classified as highest risk than I comparison group defendants overall (2 1 

percent versus 36 percent of Comparison Group A and 30 percent of Comparison B defendants). 

Or, more drug court participants (42 percent) were characterized as lowest risk (compared to 22 

percent and 29 percent of the A and B comparison groups). It would follow from this I 

classification, showing ‘that drug court participants were lower risk, that we would expect a 

priori higher rearrest rates among comparison group defendants. The biggest “risk gaps” 

between the three study groups appear to be in the 199 1-92 defendant cohorts (with 24 percent of 

I1 44 

drug court participants versus 41 percent of Group A defendants and 36 percent of Group B 

defendants highest risk) and 1993-94 defendants (with I9 percent versus 33 and 271 percent 

classified as highest risk, respectively.) In fact, Figure 7 suggests that Multnomdh County drug 

court participants were ranked as lower risk using this, classification in each of the periods 

studied. This finding of differences between groups from’ year to year strongly suggests the need 

for evaluating rearrest rates after taking risk attributes into account. 

Rearrest amonP Drup Court and Comparison Grouu Defendants in Clark Countv 

Controlling for Risk 

Tables A5 and A6 display the multivariate analyses of rearrest rates during the first and 

second years, controlling for risk attributes. In Clark County, drug court participants recorded 

significantly lower one-year rearrest rates (any tvpe) in the combined analysis (1993-97) and the 

individual years 1993, 1994, and 1995. When the analysis for rearrest (any type) is extended to 

two years, drug court participants recorded lower rates overall (1993-97) and in the 1993 and 

1994 cohort comparisons. When the criterion is rearrest for drug offenses, drug court 

participants showed significantly lower rates overall (1993-97), and in the 1994 and 1997 

cohorts. When extended to two years, they showed significantly lower rates overall and for each 

year except 1996. When non-drug rearrests were examined, drug court participants recorded 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

38 

0 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
significantly lower rates than their counterparts overall (1993-97) and in the 1993 cohort only. 

When the two-year follow-up was employed, only the 1993 analysis found a significantly lower 

non-drug rearrest rate for drug court participants. 

Rearrest among Drug Court and Comuarison Group Defendants in Multnomah County 

Controllinp for Risk 

\ 

I 

4 t 

I1 $4 Tables A7 and A8 display the multivariate analyses of rearrest rates during the first and 

second years, controlling for risk attributes. In Multnomah County, drug court participants 

recorded significantly lower one-year and lower two-year rearrest rates (anv tvue) only during 

~ -. - - 

I 

the 1993-94 study period and only when drug court participants are compared to defendants who 

appeared but did not enter drug court (Comparison Group B). When the criterion is rearrest for (I ,I 

drug offenses during both one and two-year follow-up periods, drug court participants showed 

significantly lower rates overall (1991-97, 1991-96) and in the 1993-94 cohort, again only when 

compared to Comparison Group B defendants. When non-drug rearrests during the one- and 

two-year follow-up periods were examined, drug court participants recorded significantly lower 

rates than their counterparts in the 1993-94 cohort only, once again only when compared to 

Comparison Group B. 

The analyses of data from both sites sought to determine whether, after taking into 

account differences in sample composition between drug court participants and comparison 

group defendants generally-and risk attribute differences specifically-a “drug court effect” 

(lower rearrest rates) survived. Both analyses show that sample differences were important, but 

that differences in rearrest rates among drug court participants and their comparison counterparts 

did survive, at least in specific ways. In Clark County, the overall effect was mainly composed 

of significant differences between drug court participants and comparison group defendants 

during the 1993, 1994, and 1995 study periods-with the 1996 and 1997 cohorts failing to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

39 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
produce a significant difference. In Portland, the main significant difference detected was during 

the 1993-94 study period, but only when drug court participants were compared with one of the 

comparison groups (B). In other words, the drug court effects produced in Portland and Las 

Vegas varied over time-in very specific ways, with apparently a narrowly focused effect in 

Portland (during 1993-94) and a more extended effect in Las Vegas (during 1993-95). 

Controllinp for “Time at Risk’’ 

II I Another way that the methodology employed in the study of the two drug courts could 

affect the rearrest outcomes reported above involves the concept of “time at risk.” Simply stated, 

the chances that the drug defendants studied could be rearrested during a one-, two-, or threeyear follow-up are partly shaped by the extent to which they were “free” or “at risk” and thus 

susceptible to rearrest. It is known from the research presented in the Phase I report, for 

example, that the majority of drug court participants spend most of their time in the program on 

release in the community. Some spend short periods of time in jail as part of a drug court 

sanction. If drug court participants spent less time in jail-and therefore more time at risk in the 

l 

community-than their comparison group counterparts, one might expect a higher rate of 

rearrest among drug court participants merely because the comparison defendants were much 

less often at risk. The methodological question, then, is to consider whether there are significant 

differences in the rearrest rates of the two groups once time at risk is taken into account. This 

concern addresses the possibility that the probability of being rearrested increases as a function 

of the length of time at risk, other factors being equal. 

To account for the possible effect of “time at risk,” we counted the days each study 

defendant was free or in jail or prison during the follow-up periods. The analyses presented in 

Tables A9 through A12 then added time at risk as a control variable. Once again, the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

40 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

multivariate analysis sought to determine whether 1 after controlling for sample differences 

(including risk) and time at risk (defined as number of days not incarcerated), differences in rates 

of rearrest between drug court and Comparison group defendants were significant. 

\ 

Clark CounQ I 

The time at risk'variable is entered as a significant gredictor of rearrest in virtually every # 

I1 44 

analysis summarized in Tables A9 and A10. 

' 

Anv rearrest (1 vear, 2 years): Drug court partkipants still showed significantly lower I 

rates of rearrest overall (1993-97 combined), and among the 1993, 1994, and 1995 

cohorts. I When the follow-up period was for two years, drug court participants, showed 

significaqtly lower rates of rearrest overall (1993-97) and in the 1993 afid 1994 cohorts 

only. These results do not change the findings reported above that controlled for risk. 

0 Drug rearrest (1 vear, 2 Years): When time at risk is controlled in the analysis of rearrest 

rates for drug offenses during the first year, drug court participants show significantly 

lower rates overall (1993-97), in 1994, and in 1997. When the follow-up period is 

extended to two years from entry, drug court participants show significantly lower rates 

overall (1993-97) and in the 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997 cohorts. 

0 Non-Drw rearrest (1 vear, 2 years): No significant drug court effect is found in the oneyear follow-up when rearrest for non-drug offenses is examined. When the two-year 

follow-up is employed, there was a significant drug court effect in the 1993 cohort 

comparison only. 

Multnomah Countv 

Time at risk was often but not consistently significant in the Multnomah County analyses 

of rearrest as shown in Tables A1 1 and A12. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

41 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

0 Anv rearrest (1 vear. 2 vears): When time zft risk and risk attributes were entered as 

controls, the results reported above for Portland did not change. Significantly lower drug 

court rearrest rates for any type of offense were found only in the 1993-94 cohort 

comparison (contrasting drug court participants with Comparison Group B)-d+ng the 

first and second bear follow-up periods. I , 

Drug rearrest (1 vear. 2 vears): The same finding applied to rearrest for drug,offenses, 

both during the one and two-year follow-up periods. 

\ 

I 

I 

I1 e' 

0 

I 

0 .Non-Drurr rearrest (1 vear, 2 vears): In the analysis of rearrest for non-drug offenses 

during the first year, drug court participants showed significantly lower rearrpst rates 

overall (1991-97) and in the 1993-94 comparison (Comparison Group h). During the 

two-year follow-up, only the 1993-94 comparison is significant (Comparison Group B). 

The result of controlling for time at risk in each of the study sites was twofold: a) time at 

risk was found to be significantly related to rearrest in many of the analyses; b) time at risk did 

not meaningfully change the findings relating to a significant drug court effect in each site. 111 

Clark County, the findings of an overall effect and an effect in the earlier years were consistent 

with earlier findings that did not consider time at risk. In Multnomah County, the findings also 

remained basically unchanged: the drug court effect seemed to be tied to the 1993-94 study 

period during which drug court participants performed better than Comparison Group B 

defendants (any rearrest), and also to a general effect (1991-97) when non-drug rearrest is the 

focus. 

Controlling for Time Free 

The analysis of rearrest controlling for time at risk appears appropriate (because of its 

evident and substantial relationship with rearrest). Although the approach just taken seems to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

42 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
offer a reasonable method for taking into account the possible effects of time at-risk in the 

rearrest analyses, it remains problematic in an important respect. One' could argue that time atrisk is really hopelessly intertangled with the dependent variable, rearrest, because once a 

defendant is rearrested and jailed, time at risk is determined. Stated another way, this 

perspective would suggest that time at-risk is really another version of the outcome measure. It 

would therefore be predictable that a) it would correlate highly with (predict) the outcome 

measure (rearrest), and b) it would be related to other predictor variables (risk, etc.) in a collinear 

way. One would expect similar findings to what were in fact produced. 

Yet the issue-controlling for possible different degrees of exposure to risk of rearrest 

experienced by the drug court and comparison groups-still seems logically compelling. The 

problem posed, then, is how to control for the time a defendant is exposed to the risk of rearrest 

without confounding the control (time at-risk) with the dependent variable (rearrest). To address 

this prob!em, we employed an alternative approach that manipulated the follow-up periods (not 

the at-risk variable) so that all defendants have the same periods at risk. In other words, we 

asked the question, how would rearrest rates compare (drug court versus comparison group) 

when each defendant was followed through the same number of days free in the community. We 

employed 545 days free (roughly 18 months) as the common yardstick in each site in place of 

365 or 730 calendar days from the beginning of the criminal process. Tables A13 and A14 

summarize the analysis when the outcome measure was rearrest for any offense. 

Clark Countv 

When the 545 days free follow-up was employed with controls for sample differences 

(including risk attributes), the same pattern of findings as in the previous analyses emerge. A 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

43 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
significant drug court effect (lower rearrest rate) is detected overall (when the 1993-97 samples 

are combined) and in the 1993,1994, and 1995 cohorts-but not in 1996 or 1997. 

Multnomah Countv 

When this analysis was camed out for the Portland data using cohorts through 1996 (we 

did not have the 545 days free data for the 1997 cohort), a significant drug court effect was found 

in the combined overall analysis (1991-96) and in the 1993-94 study cohort, when the analysis 

involved Comparison Group B only. 

Implications of the Rearrest Findings: Variation over Time and Arrest TvDe 

,a 

I 

The comparative analyses of drug court participants and comparison group defendants in 

Clark Coiinty and Multnomah County controlled for sample differences, risk attributes, time atrisk, and time free in the community. Together the findings were remarkably consistent (see 

Table 5). In Clark County, the drug court produced significantly lower rearrest rates when all 

data (1993-97) are considered together and when the specific study years of 1993, 1994, and 

1995 are examined separately. The significant effect extends to 1997 when rearrest for drug 

offenses is considered. When non-drug offense rearrests are the focus, only in 1993 and over 

two years is a drug court effect found. In Multnomah County, there appears to be an overall 

effect (1991-96) in the time free analysis and a specific cohort effect linked to 1993-94 drug 

court participants in all ana1y~es.l~ We conclude that the findings identified in the analysis of 

drug court reoffending are not explained by the sample design or analytic methods employed 

and, therefore, appear to represent real differences between drug court and comparison groups. 

' 

l4 We considered whether combining Comparison Groups A and B into an undifferentiated comparison group in 

Portland would have produced different results. In fact, looking at a two-year follow-up period, the only drug court 

effect found was overall (1991-96) for drug offense rearrests and this was not found when specific cohorts were 

examined. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

44 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Table 5 Summary of Multivariate Analyses Modeling “Drug Court Effect” on Rearrest 

among Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group Defendants in Clark County and 

Multnomah County 

mote: J indicates a significant effect at p. p=.05 or lower.] 

Sample 

Bivariate Differences Risk Time at Risk Time Free 

Clark Countv 

Rearrest: I Year 

Overall 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

1 Overall 

, 1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

Overall 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

Overall 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

Overall 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

Overall 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 

Drug Rearrest: I Year 

Non-Drug Rearrest: I Year 

Rearrest: 2 Year 

Drug Rearrest: 2 Yeur 

Non-Drug Rearrest: 2 Year 

1947 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J J J 

J J 

J J J 

J J J 

J J J 

J J J 

J J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

J J 

J J 

J J 

J J 

J J 

J J J 

J 

J 

J 

J 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

45 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

Table 5 Summary of Multivariate Analyses Modeling “Drug Court Effectn on Rearrest 

among Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group Defendants in Clark County and 

Multnomah County (Cont.) 

t 

I1 

Sample 

Bivariate Differences Risk Time at Risk Time Free 

Multnomah County 

Rearrest: I Year 

Overall 

199 1-1 992 

1993- 1994 

1995- 1996 

1997 

Drug Rearrest: I Year - -1911 .- -__ - - 

1991-1992 

1993- 1994 

1995-1996 

1997 

\ J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A, B) J(Comp. B) 

4 J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A) ’. 

J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) I 

-J~~mp.~v~)..- -’. ~- 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A) 

J(Comp. A) 

’ J(Comp. A, B) J(Comp. B) 

-J(Gomp.B) ’ - 

J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) 

,- 

I 

Non-Drug Rearrest: I Year 

Overall 

1991-1 992 

1993-1994 ’ 

1995- 1996 

1997 , 

Overall 

Rearrest: 2 Year 

1 99 1-1 992 

1993-1994 

1995- 1996 

1997 

Overall 

Drug Rearrest: 2 Year 

1991-1992 

1993-1994 

1995- 1996 

1997 

Overall 

Non-Drug Rearrest: 2 Year 

1991 - 1992 

1993- 1994 

1995- 1996 

J(Comp. A, B) J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) 

,I 0 

J(Comp. A, B) J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. A) 

0- 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Conip. B) J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A) 

J(Comp. A, B) 

J(Comp. A, B) J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) 

J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) J(Comp. B) 

1997 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

46 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

IV. Treatment Performance by Participants Two Years after Entering Drug Court 

Introduction 

One of the obvious aims of the drug court model is to promote more effective substance 

abuse treatment of drug offenders based on a claimed synergism between hands-on judicial 

supervision and carehlly adapted treatment services. In large part, the drug court treatment 

process was conceived to reduce criminal behavior by reduction and elimination of substance 

q@se among its participants. In the previous sections, the analysis examined the extent to which 

4 

such a crime reduction effect was detected in the two drug court sites. In this section, we 

measure the delivery and impact of drug court treatment designed to reduce substance abuse and, 

as a result, to produce the desired drug court effect. 

Increasinp Participation in Substance Abuse Treatment amone Offenders 

A first important assumption of the drug court treatment model is that, by its existence, 

the drug court enrolls offenders in treatment services substantially more than would otherwise 

have been the case without drug court (or, than would be the case among similar offenders who 

do not have access to drug court). As a result, the logic of the drug court model implies that, 

because of the assumed crime reduction effect of substance abuse treatment, defendants exposed 

to treatment through drug court should perform better (commit less crime) than similar 

defendants who are not. In other words, regardless of the ultimate success of the treatment 

process, there is a threshold assumption that the drug court is successful in placing offenders in 

treatment who would otherwise rarely voluntarily, or through “normal” criminal justice channels, 

enter substance abuse treatment. 

Ideally, we would want to test this threshold drug court assumption by interviewing or 

otherwise tracking non-drug court offenders in a comparison group to learn whether they 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

47 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I ll 

, 

enrolled in treatment on their own-absent the coercion or persuasion of the drug court-at a 

level similar 'to those who chose drug court @e., all entered treatment by dehnition). 

Unfortunately, within the resources available for the research, such an approach was not feasible. 

In Multnomah County, however, we were able to examine the level of enrollment in treatment 

\ 

I 

among non-drug court domparison group defendqnts by coqsulting State health data. The Client 

Process Monitoring System(CPMS)' data records all episodes of treatment for all individuals 

supported through public funds in the State of Oregbn during the years of the study. To 

determine the extent to which comparison group defendants may also have entered treatment 

(using public funds) on their own and not through the drug court, we searched the State Health 

I1 

records to find eyidence of publicly paid episodes of treatment. I 

Figure 8 shows that, as a result of trying to match comparison group defendants to State 

treatment records, a small proportion (five percent of Comparison A and 12 percent of 

Comparison B) overall, did enter treatment-with proportions varying by cohort. Nevertheless, 

this figure suggests that, compared with the 100 percent exposure to treatment achieved by those 

enrolled into drug court, only a relatively small number of drug offenders would find their way 

into needed treatment. In short, these data support the threshold assumption that drug courts (at 

least as illustrated by the case of the Multnomah County Drug Court) do indeed dramatically 

increase the placement of drug-involved felony offenders in treatment. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

48 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

- 

Figure 8 Exposure to Substance Abuse Treatment among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants and 

Comparison Group Defendants, 1991 - 1997" 

=Drug com 

OComparison 

OComparison 

1 

14 

I 

- 2f' 

loo , 

80 

60 

40 

20 

100 100 100 100 

A 'I 

B 

1 1991- 1997 1991 - 1992 1993 - 1994 199s - 1996 1991 In - 5,145/796/689) (n - 237/102/93) (0- 1501102/103) (n- 153/100/98) (n - l43/9?/10l) 

Shrdy Period 

*[Note: By dcfinitim, all dmg cow participants wm exposed to ueamcn!. The Client Rocera Monitorins System (CPMS), I state health database. was used tu 

document malmcnt exposure among comparison pup defendmu through records ofpublicly funded trealmem cpirodcr.1 

Crime and Jvrricr Research ImstsNte 

Phase I Findings HiPhliPhted: Particbation in Treatment 

In the Phase I report, we described a number of treatment-related outcomes measured one 

year after participants entered drug court. Examples of these measures included treatment status 

(favorable or unfavorable) of participants in drug court at one year, time spent in treatment in the 

first year, time spent in Phase I of treatment by participants, "early" (unfavorable) terminations, 

average time to termination, and actual versus expected number of treatment appointments 

attended. Figures 9 and 10 highlight some of these findings from Phase I (as brief background 

for the Phase I1 analyses presented next). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

49 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 9 Treatment Outcomes among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants, 1991 - 1997 

I99 1-971; Time 

199 1-92 

1993-94 

1995-96 101 

1997 

Favorable Status 

1991-97 OFavorable 

lunfavorable 

Time in Treatment 

199 1 1-97 -92p356 

1993-94 

1995-96 209 

1997 109 

0 100 200 300 400 

:in Phase I 

'D .o 3 1991-92 

4' 

9 

Fi i d 1993-94 @ 1995-96 

1997 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

4' 

9 

Q 

0 100 200 300 

Percentage 0fParticipont.s 

(n * 5.034) 

Median Days 

(n - 4,471) 

Median Days 

(n - 4.m~) 

Emected w. Actua 

Terminations Pavs to Termination 

169.5 

1991-97 

3 1991-92 

5 

4 1993-94 6 

2 

@ 1995-96 

1997 199.5 

0 100 200 300 400 

Treatment ADDointmcna 

1991-95 

? 1Q91-92 5 1993-94 a 

a 9 1995 

I996 

1997 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage of Participanls 

(n - 5,014) 

0 50 100 I50 200 

Median Days 

(n - 5,U34) 

Cl'mr and Jurrirc Research lnrrirutc 

Median Plumber ofAppoinhents 

(unwightd n - 589) 

Figure 10 Treatment Outcomes among Clark County Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997 

Favorable Status 

993-97 

1993 

I994 

1995 

1996 

1997 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage ofParticipants 

(n - 3.053) 

Time in Treatment 

1993-97 

1996 

1997 

1995 3I4a 

363 

0 100 200 300 400 

Time in Phase 1 

1995 

1996 

0 100 200 300 400 

I 

I 

L 

d ai 

1 

h 

w 6 

I 

h 

9 d 

Median Days 

(n - 2.7W) 

Median Days 

(n - 2.977) 

Expected vs. Actual 

Treatment AnDointmena 

1993-97 

1993 

I994 

1995 

I996 

1997 

0 SO 100 150 200 

Terminations Davs to Termination 

1993-97 

1994 

1995 

1996 227 

1997 

1993-97 

1994 

1995 

1996 

0 20 40 60 80 

? 5 a 

9 

Q 

'D 

.a 5 a 

9 w 

t 

c 

9 

3 

13 

127 

- 

100 0 100 200 300 

- 

400 

Percentage ofParticipanh 

(n - 3,029) 

Median Days 

(n - 3,053) 

Crime and Jurticr Reseurch Iwtitvte 

Median Number af Appointments 

(n - 3.023) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

50 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Actual versus Expected Attendance in Treatment: One way to measure delivery of 

treatment (and, attendance at treatment) among drug court participants is to compare &e actual 

number of days participants attended treatment with the expected number of days that treatment 

would be provided.” The expected number of treatment appointments was derived fiom, adding 

the requirements for adendance during each of the phase? and represents the number that all 

participants should attend if they- stayed in the drug court for 12 months. 

\ 

0 In Multnomah County, drug court participants ‘would be expected to attend treatment I 

about 120 times during a relatively trouble-free 12-month period. Under the four-phase 

treatment regimen, Multnomah County participants actually attended treatment a median 

of 65 times during the first 12 months of Drug Conrt, or about 54 pelfcent’bf the expected 

level (with a high of 78 actual days or 65 percent ,of the expected appointments attended 

among 1993-94 participants and a low of 42 days or 35 percent of expected in 1995). 

Under the revised three-phase approach (i996-97), the actual days attended dropped to a 

median of 30, or less than 40 percent of the expected level. 

0 Based on the attendance requirements in Clark County, drug court participants would be 

expected to attend treatment about 96 times during the first 12 months. In fact, during the 

fkll study period, participants attended a median of 67 appointments, or about 70 percent 

of the expected level with little variation. The average number of actual appointments 

attended (of the 96 expected per year) peaked at 85 in 1995, then dropped to 65 in 1996 

and jumped back up to 83 days and 85 days among 1997 and 1998 participants, reaching 

a high of about 89 percent in 1998 (1998 not shown here). 

Is The actual attendance in treatment includes attendance by all drug court participants starting the process. Thus, 

the percentages include all entering participants and are measures for the overall group. One would expect that 

some participants would attend the full number of appointments required while others would drop out of treatment 

relatively early in the process, recording few attended treatment appointments. 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

51 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Attendance in Court: One of the basic assumptions of the drug court model is that 

progress in treatment is greatly enhanced by the central, in-person, supervisory role of the drug 

court judge. 

\ 

0 From 1991 through 1997, Multnomah County Drug Court participants averaged 14 incourt appearancks during the first year, (including Successful participants who attended 

regularly all year and unsuccessful participants who made few appearances). The 

average number of appearances per participant vdried somewhat by study period. 

I1 $4 

I 

0 In Clark County, drug court participants averaged 15 court appearances during their first 

12 months, with only minor year-to-year variation. # 

Length of Time in Treatment: The treatment literature argues reasohably that retention in 

treatment is an important factor in successful treatment outcome. In both of these drug courts, an 

important goal was to provide treatment over at least a 12-month period (before graduation 

would be possible). Time in treatment is both a product of the drug court process and an 

outcome: it is something the court seeks to provide (treatment delivered) and it is a function of 

participant performance. 

0 Measuring time in treatment from the date of the first treatment appointment to the'last 

date seen in treatment, Multnomah County Drug Court participants averaged (a median 

of) 230 days active in treatment during the overall study period from 1991 through 1997, 

notably less than the 365-day ideal implicit in a 12-month program. This outcome varied 

by year, with a median of 356 days for 1993-94 participants during their first 12 months 

in Drug Court, but then dropping to 209 days in 1995-96 and to 109 days among 1997 

participants. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

52 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
0 Clark County Drug Court participants recorded a median of 358 days in active treatment 

status overall, with only minor variation by year. 

Comdetion of Treatment Phases: A more practical measure of treatment progress is to 

examine the most advanced phase in treatment achieved by participants by the end of 12 months 

in the drug court. 

From 1991-95, a very small proportion of participants (seven percent) in the Multnomah 

County Drug Court had completed Phase I11 and were nearly ready to graduate at year’s 

end; 48 percent of participants failed to complete even Phase I successfully by 12 

months. In 1996-97 (when the program was based on a three-phase treatment approach), 

larger percentages of participants entered the last treatmznt phase, 1 1 percent in 1996 and 

18 percent in 1997. 

0 In Clark County, 19 percent had completed Phase I11 of treatment, while 25 percent had 

not completed Phase I in the first 12 months of the program; these percentages varied 

notably by cohort year. 

Graduation from the Drug Court: Because both drug courts studied required 12 months 

as a minimum period of treatment through required phases before graduation, one would expect 

few participants to complete drug court successfully and to reach graduation within the one-year 

observation period employed in the Phase I analysis. 

In fact, about five percent of Multnomah County Drug Court participants and two percent 

of Clark County Drug Court participants graduated within 12 months of beginning the 

program. 

Participant Status at the End of the Year: Given that program completion (graduation) by 

one year is a poor measure of participant performance in the drug courts, the Phase I analysis 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

53 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

,’ 

1 I I1 

I 

examined their status (favorable or unfavorable) at the end of one year. “Favorable” status 

included persons who had graduated and persons who were still active in treatment (in good 

standing). “Unfavorable” status included persons who had been terminated by the court, persons 

who were still active but were in jail due to noncompliance or a new arrest, and persons who 

were fugitives. 

\ 

+ 4 I I1 5 

0 In Multnomah County during the period 1991-97, 51 percent of participants were in a 

favorable treatment status and 49 percent were in an unfavorable status. The proportion + 

of each stud,y cohort in a favorable drug court status at the end of 12 months declined 

over time, however, from 65 percent of the 1993-94 participants to 43 percent of the 1997 

participants. ,I ,I 

0 Approximately 52 percent of Clark County participants from 1993-97 were in a favorable 

treatment status at the end of the first year. The proportion in a favmable stahis increased 

from 53 percent in 1993 to 62 percent in 1995, but then dropped to 42 percent and 49 

percent in 1996 and 1997, respectively. 

Unfavorable Terminations in the First 12 Months: Although few participants could 

succeed (graduate) from the drug courts in 12 months-by the nature of the court’s minimum 

requirements-a fair number of participants could “fail” by that time. 

0 Approximately 29 percent of Multnomah County Drug Court participants entering from 

1991 through 1997 were terminated from the program within 12 months. That overall 

termination rate masks a clear trend in the Multnomah County Drug Court of steadily 

increasing one-year rates of termination over time, ranging from a low of 17 percent of 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

54 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
1993-94 participants to 35 percent of 199596 participants and 38 percent of 1997 

particir)ants.16 

0 Thirty percent of Clark County Drug Court participants entering the program between 

1993 and 1997 were terminated in their first year. This overall termination rate masks a 

\ 

I 

clear trend, hodever. The Clark County Drug Court began with a relatively high one- 

-year termination rate (446 percent of 19W-participants) but move& to lower one-year 

, 

I1 4 

termination rates over time (27 percent in 1996,22 percent in 1997).17 I 

The Phase I analyses examined treatment outcomes as measured at the end of one year 

from participants’ entry into drug court treatment. These early measures of treatment outcomes 

were extended in, the Phase IJ research to two and, in some instances, three years ‘after enrollment 

(or until involvement with the drug court appeared completed). 

Clark Countv: Treatment Outcomes Two Years from Entrv into Drup Court 

Promess through Treatment during the Two-Year Observation Period 

One way to assess the relative progress through the drug court process is to chart the 

stage of treatment reached by participants by the end of the observation period. Figure 11 shows 

that graduation in the Clark County Drug Court was a selective process; roughly one-thira of 

participants entering the Clark County Drug Court from 1993 to 1997 completed all four 

treatment phases and graduated sometime within 24 months of entry. The overall rate again 

masks quite a bit of change in the graduation rates associated with the yearly cohorts. The 

l6 Note that the rate of termination was artificially low during the 1991-92 start-up period because, due to the 

disruption caused by the loss of the drug court’s initial treatment provider, many participants were given the benefit 

of the doubt when their 12 months was reached. The additional months delay required to work out new 

arrangements for treatment by the drug court meant that a large proportion of the 1991-92 cohort were close to the 

end of the 12 month minimum by the time treatment resumed. Out of fairness, some proportion of participants was 

allowed to graduate, even though they may have had treatment suspended for a period of some months. 

” This lower termination rate may derive partly from the fact that a much larger proportion of participants were 

convicted offenders sentenced to drug court as a condition of probation or suspended sentence to confinement and 

that termination from drug court would be tantamount to revocation of probation or cause the sentence to be served. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

55 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
proportion graduating increased from about one-third of participants entering in 1993 to nearly 

half of those entering in 1995. Then, beginning in 1996, however, the graduation rate dropped 

dramatically to about one-fourth of participants and remained nearly as low among 1997 

participants when followed for two years. (This shift in graduation corresponds with the change 

in admission practices from diversion to enrolling guilty plea cases described in the Phase I 

findings.) 

Figure 11 Most Advanced Trea’tment Phase Completed by Clark County Drug Court Participants 

/<I , during Two-Year Observation Period, 1993 - 1997, by Year 

100 

80 

20 

ECompleted Phase IV. 

lComplacd Phase 111 

OCompleted Phase 11 

OCompletcd Phase 1 

-Failed to Complete Phase 1 

Graduated 

0 

1993 - 1997 1993 1994 1995 I996 1997 

(n-3,053) (n-99) (n- 100) (n- 100) (n- IW) (n- 1W) 

Study Period 

Time in Treatment 

In our earlier report, we showed that participants entering the Clark County Drug Court 

from 1993 through 1997 were active in treatment a median of 35818 overall days during a oneyear follow-up, with little variation apparent by year. In short, half of participants spent less than 

’* Days active in treatment measures the number of days from the first treatment appointment date to the last 

recorded date the participant appeared at treatment. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

56 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
358 days in treatment and half were active for more than 358 days.' When the second year is 

added to the observation period, there is little change in the median time in treatment for 

participants in Las Vegas (361 days overall). (See Figure 12.) (One reason the median does not 

change much is because the numbers dropping out in less than one year did not change.) The 

average time in treatment remained high and increased slightly over time among the Clark 

'Cotlrlty Drug Court cohorts, with the highest median number of days in treatment found among 

the 1997 participants (388 days). , 

I,, , 

Figure 12 Length of Time in Treatment (Median Days) among Clark County Drug Court Participants 

during Two-Year Observation Period, 1993 - 1997 

350 

303 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

352 

388 

359 3s9 363 

1993 - 1991 I993 1994 I995 1996 1997 In - 3.053) m-!m In - IOU1 (n- IM) ID" 1M1 (a- IW) 

Study Period 

Jail Sanctions and Time in Confinement 

Over two years from drug court entry, Clark County Drug Court participants were jailed 

as sanctions for noncompliance in steadily increasing proportions from 1993 through 1997. 

Overall, 35 percent of drug court participants were confined at least once as a result of a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

57 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
sanction. This overall rate masks a remarkable increase over time from 21 percent of the 1993 

cohort to 5 1 percent of the 1997 cohort. (See Figure 13) 

Figure 13 Types of Sanctions Imposed on Clark County Drug Court Participants 

during Two-Year Observation Period, 1993 - 1997 , 

100 

-Return to Earlier Treatment Phase 

PIJail , OObxrved UAS I 

80 

1993 - 1997 19Y3 1994 1995 ' 1996 I997 (11 -- 3.0533 (1, =us) (n- IWI @- IOUi In - :W) (SI- IW) 

Study Period 

Crime ond Jwlice Xesrwrh Insiilufe 

Figure 13a shows that the average (median) time spent in confinement as a result of drug 

court sanctions among Clark County Drug Court participants also increased over the years 

studied as the court shifted to the policy of admitting mainly participants who pled guilty. 

During the two-year follow-up, participants overall (1 993-97) spent a median of zero days in jail. 

However, the days in confinement ranged from a median of zero days in jail among the 1993, 

1994, and 1995 drug court participants, to a median of five days among 1996 participants and 13 

days among 1997 participants during the 24 months from entry. When only those who were 

confined are examined (rather than participants as a group, some of whom were never confined), 

the increasing trend in median length of confinement can be seen more clearly: the median 

number of days in confinement increased from six days among the 1993 participants to 13 days 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

58 

a 

I 

I, ' 

I 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

in 1995 I and 22 days in 1997, more than a threefold increase in the average length of 

confinement. 

Figure 13A Confinement of Clark County Drug Court Participants Directly Attributable to the Drug Court 

during Two-Year Observation Period, 1993 - 1997 

35 

30 

LI 

25 

10 

85 

0 

-All Participants 

OJailed Participants Only 

I 22 

1993 - I991 1993 1994 I995 I996 1997 

(n - 3,0531,420) (n - 99/30) (n - 100/32) (11 - !CQ/46) (n - IOW57i (n = 100165) 

Study Period 

pac: Confinement inc:udcr both Dtvg Coun sanctions and Drug Corn hch wanant confincmcn1.l 

Cnmr ond Jurrice Research Inrrirurr 

Partici~ants' Status in the Drug Court at the End of Two Years 

Because successful completion of drug court required at least 12 months of acceptable 

participation in treatment, most participants would not have their final status in the program 

determined at the 12-month mark reported in the Phase I findings. Figure 14 highlights the 

status of the cases of drug court participants in Clark County at the two-year mark. The overall 

profile of drug court cases from 1993-97 showed that about one-third had successfUy graduated 

within 24 months or less, 42 percent were in some unfavorable status resulting in termination 

from the drug court, another six percent were still active and in the community and 18 percent 

were in hgitive status. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

59 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figur,e 14 Status in Treatment at End of Two-Year Observation Period among Clark County Drug Coup Participanls, 1993 - 1997 

020406OMlW 

33 

33 

9 

0 204060M100 

These patterns shifted when cohorts of drug court participants were examined over time. 

As we have seen, graduation rates decreased to about 24 percent and 26 percent of participants 

entering in 1996 and 1997. The other important change appears to be in fugitive status: fiom 7 

percent of 1993 participants in fugitive status at the end of two years, the rate had increased 

roughly four-fold to 29 percent of participants entering the drug court in 1997. Simplified into 

“favorable” (graduated or still active in treatment and not in jail) and “unfavorable” (all other 

statuses) drug court statuses, Figure 15 shows that from the peak of 50 percent in a favorable 

status in the 1995 cohort, the rate dropped markedly to only 30 and 33 percent of the 1996 and 

1997 participants at the end of two years. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

60 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Figure 15 Statu in Treatment (FavorabIeRJnfavorable) at En@ of Two-Year Observation Period among 

Clark County Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997 

lFavorable 

ClUnfavorablc 

70 

67 

IF3 - 1997 I993 1994 1995 1996 " 194 

(n = 3.047) (n = 99) In = 100) fn = 1001 (a 7 1WI (" = IM)) 

Study Period 

[Note: Fawnble Olrlcomes include graduations and cases Ih.1 a= still npcn and in pod standing. Unhvonblc outcmncs ineiudc IC~~~NI~OIU ~d can thnt .om sti;l 

open and hgitivc/incarccnled. Slm in mirmcnl was determined usin8 both mauncnt muvide; and criminal idee rcfords IEIacksone~ 1 

Crmr and Jvracr Rrrcurch Imnnra * Multnomah County: Treatment Outcomes Two Years from Entrv into Drug Court 

Progress through Treatment During the Two-Year Observation Period 

The rate of graduation among drug court participants in Multnomah County decreased 

notably during the study period. Figure 16 shows that nearly one-half of participants entering the 

Multnomah County Drug Court from 1991 to 199619 completed all three (or four) treatment 

phases and graduated within 24 months of entry. This proportion dropped by about one-half 

from 52 percent in the 1991-92 drug court cohort to about 26 percent in the 1996 cohort. The 

dramatic drop in graduation rate is accompanied by a sharp increase in the proportion of 

participants failing to complete Phase I of treatment particularly in the 1995 and 1996 cohorts. 

This large change suggests that participants were increasingly terminated if performing poorly in 

the first phase. (In our Phase I report, this finding was associated with the shift away from a 

Two-year follow-up was conducted only for cases entering through 1996 in Multnomah County. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

61 

0 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
single drug court judge to a frequent rotation of judges and non-judge referees as well as to more 

restrictive policies regarding termination from drug court in the early stages. During the early 

years of the program, the drug court judge displayed more tolerance toward poor performance in 

the early stages in hopes of keeping participants in treatment. The shift to automatic early 

termination policies reflected a noticeable change in philosophy.) 

Figure 16 Most Advanced Treatment Phase Completed by Multnomah County Drug Court Participants 

during Two Year Observation Period, 1991 - 1996 

' I,* I 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

lCornpleted ProDComplcted Phase 111 

OCornpleted Phase I1 

OCornplcted Phasc I 

=Failed to Complete Phase 1 

1991 - 1995 1991 - 1992 I993 - 1994 I995 1996 is = 2,iYO) (n - 136) (n- 1501 I" - 77) (n - 70) 

Study Period 

[Now: Fmm the STOP program's inception to July 1996, the trtarmrnt process consisted of bur phlrcs. Subsequently, lhe pmcu war mIIrnp4 10 include three 

phrrr. Panicipsnrs hom 1995 and 19% huve ken %panted w accuntely xflcct the shift.] 

Crime ond Jvrricr Research lnrtirvrc 

Time in Treatment 

In our earlier report, we showed that participants entering the Multnomah County Drug 

Court from 1991 through 1997 were active in treatment a median of 2302' days during the first 

one-year follow-up, with the smallest median periods in treatment in the 1995-96 cohort (209 

days) and the 1997 cohort (109 days). Using a two-year observation period, Figure 17 shows 

Days active in treatment measures the number of days from the first treatment appointment date to the last 

recorded date the participant appeared at treatment. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

62 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
'0 that, overall, participants entering the drug court from 1991 to 1996 averaged (median) 268 days 

in treatment, a slight increase from the one-year median.*' 

There was a notable difference in the treatment achieved by participants in successive 

cohorts over time. During the start-up of the drug court, the median time in treatment was 236 

days. (Recall that the'court discontinued the services of the original provider and suffered a 

several month delay in treatment until a new provider was found. See the Phase I report.) The 

median length of treatment jumped to 356 days for participants in the 1993-94 sample cohort , 

,I I 

once treatment services were regularized, but then dropped to a low of 209 days in treatment in 

the 1995-96 cohort.** These changes are associated with a difficult start-up period, a period of 

effective operation, and then a change to rotation of many judges and use of non-judge referees 

in the drug court, as well as early automatic termination policies. 

4N) 

350 

300 

250 

3 

= 200 

z 

Q 

150 

100 

50 

0 

Figure 17 Length or Time in Treatment among Multnomab County Drug Court Participants 

during Two-Year Observation Period, 1991 - 19% 

3% 

268 

209 

I991 - 19% 1991 - 1992 1593 - 1994 1995 - 1996 ID - 3.6271 (a- 1211 1n- 119) In- 147) 

Note that the slight increase from the one-year measure is accounted for by the large proportion of participants 

who failed by the one-year mark. Their participation in treatment does not increase merely by extending the followu period. 

'We did not collect two-year follow-up data for the 1997 cohort (only one-year follow-up data exist for this 

cohort). We estimate that time in treatment for this group over two years would be shorter than that shown for the 

1995-96 cohort based on the one-year patterns. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

63 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a Use of Sanctions 

I 

Figure 18 shows that a variety of sanctions were employed by the drug court during the 

two-year follow-up.23 Overall, seven percent of participants received a jail sanction, and ten 

percent were placed on Zero Tolerance. Notably, the use of jail increased sharply in 1995-96 to 

14 percent, up from one percent in 1993-94. The increased use of jail in later years is likely tied 

to the change in program leadership (assignment of a non-judge referee) and subsequent 

modification of program rules eliminating much of the tolerance that had characterized the 

program in previous years. Overall, there was little change in sanctioning patterns from one to 

two years, suggesting that most of those participants actively engaged in treatment during the 

second year were meeting program requirements and did not experience sanctions. 

Figure 18 Types of Sanctions Imposed on Multnomah County Drug Court Participants 

during Two-Year Observation Period, 1991 - 1996 

Earlier Tx Phase 2 Earlier Tx Phase 0 

Jaillo Jail1 

ObservedUAs 1 Obscrved UAs 0 

ForestCamp 2 ForestCamp I 

Zero Tolerance Zero-ioieracce 8 

Other 5 Other 7 

0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage ofParncrpanfs Percentage of Parhcrpanu 

1991 - 1996 1991 - 1992 

Earlier Tx Phase 3 EarlierTx Phasc 1 

Jailzl (n-3'767) Jail ('- '43) 

ObsmedUAs I ObservedUAs 1 

Forest Camp 3 Forest Camp I 

Zcro Tolerance Zcro Tolerance 1 

Other 5 Other 5 

0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percenfage ofParticipcmu Percenfage oJParhkrpnu 

1993 - 1994 

(n * 150) 

1995 - 19% 

(a - 153) 

[Note Although thc Zero Tolerance prom was not created mid Jmry 1994 under Judge Robmwn. mament pmnder rccdr Indlcaic iu use 

in I991 and 1992.1 

Cnrnr and Jiunce Research IU~IMC 

23 We were unable to document confinement time attributable to drug court over the two-year follow-up period. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

64 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
'0 Participant Case and Treatment Status in the Drug Court at the End of Two Years 

Figure 19 shows two-year case status of Multnomah County Drug Court parhipants 

both overall (1991-96) and for each sample cohort. Overall, the majority of participants had 

their cases closed and their relationships with drug court completed by the end of the second 

year. Two percent of cakes were still open (with participants on release); this changed little over 

the three time periods shown. Another one percent of cases overall were still open with the 

participant in confinement, again with little change over time. A small proportion of participants 

I 

11, 

were in fbgitive status at the two-year mark, with an additional small proportion having charges 

dismissed. 

Figure 19 Status of Cases among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants at the End of a Two-Year 

Observation Period, 1991 - 1996 

Guilty 

Graduated 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage of Participants 

1991 - I996 In = 3.75) 

Guilty 

Graduated 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage of Pnrticipnu 

1991 - !9Y2 in= 143) 

Still Opcn (Released) 4 Still Open (Released) 1 

Still Open (Confined) I Still Open (Confined) 1 

Fugitive 5 

Charges Dismissed 3 Charges Dismissed 3 

Grdduated Fugitiv Guilty b4. Graduated GuiltyL57 

0th- I Other 1 

0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 

Percentage of Participants 

1993 - 1WJ 

(n - 150) 

Percentage of Participants 

1995 - 1996 tn - 152) 

pole: Two-year cw stam w16 delcrmimd wing matmenl provider and corn d8u. Thcrc arc 45 p8icip~ts who an sill 8clivc in marmcnl sccording to hAct da@ 

but arc considmd @uatcr in coun data. Thc disclrpancy is likely I mlt of outsunding tmmYnt Isn MUM dclmyr in updating marment files. In ordn to be 

conairlenI, thou 45 psnicipmts arc conridncd gfaduus hm 8nd clwwhm m lhc repon.] 

Crime and Justice Research lnrrirvrr 

What did appear to change over time was the proportion with cases successfblly closed 

due to graduation from the program: 50 percent of 1991-92 participants, 48 percent of 1993-94 

participants, and 33 percent of 1995-96 participants graduated within the two-year observation 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

65 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

period. While the successfully closed cases (graduateddismissed) decreased proportionately, the 

proportion with convictions as the final case status increased from 31 percent among 1991-92 

participants and 37 percent among 1993-94 participants to more than half (57 percent) of the 

1995-96 participants. This shift in graduations and guilty verdicts in 1995-96 is ,also explained, 

at least in part, by the change in judicial leadership and program philosophy in January 1996, 

when program rules became more stringent and less toleraneef pai+ieipamtstbacks. 

Predicting Treatment Outcomes Two Years after Entrv in Clark Countv and Multnomah 

Countv Drup Courts 

Beyond describing the relative success or progress of drug court participants, this 

analysis of treatment outcomes in the two sites asked whether particular attributes of participants, 

their backgrounds or their substance abuse histories affect the probability of successhl treatment 

outcomes. Thus, the analysis presented in this section seeks to identify predictors of treatment 

success and to discuss their implications when found. Knowledge of predictors of treatment , 

may raise questions about the effectiveness of the treatment process and suggest directions for 

improvement. 

Using multivariate analyses, including linear and logistic regression as well as CHAID, 

as appropriate, we attempted to identify predictors of the following specific treatment outcomes 

in both drug court jurisdiction^?^ 

0 

0 Time in treatment 

0 Graduation 

Early termination (within six months) 

Attendance at 75 percent or more of scheduled treatment appointments (one-year followUP> 

24 The multivariate analyses presented here are intended to be illustrative. The predictive results were not validated, 

for example, through split samples. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

66 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
4 

Early Termination within Six Months 

Treatment literature generally and earlier drug court research specifically have suggested 

that failure in treatment often occurs at a fairly early stage. An implication is that, by 

anticipating early failure, the treatment process could be strengthened to increase retention and 

I 

overall treatment succesk. For the purposes of this analysis, we sought to model (predict) early 

termination defined as -persons whmeretenninated by the courtfor rmn-comphear were 

fugitive never to return (during the remainder of the follow-up period) within the first six months , 

(i.e., well short of the 12-month minimum program length). 

Clark CounN 

As we have shown in the Phase I report, the Clark County Drug Court lost very few 

participants within the first month of drug court treatment.. In fact, the Clark County Drug Court 

te.rminated only 17 percent of drug court participants within 180 days (1993-97), although the 

percentage varied by year and decreased notably over time, from 32 percent arid 22 percent in 

1993 and 1994, to 12 percent and seven percent in 1996 and 1997. 

Drawing from over 50 potential predictor variables (including a range of demographic, 

current case, prior criminal history, and assessment attribute^)^^ that would have been availdble 

at the initiation of the treatment process, logit analysis was only modestly successfid in 

identifying significant predictors of early termination among Clark County Drug Court 

participants (see Table 6). Having an alias and testing positively at assessment (both of which 

significantly increased the likelihood of early dropout), as well as being married or living with a 

significant other (which decreased the likelihood) together distinguished categories of 

participants with lower and higher probabilities of early termination, taking into account the 

possible effects of other predictors. 

*’ See the technical appendices for the Phase I report for the complete list of variables collected in the study. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

67 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 6 ,Predicting Early Termination from Drug Court (within Six Months) among Clark 

County Drug Court Participants, 1993-1997 

Predictor Variables Parameter (Sin) 

Having an Alias (NoNes) 1.048 (.OOO) 

Testing Positive at Assessment (NoA’es) 1 .OS7 (.001) 

Maniedniving with Significant Other (NoTYes) 

Constant -2.727 

-1.038 (.016) 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 349.683 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 338 

GE Significate __ A ____ -- -~ iu ____ .975 

Chi Square 32.501 

, DF 3 

Significance .ooo 

I4 413 

Probability Level Percent Early Termination (n) Percent of Total 

Low 5.2 116 28.1 

Medium 16.5 200 48.4 

High 34.0 97 23.5 

Total 413 100.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Predicted values from logistic regression were used to develop a three-level risk 

classification of early termination shown in Figure 20.26 Participants classified as having the 

lowest probability were associated with a base rate of five percent early termination; medium 

risk participants showed a base rate of 17 percent early termination; and highest risk participants 

were terminated about 34 percent of the time and thus were about twice as likely as the medium 

risk, and six times as likely as the lowest risk group participants to be terminated within six 

months. When 1993-97 drug court participant samples are classified using this framework, 

about half are ranked as medium risk. However, more than one-fourth (28 percent) of 

participants were classified as lowest risk, and about one-fourth were classified as highest risk of 

early termination. Figure 20 shows variation by year in the likelihood of early termination 

classification associated with Clark County Drug Court participants, with 1997 showing the 

largest proportion of participants ranked as lowest early termination risk (39 percent) and the 

’‘ Predicted values of the dependent variable (representing probabilities of early termination) were multiplied by a 

constant (e.g., .I 5) and grouped to produce classes of participants with differing probabilities of early termination. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

68 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
'Q smallest proportion ranked as highest risk (13 percent) of all yearly cohorts studied. Figure 21 

applies this clqssification to each yearly cohort of drug court participants and shows the actual 

rates of early termination associated with each cohort and risk grouping. In general, the simple 

I 

,I 

, 

classification groups participants well: those grouped as lowest risk show the lowest rates of I 

early termination, with 'the medium groups sho,wing mid-level rates and the highest risk groups 

showing thc @hest proportions-terminated-@rtbthe -emptiorroff997; whklr-stlffers from a 

I1 8, 

small number of cases in the high risk category). I 

Figure 20 Probability olEarly Termination (within Six Months) among Clark County Drug Court 

Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Year 

1993 - 1997 

(n-413) 

1993 1994 I995 I996 1997 (a - 87) (11-81) (n - 68) (0 - 98) (n - 79) 

Study Period 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

69 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 21 Early Termination (within Six Months) among Clark County Drug Court Participants, 

1993 - 1997, by Probability of Early Termination 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Probabilh 

lIRW 

OMcdium 

OHigh 

n 22 

1993 - 1991 I993 (n-413) In - 87) 

Multnomah Countp 

1994 1995 1996 I997 

(n - 111) fn = 68) ’ (” - 98) In - 79) 

S~dy Period 

I 

As has been described in more depth in the Phase I report, the Multnomah County Drug 

Court offers the special feature of an initial two-week “opt-out” period, during which defendants 

can decide to drop out of the drug court and have their charges adjudicated in the normal fashion. 

Thus, one might expect a higher rate of early termination in Portland, due to participants opting 

In fact, overall, about 18 percent of the Multnomah County Drug Court participants were 

terminated in the first 30 days. By the 180-day mark, 48 percent of participants were found to 

have been terminated or to be permanently fugitive. 28 The determination of status at six months 

was made using treatment data. More specifically, active time in treatment was calculated from 

first appearance at InAct to last date seen by the treatment providers (less than 180 days or not). 

’’ In fact, few candidates actually chose to drop out of the program at that stage. See the Phase I report for a more 

in-depth discussion. ** By permanently fugitive we mean persons who were in a hgitive status at the six-month mark and who did not 

return to the court during the follow-up periods studied. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

70 

e 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
1 , 

, 

,I 

, 

Differences between participants’ status in the program may exist, depending on which data 

source is used. For example, participants who are fugitive for extended periods of time may be 

0 considered inactive. We used treatment data to make the six-month status determination because 

we felt it was more “time-sensitive” or accurate than court data in terms of accounting for 

\ 

I 

fugitive status. The percentage of participants being terminated within 180 days of program 

eRtpptFaried wtiab€y+wer-tke,- *a- €-Mde 1393444 cw~dy h4.f in 

I 

1995-96 and more than 60 percent in 1997. These changes in “early” termination of drug court , 

participants in Multnomah County may be best explained by the shift toward more restrictive 

(and automatic) termination policies implemented beginning in 1996 with the shiff from a 

dedicated drug court judge to a non-judge referee and then rotation of,many judges during 

relatively short periods. During the court’s earlier years, participants in an unfavorable status 

were kept “on the books” longer in the hopes that treatment cpuld be resumed with eventual 

success. 

, 

* 

Using the range of potential predictor variables described above in the Clark County 

analysis, logistic regression was employed to model termination from the drug court within six 

months. In this way, five participant attributes were identified as being significantly related to 

early termination, taken together: race (white, non-white), prior failures to appear (FTA), prior 

arrests for serious property offenses, and indications of marijuana and cocaine use (as measured 

through self-report, assessment, or from arrest information). These results suggest that being 

non-white (African-American or Latino), having prior FTAs, and prior serious property arrests 

are associated with an increased likelihood of termination within six months, while indications of 

marijuana and cocaine use prior to enrollment are associated with a lower likelihood of early 

termination (see Table 7). The finding that being non-white is a significant predictor of early 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

71 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
termination, other factors being equal, raises questions about the treatmentldrug court process in 

Multnomah County that should be carefully addressed. See our discussion of community context 

below (Section X) for one possible explanation of this finding. 

Table 7 Predicting Early Termination from Drug Court (within Six Months) among 

Multnomah County Drug Court Participants, 1991-1997 

Predictor Van& Parameter (Sig) 

Race (Whitemon-White) .421 (.027) 

Prior Failures to Appear (NoNes) .620 (.012) 

I Prior Arrests, Serious Property (NoNes) .951 (.014) 

ladication of Marijuana (NoNes) -.720 (.OOO) 

Indication of Cocaine (NoNes) 443 (.001) 

Constant .354 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 720.095 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 9.223 

GF Significance .237 

Chi Square 49.965 

DF 5 

N 556 

Significance .ooo 

Probability Level Percent Early Termination (n) Percent of Total 

Low 29.4 85 15.3 

Medium 42.2 230 41.4 

Total 556 100.0 

High 60.6 24 1 43.3 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Grouping the predictive scores from the logit model of early termination, a classification 

was developed ranking Multnomah County participants as low, medium or high probability of 

early termination. Figure 22 shows that proportionately few participants overall (1 5 percent) 

were categorized as having a low probability of early termination, while 43 percent were ranked 

as highly likely and 42 percent were ranked as moderately likely to be terminated early. The risk 

of early termination associated with the Multnomah County Drug Court participants varied by 

cohort: only 28 percent of the 1993-94 drug court cohort were ranked as high risk of early 

termination, compared to 51 percent of the 1995-96 participants and 46 percent of the 1997 

participants. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

72 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 22 Probability of Termination (within Six Monqhs) among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants, 1991 - 1997 

100 

80 

20 

rl Probabilicv 

OHigh 

OMedium 

=Low 

I 

0 

# 1991 -1997 1991 - 1992 1993 - 1994 1995 - 19% 1997 In = 567) (n- 141) (n- 133) (n * 150) (n - 143) 

Study Pen& 

Crime and J~t#cr Rerrurch I#LT~ZI+ 

0 Figure 23 shows that the predictive classification ranks participants well when actual 

termination rates are concerned: 29 percent of the lowest probability participants (1991-97 

combined unweighted sample of participants), 42 percent of the participants classified as 

medium probability, and 61 percent of the highest probability category were in fact terminated 

within six months of entry. When the early termination classification is applied to each cohort, 

however, it effectively ranks participants into groups that had low, medium, and high actual 

termination rates in only the 1993-94 and 1997 cohorts. Note that in the later years of the study 

(1995-96, 1997), the proportion of participants now classified as highly likely to be terminated 

early from the drug court increased to around one-half. At the very least, this suggests that the 

Multnomah County Drug Court was addressing a more challenging and more failure-prone 

population of participants from 1996 on. Moreover, participants in the 1993-94 cohort were less 

likely to be terminated early than all other cohorts. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

73 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 23 Early Termination (within Six Months) among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants, 

1991 - 1997, by Probability of Early Termination 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Probability 

lLow 

ClMedium 

OHigh \ 

, 1991-1997 

(n - 550) 

@ Time in Treatment 

51 

1991 - 1992 

(0- 138) 

34 [' 

1993 - 1994 

(n- 132) 

Studyperiod , 

I 

39 

1995 - 1996 

(n - 147) 

72 

,I $1 

1997 

(n - 133) 

Clark Countv 

The number of days spent in treatment (from initial assessment to last date seen) during 

the drug court program provides a measure of treatment participation and of treatment success 

(or at least retention in treatment). Defendants who perform poorly will survive in treatment for 

shorter periods than participants who perform well. Drug treatment advocates argue that 

treatment is more effective the longer a person is in treatment, using reasoning similar to medical 

dosage (that a certain dosage over a certain period of time is expected to be effective). When 

multivariate techniques were employed to model length of time in treatment among Clark 

County participants, we were unable to develop a satisfactory predictive model based on 

knowledge of attributes of participants that would have been known only at the early stages of 

processing (drug court entry and assessment). One inference might be that other factors we were 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

74 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a unable to measure explained retention in treatment, such as the efforts of the drug court and its 

treatment program staff to monitor the performance of participants closely. 

Multnomah Countv 

Multiple regression was employed to identify factors predictive of time in treatment. The 

regression solution was not strong; only two variables were significant, prior felony arrests and 

testing positively at the first drug test (within the first three days of treatment). Both factors were 

associated negatively with time in treatment. Participants who have prior felonies and who test 

positively at the first stages of treatment tend to spend less time in treatment than those who have 

no prior felony arrests and test negative for drugs early on. When the dependent variable, time in 

treatment is viewed as an outcome measure, an implication of this finding is that when the drug 

court is dealing with persons who test negatively shortly after their arrest (or within three days 

of entering treatment), they stay in treatment longer and are more likely to be successful. One 

might expect, however, that seriously drug involved defendants would be likely to show early 

(I , 

e 

l 

positive test results and be more likely to have had prior encounters with the justice system. 

Attendance at Scheduled Treatment ADDointments (One Year] 

Clark Countv 

A third treatment outcome we sought to model was the percent of presumptively 

scheduled treatment appointments actually attended by Clark County participants (based on a 

constant expected number for the program). Figures 9 and 10 above compared expected and 

actual number of treatment appointments made by drug court participants in the two sites during 

the one-year observation period. In multivariate analysis, we sought to predict treatment 

participation at or above 75 percent of expected appointments among drug court enrollees. (In 

short, we tried to predict the “best-performers” in terms of attendance.) Overall (1 993-97), nearly 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

75 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 4 

half of participants attended three-quarters or more of their scheduled appointments. However, 

there was considerable variation by year (from a low of 32 percent of expected attendance in 

1993 to a high of 60 percent of expected attendance in 1995). 

analysis was most useful in identifying predictors of 75 percea attendance at 

treatment appointments among Clark County Drug Court participants. Figure 24 displays the 

results of- the CHA-fD-arralysis thatidemtifiect-predictm through 4ts-stterrSsivc partitioning-uf 

articipants into groups with notably differing probabilities of 75 percent attendance. Table 8 

summarizes the eight participant groups that result from this analysis, ranked from lowest 

probability of 75 percent attendance (Group 1) to highest (Group 8). Persons least likely to 

achieve 75 percent attendance were characterized by prior drug convictions and negative initial 

tests for marijuana, but testing positive for other drugs at assessment. Participants most likely to 

achieve 75 percent attendance were mamed or living with a significant other, had no prior felony 

theft or receiving stolen property arrests, and had negative tests at assessment. 

.1 

I 

29 We also conducted a logit analysis which developed a less satisfactory but significant model using: race (AfricanAmerican, -), prior serious property convictions (-), positive drug test at assessment (-), and marijuana use indicated 

(+). Predicted values were used to develop a two-level risk classification of 75 percent attendance, with 60 percent 

classified as low risk and 40 percent classified as high risk (base rates of 37 percent and 64 percent achieving 75 

percent attendance, respectively). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

76 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 24 Predicting Attendance at 75 Percent or More of Scheduled Treatment Appointments during a One-Year 

Observation Period among Clark County Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, (CHAID Analysis) 

Attended 75 Percent or More of Scheduled Treatment Appointments 

n=494(100%) 

Positive Drug Test at Assessment 

* 

No, Missing 

-+ 

Yes 

Predicted = 56% Predicted = 42% 

Prior Felony ThefVRSP Arrests Tested Positive for Marijuana, Assessment 

No Yes 

n = 165 (33%) n = 52 ( 1 I %) 

Marital Status 

Other, Missing MarriedLiving with Significant Other 

n = 132 (27%) n = 33 (7%) 

No, Missing Yes 

n = 209 (42%) 

Prior Drug Convictions 

n = 68 (14%) 

No Yes 

n = 167 (33%) n = 42 (9%) 

Prior Open Cases Enter Drug Court in Post-Conviction Status 

No Yes 

n = 82 (I 7%) 

No - Yes 

n = I18 (24%) n = 49 (10%) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

77 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 8 Summary of CHAID Classification Predicting 75 Percent Attendance at 

Treatment during a One Year Observation Period among Clark County Drug Court 

Participants, 1993- 1997 

Group Description (n) Percent Percent High Probability 

Total Attendance Level 

1 

2 , 

' JL,' I 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Attendance at 75+ Percent of Treatment 

Appointments 

Prior drug convictions; testing negative for 

marijuana (or missing results) at assessment; 

testing positive at assessment 

Enter drug court through diversion; no prior drug 

convictions; negative for marijuana (or missing 

results) at assessment; testing positive at 

assessment 

Prior felony theft/RSP arrests; negative test at 

assessment (or missing results) 

Prior pending arests; not mamed or living with 

significant other (or missing); no prior felony 

theft/RSP arrests; negative test at assessment (or 

missing) 

Enter drug court post-conviction; no prior drug 

convictions; negative for marijuana (or missing 

results) at assessment; testing positive at 

assessment 

Test positive for marijuana at assessment; test 

positive at assessment 

No prior pending arrests; not rnamed or living with 

significant other (or missing); no prior felony 

theft/RSP arrests; negative test at assessment (or 

missing) 

Mamed or living with significant other; no prior 

felony theft/RSP arrests; negative test at 

assessment (or missing) 

Total 

--- __- - &_ _I_LI + ___A 

42 

-_- 

118 

52 

50 

49 

68 

82 

33 

494 

8.5 21.4 Low 

10.5 

10.1 

9.9 

13.8 

16.6 

6.7 

100.0 

42.3 

44.0 

51.0 

61.8 

62.2 

78.8 

Medium 

Medium 

Medium 

High 

High 

High 

Probability Level Percent High Attendance (n) Percent of Total 

Low 30.6 160 32.4 

Medium 45.7 151 30.6 

High 65.0 183 37.0 

Total 494 100.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

78 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

0 Collapsing these eight categories of participants further produces a three-level 

classification indicating participants with low (3 1 percent),, medium (46 percent) or high (65 

percent) probabilities of 75 percent attendance. Figure 25 shows that, when this classification of 

participants is applied to the yearly drug court cohorts, the proportion of participants ranked as 

having a high likelihood of achieving 75 percent attendance declined from nearly half (46 

percent) in -1993 to 33 percent in the 1996 and 1997 cohorts. (Again, this change parallels the 

shift to a more conviction-based drug court with higher risk participants.) 

demonstrates that with knowledge of these few attributes-including prior drug convictions, 

Figure 26 ' 

'I$((, 

positive tests at assessment, positive tests for marijuana, prior felony property arrests, marital 

status, other open cases, and conviction status at entry to drug court-CHAID analysis produced 

a usefkl predictive classification that distinguished groups of participants according to their 

probabilities of achieving 75 percent attendance. 

Figure 25 Probability of 75 Percent Attendance at Treatment during a One-Year Observation Period among 

I Clark County Drug Court Participants, I991 - 1997, by Probability of High Attendance 

* 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

J'redictcd Attm 

OHigh 

OMedium 

=LOW 

1993 - 1997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

(11-499) (n-99) (n-100) (n-100) (n-100) (n-100) 

Srudy Period 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

79 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Figure 26 75 Percent Attendance at Treatment during a One-Yerr Observation Period among Clark County 

Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Probability of Attendance 

, 

Robabilitv 

ILW, 

OMcdium 

OHigh 

46 i 52 n 46 

1993 - 1997 1993 1 994 (n - 494) (n - 97) (n .- 99) 

54 I 

1995 

(n - 99) 

Srudv Period 

Crime and-Justice Research Inrriture 

Multnomah CounQ 

38 

1996 

(n- 100) 

I 

Overall (1 99 1 -97), 39 percent of the Multnomah County Drug Court participants attended 

75 percent or more of their scheduled appointments during the first year after entry into the 

program. This proportion fluctuated slightly over time, from a high of nearly half of participants 

achieving that attendance in the 1993-94 cohort, dropping to a low of about 31 percent in the 

1995-96 cohort, and then returning nearly to the high level among the 1997 participants. 

The CHAID analysis shown in Figure 27 first found that prior felony arrests 

differentiated participants based on likelihood of high attendance, with those with prior felony 

arrests less likely than those without prior felony arrests to achieve high attendance. Among 

those with prior felony arrests, prior failures-to-appear in court (FTAs) was associated with a 

very low rate of high attendance, while those without were divided into persons with indications 

of marijuana use at assessment (increased likelihood of optimal attendance) and those without. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

80 

e 

I 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Among those with no indication of prior felony arrests, having prior marijuana use and no heroin 

use was associated with increased likelihood of optimal attendance. Persons without prior 'felony 

arrests and no marijuana use who were over 40 years old had greater chances of high attendance, 

while those younger and with positive drug tests in the first three days of treatment had a very 

low predicted rate of 75 percent attendance. 

- - __--- %Wfumarizes-&e-eigh&8m~ettrt- pa&+ant -pxpsfenag8-by the CHAID 

'partitioning, ranked from a lowest probability group (with a 13 percent probability of achieving 

high attendance) to a highest probability group (with 59 percent probability). Participants with 

' 

I*( , 

prior felony arrests and recent prior FTAs (Group 1) were classified as least likely to attend 75 

percent or more of scheduled treatment appointments. Older participants (over 40), with no prior 

felony arrests and no marijuana use (Group 8) were ranked as having the greatest likelihood of 

achieving 75 percent attendance. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

81 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e 

Predicted = 3 1% Predicted = 59% Predicted = 59% Predicted = 41% Predicted = 2 I% Predicted = 41% 

n= 150(26%) n=32(6%) n= 157(27%) n=39(7%) n=72(12%) n=73(13%) 

I 

.- 

Figure 27 Predicting 75 Percent Attendance Treatment during a One Year Observation Beriod among Multnomah County 

Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, (CHAID Analysis) 

Attended 75 Percent or More of Scheduled Treatment Appointments 

1 

n = 577 (100%) i 

No, Missing 

n = 378 (66%) 

Any Indication of Marijuana Use, Assessment 

+-----3 

No, Missing 

Predicted = 36% 

n = I96 (34%) 

Prior FTAS w/in Last 1 Years 

* 

No 

n = 145 (25%) 

I! * 

n = 54 (9%) 

I 

Crime und Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

82 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 9 Summary of CHAID Classification Predicting 75 Percent Attendance at 

Treatment during a One Year Observation Period among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants, 1991-1997 

Group Description (n) Percent Percent High Probability 

Total Attendance Level 

Attendance at 75+ Percent of Treatment 

Appointments , 

Prior FTAs within last 3 years; prior felony arrests 

Tested positive for drugs within 3 days; age 40 or 

younger; no indication of marijuana use at 

assessment (or missing results); no prior felony 

arrests (or missing) 

No indication of marijuana use at assessment (or 

missing results); no prior FTAs within last 3 years; 

prior felony arrests 

Tested negative for drugs within 3 days; age 40 or 

younger; no indication of marijuana use at 

assessment, (or missing results); no prior felony 

arrests (or missing) 

Indications of heroin and marijuana use at 

assessment; no prior felony arrests (or missing) 

Indication of marijuana use at assessment; no prior 

FTAs within the last 3 years; prior felony arrests 

No indication of heroin use at assessment; 

indication of marijuana use at assessment; no prior 

felony arrests (or missing) 

Age 41 or older; no indication of marijuana use at 

assessment (or missing results); no prior felony 

arrests (or missing) 

Total 

54 

49 

72 

101 

39 

73 

157 

32 

577 

# 9.4 

8.5 

12.5 

17.5 

6.8 

12.7 

27.2 

5.6 

100.0 

12.9 

20.4 

20.8 

36.6 

,, ,I 

41.0 

41.1 

53.6 

59.4 

Low I( I 

Low 

Low 

Medium 

Medium 

Medium 

High 

High 

Probability Level Percent High Attendance (n) Percent of Total 

Low 18.3 I75 30.3 

Medium 39.0 213 36.9 

High 58.7 189 32.8 

Total 577 100.0 

Crime and Justice Research Instifute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

83 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 8 

The bottom section of Table 9 collapses the eight I category classification of participants 

into three groups according to probability of 75 percent attendance: a low probability group 

# (with 18 percent high attendance expected), a medium probability group (with 39 percent high 

\ 

attendance expected), and a high probability group (with 59 percent high attendance expected). 

When this classificationipredicting high attendance is applied to Multnomah County Drug Court 

participants, -0uerall (1 99 1-97). participants =re almst equally distributed among the low, 

I 

I 

I 

I1 ' 

medium, and high probability 75 percent attendance categories. Figure 28 shows, however, that 

the probability of high attendance varied by sample cohort over time. The relative proportion of 

I 

high probability participants (successfd treatment attendees) declined in the successive drug 

court caseloads from 35 and 42 percent of the 1991-92 and 1993-94 cohoqs respectively, to 27 

percent of the 1995-96 and the 1997 cohorts. This figure also shows that as the relative 

, 

proportion of drug court enrollees in the highest likely attendance category dropped, the 

proportion in the lowest projected attendance category increased, from 26 and 17 percent in the 

, 0 

early cohorts to 40 and 37 percent in the later cohorts (1995-96, 1997). In short, from the 

perspective of treatment attendance, the Multnomah County Drug Court caseload grew more 

challenging over time and was less likely to achieve high attendance according to this predictive 

classification. Figure 29 shows that the low-, medium-, and high-expected attendance ranking 

from the CHAD analysis worked well in predicting relative attendance among participants when 

applied overall and to all sample periods. 

Crime and Justice Research Insrirure 

84 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 28 75 Percent Attendance at Treatment during a One Year Observation Period among Multnomab 

County Drug Court Participants, 1991 - 1997, by Probability of High Attendance 

e 

,x 

s h 

6 

ab 

E 

a c 

s 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

42 

1991 - 1997 (" - 577) 

1991 - 1992 (n - 133) 1993 - 1994 

(a - 150) 

1997 

In - 143) 

1995 - 1996 

(n - 151) 

Figure 2Y 75 Percent Attendance at Treatment during P One year Observation Period amung Multnumah 

County Drug Court Participants, 1991 - 1997, by Probability of High Attendance 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

probabiliw 

=LOW 

OMadiurn 

OH@ 

1991 - 1997 

(a - 511) 

1991 - 1992 

(n - 133) 

44 fl i 

1993 - 1994 

Study Perid 

199s - 19% 

(n- 150) (n- 151) 

64 

1997 

(n - 143) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

85 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Graduation I 

A final treatment outcome we attempted to model or predict, based on knowledge of 

participants' attributes available at the time of their entry into the program, is successful 

completion of the drug court treatment regimes in the two locations. This analysis asked whether 

one could anticipate ,likely success or difficulty in drug court in advance of program 

\ 

l 

, I ll 4 

.. . -0L- - - __--~_- ____I__ ____I ___ -__- 

Clark Countv 4 

I 

Figure 30 displays the CHAID3' analysis employed to model graduation (as measured 

within two years of program entry) among participants entering the Clark County Drug Court 

from 1993-97 (combined, unweighted sample). Prior arrests within the last, three years, positive 

drug tests at assessment, employment, race/ethnicity (whitehon-white), prior convictions within 

, 

the last three years, gender, and conviction status at entry entered as useful predictors of the 

probability of graduation. 

30 Logistic regression was also employed to identify predictors of graduation within two years. Risk predictors 

include: having an alias (-), having prior arrests (-), having prior serious property convictions (-), testing positive at 

assessment (-), being African-American (-), and testing positive for marijuana at assessment (+). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

86 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 30 Predicting Graduation during a Two-Year Observation Period among Clark County D$g Court Participants, 

1993 - 1997, (CHAID Analysis) I 

I 

Graduate at Two Years 

n = 499 (1 00%) 

I 

Prior Arrests w/in Last Three Years 

+ - 

- 

No Yes 

n = 199 (40%) n = 300 (60%) 

Positive Drug Test at Assessment Employed, Time of Assessment 

No, Missing 

Predicted = 36% 

n = 114 (23%) 

* I * 

No, Missing Yes 

n = 196 (39%) n= 104(21%) 

Enter Drug Court in Post-Conviction Status? Participant Race Prior Conviction w/in Last Three Years 

No Yes 

n = 89 (18%) n = 25 (5%) 

White Non-White No Yes 

Predicted =A Predicted = I I% 

Participant Gender 

A= 

Male Female - 

n = 59 (I 2%) n=58(12%) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

87 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

I I ,I 

I I 

Following the CHAID partitioning method, the first predictor (prior arrests) of graduation 

split the sample into those with arrests (lower graduation probability) and those without arrests 

(hrgher graduation probability). Among the drug court participants without arrests, having a 

positive test at assessment and entering the drug court in a post-conviction status decreased the 

prospects for successful graduation within yo years. Among those with prior arrests, 

employment status at assessment was the next predictor, with employed candidates having 

\ 

I 

I1 

greater chances and unemployed having lower probabilities of graduation. Among the , 

employed, having recent prior convictions further divided participants into higher probability 

(convictions) and lower probability (no convictions) graduation categories. Among those who 

had prior arrests,and were not employed, race (non-whites had a lower probabi'lity) and gender 

(white females had a lower probability) entered as differentiators of the likelihood of graduation. 

Through successive partitioning, the CHAID ahalysis identified eight groups of drug 

court participants ranked from lowest (11 percent) to highest (58 percent) probability of 

successful graduation. (See Table IO.) Persons with the highest probabilities of graduating 

tested negatively for drugs at assessment (or had no results) and had no recent prior arrests (58 

percent graduated); persons who were non-white, were unemployed, and had recent arrests had 

the lowest probability of graduating (1 1 percent). These eight participant groups were collapsed 

into three (low-, medium-, and high-probability) categories characterized by 14, 36, and 54 

percent probabilities of graduation, respectively. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

88 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 10 Summary of CHAID Classification Predicting Graduation during a Two-Year 

Observation Period among Clark County Drug Court Participants, 1993-1997 

Group Description (n) Percent Percent High Probability 

Total Attendance Level 

Graduation within 2 Years 

status unknown, recent prior arrests 

positive at assessment, no recent prior arrests 

status unknown, recent prior arrests 

prior arrests 

status unknown, recent prior arrests 

positive at assessment, no recent prior arrests 

prior arrests 

unknown, no recent prior arrests 

Total 499 100.0 

1 Non-white, not employed or employment 79 15.8 11.4 Low 

2 Entered drug court post-conviction, tested 25 5.0 12.0 Low 

1 3 Female, white, not employed or employment 58 11.6 17.2 Low 

111 , 

4 No recent prior convictions, employed, recent 47 9.4 27.7 Medium 

5 Male, white, not employed or employment 59 11.8 33.9 Medium 

6 Entered drug court through diversion, tested 89 17.8 42.7 Medium 

7 Recent prior convictions, employed, recent 57 11.4 47.4 High 

8 Tested negative at assessment or results 85 17.0 57.7 High 0 

I 

Probability Level Percent High Attendance (n) Percent of Total 

Low 13.6 162 32.5 

Medium 36.4 195 39.1 

High 53.5 142 28.5 

Total 499 100.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Figure 31 classifies each of the studied cohorts entering the Clark County Drug Court. 

The proportion of participants ranked as having a high probability of graduation changed little in 

successive cohorts (ranging only from 27 to 29 percent). In contrast, however, the proportion of 

participants in the lowest probability category increased steadily from a low of 21 percent of the 

1993 participants to a high of 40 percent in the 1997 cohort-a nearly doubling of the proportion 

of participants most unlikely to achieve graduation in a two-year period. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

89 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
100 

I 

80 

20 

Figure 31 Probability of Graduation during a Two Year Obrervation period among Clark County Drug 

Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Year (CHAID) 

, 

0 

1993 - 1997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

(n - 499) (n - 99) (n - 100) (n- IW) (n - 100) (n- IW) 

Study Period 

J’robabiliw 

OHigh 

OMcdium 

-Low 

Crime ond Justice Rutarch Instimrr, 

Figure 32 displays the two-year graduation rates of participants entering the Clark County 

Drug Court using the predictive graduation classification., Except for the 1996 cohort, the threecategory ranking of participants “worked” relatively well in predicting graduation rates in the 

sense that, overall and in all other years, participants ranked as lowest likelihood of graduation 

indeed showed the lowest rates of graduation, ranging from four to 21 percent. Participants 

grouped as medium graduation prospects showed mid-level rates (ranging from 18 to 58 

percent). Highest ranked participants showed the highest rates of graduation, from 35 to 64 

percent. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

90 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 32 Graduation during a Two Year Observation Period among Clark County Drug Court 

Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Probability of Graduation 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

probability 

mmv 

OMcdium 

OHigh 

54 

1993.1991 

(n - 499) 

21 1;1 

64 

1995 , (n- IMt) 

35 

I996 

(n- loo) 

52 

I 991 

(n- 100) 

Multnomah County 

Using Multnomah County Drug Court data, CHAID analysis identified four predictors of 

graduation, shown in Figure 33, which partitioned participants into five groups with differing 

probabilities of graduation (as measured two years after program entry). The 1991-96 sample is 

partitioned first on prior felony arrests. Among persons with prior felony arrests (lower 

graduation probability), the next predictor was having prior misdemeanor convictions. Persons 

with prior felony arrests and prior misdemeanor convictions had lower graduation prospects (22 

percent) than those with prior felony arrests and no prior misdemeanor convictions (41 percent). 

Among participants with no indication of prior felony arrests (higher graduation probability), 

indication of marijuana use from assessment entered as the next predictor. Persons with no prior 

felony arrests and using marijuana at the time of their drug court arrest had a higher probability a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

91 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
of graduation (58 percent) than those who did not use marijuana (41 percent). Those not using 

marijuana were hrther split on race; whites who had no marijuana uSe and who had no prior 

felony arrests having a higher probability of graduation (48 percent) than non-whites (26 

percent). 

Table 1 1 summarizes the CHAID ‘classification results by listing the five categories of 

participants identified and ranking them according to relative probability of graduation. Twenty- 

~p percent of the lowest probability group (Group 1, persons with prior misdemeanor 

, 

convictions and prior felony arrests) would be expected to graduate, compared to 58 percent of 

the highest probability group (Group 5, persons with marijuana use at entry and no prior felony 

arrests). Figure 34 applies the graduation classification to the first three Multnomah County 

participant cohorts.31 This figure suggests that the 1993-94 drug court cohort included a notably 

larger proportion (47 percent) of high likelihood graduation prospects and a smaller proportion 

I of low graduation probability participants than found in the 1991-92 or the 1995-96 cohorts. 

This finding is consistent with the earlier finding that nearly half of the 1993-94 participants did 

indeed graduate. The finding that the 1991-92 participants also recorded a high rate of 

graduation, however, may be partly explained by the special circumstances of the drug court’s 

difficult start up period (when the first treatment provider was discontinued and several months 

passed until the new provider was in operation) at the end of which a large number of 

participants had reached the minimum 12 months in the program and had to be “promoted.” 

a 3’ Note that data for two-year follow-up was not available for the 1997 cohort in Multnomah County. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

92 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 33 Predicting Graduation during a Two-Year Observation Period among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants, 1991 - 1996, (CHAID Analysis) 

Graduated in Two Years 

Predicted = 44% 

Prior Felony Arrests 

No, Missing 

Predicted = 50% 

Yes 

Predicted = 32% 

n = 149 (33%) 

c 

Any Indication of Marijuana in Prior Misdemeanor Convictions 

Assessment I 

* -+ Yes 

No 

n = 143 (32%) 

Predicted = 58% 

I 

No - Yes 

n = 75 (17%) n = 74 (1 7%) 

Participant Race 

Non- White 

n = 93 (21%) n = 50 (I I %) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

93 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 11 Summary of CHAID Classification Predicting Graduation during a Two Year 

Observation Period among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants, 1991-1996 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0- 

Group Description (n) Percent Percent High Probability 

Total Attendance Level 

Graduation within 2 Years 

for felony 

assessment, did not have prior felony arrests 

felony arrest 

1 Prior conviction for misdemeanor, prior arrest 74 16.6 21.6 Low 

2 Non-white, marijuana is not indicatCd in 50 11.2 26.0 Low 

3 No prior conviction for misdemeanor, prior 75 16.8 41.3 Medium 

4 White, marijuana is not indicated in 93 20.9 48.4 Medium 

5 Marijuana is indicated in assessment, did not 154 34.5 57.8 High 

assessment, did not have prior felony arrests 

have prior felony arrests 

Total 446 100.0 

It,, , 

Probability Level Percent Graduation (n) Percent of Total 

Low 23.4 124 27.8 

Medium 

High 

45.2 

57.8 

168 37.7 

154 34.5 

Toial 446 100.0 - 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Figure 34 Probability of Graduation during a Two-Year Observation Period among Multnomah County 

Drug Court Participants, 1991 - 1996 I 

I 

Y .I 

t 

4" 

B 

I 

P 

c 

b 

1991 - 1996 1591 - 1992 1993 - 1994 1995 - 1996 

(n - 446) (n- 143) (n- 150) (n- 153) 

Study Period 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

94 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 35 shows the graduation rates associated with the graduation classification. 

Overall and in each cohort, participants ranked in the lowest graduation probability group 

produced the lowest rates of graduation (23 percent overall and ranging from 17 percent in the 

1995-96 cohort to 21 percent in the 1993-94 cohort, to 33 percent of the 1991-92 cohort). The 

highest probability groups also displayed ,the highest actual rates of graduation, except in 1991- 

92 (58 percent o~~r&49~percent of_the 1991-92 cohort, 63 percent of the 1993-94 cohort and 

' 58 percent of the 1995-96 cohort). With the exception of the 1991-92 cohort, participants ranked ' 

as medium graduation probability produced the middle graduation rates. 

I<, , 

Figure 35 Graduation during a Two Year Observation Period among Mulnomah County Drug Court 

Participants, 1991 - 1996, by Probability of Graduation 

IO0 

80 

w 

D 

- 

.c 60 

4" 

B 

.Y 

t 

2 5 40 

4 L

20 

0 

FzQMlim 

-JAW 

OMcdium 

OHigh 

58 

45 I 

1991 - 1996 

(n - 446) 

62 

1991 - 1992 

(n - 143) 

42 n 

1993 - 1994 1995 - 19% 

(n- 150) (n - 153) 

58 

Themes and Implications from the Analvsis of Treatment Outcomes in the Two Sites 

The two-year analysis of treatment outcomes relating to the Clark County and 

Multnomah County Drug Courts reveals a number of changing patterns in the treatment 

processes over time. 

a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

95 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
,I 

Progress through Treatment: Earlv Termination 

In both sites, the percentage of entering participants successfully graduating from the 

8 drug courts decreased over time-from nearly half at the peaks to roughly one-fourth toward the 

end of the respective study periods. These remarkable parallel findings have different 

explanations, however. ,In Clark County, the change in graduation rate as measured two years 

from entry dropped beginning in 1995 as the new conviction-based admission criteria went into 

8 

, +, I 

effect. As we have seen in the rearrest analysis, this, shift was associated with higher risk 

participants, longer times to graduation, and lower rates of graduation. In the Multnomah 

I 

County Drug Court, the halving of the graduation rate from 1991-92 to 1996 was associated with 

a major shift in judicial approach, including use of non-judge referees, frequent rotation of a 

large number of judges and a shift in termination policy restricting the flexibility shown 

previously with defendants in the early stages of treatment. 

When multivariate analyses sought to identify the factors predictive of one measure of 

treatment progress, early termination (within six months), the results were modest in Clark 

County and more successful in Multnomah County. In Clark County, other factors being equal, 

having an alias and testing positively at the first treatment appointment (indications of prior 

system involvement and active drug use) were associated with a greater probability of early 

termination from the program, while being married or living with a significant other reduced 

such prospects. In the Multnomah County Drug Court, being non-white. (African-American or 

Latino), having prior arrests for serious property offenses, and having prior failures to appear in 

court were related to a greater likelihood of early termination from drug court, while testing 

positively for marijuana or cocaine (or admitting to its active use) at assessment was associated 

with a smaller probability of early termination, other factors constant. The finding that being 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

96 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
non-white decreases a person's chances of staying in treatment--controlling for other factorsmay be explained by the different patterns of drug use and crime associated with whites and nonwhites. The finding that marijuana users will have a better chance of staying in treatment, net of 

other factors, suggests that the non-marijuana users in drug court will have a more difficult time. 

Other drugs include methamphetamines, heroin, and crack cocaine; all are seen as more 

' suggests that special issues may be present relating to differences among groups that influence 

chances of staying in treatment and, consequently, ultimate success. (Note that the geographic 

' 

'O* I 

analyses of neighborhoods and the focus group discussion with drug court participants in 

Multnomah County (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b) support this kind of interpretation of these 

predictive findings.) 

Time in Treatment 

A related measure of treatment outcome, time in treatment, is usually viewed as related to 

treatment success (the longer in treatment, the better the treatment success). In Clark County, the 

time in treatment associated with participants remained high over the study period (median, 36 1 

days), with the time in treatment increasing only slightly from the one- to the two-year followup. The time in treatment was lower among Multnomah County's participants overall (median, 

268 days) for the study period (through 1996), with a peak in the 1993-94 cohort and a sharp 

drop in the 1995-96 cohort (median, 209 days). In Clark County, as the court population shifted 

to convicted persons on probation or suspended sentence, persons had less incentive to complete 

the treatment period compared to the earlier emphasis on diversion. In Multnomah County, as 

the shift in judicial assignment and philosophy (and to automatic early termination policies) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

97 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

occurred, the fact that more participants were terminated translated into shorter average periods 

in treatment for drug court participants overall. 

When we tried to predict time in treatment among Clark County participants, analyses 

simply could not produce a significant or useful model. We conclude that length of time in 

-- treatment was rather consistent and that background or descriptive factors we had available did e- w- st+s&%ve-solution was 

'obtained when examining the Multnomah County data: having no prior felony arrests and 

having no positive tests at entry to treatment increased the length of time in treatment. This is 

' 

l/(I , 

consistent with the findings predicting early termination; participants with no prior histories and 

no positive test results have greater success in adhering to the treatment regimen, while higher 

risk participants have a more difficult time. 

Percent of ExDected Treatment Actually Attended 

When treatment performance was measured as the percentage achieving high attendance 

(75 percent of expected or presumptively scheduled treatment), about half of the Clark County 

participants achieved that rate, with minor variation over time. The overall high-attendance rate 

was lower among Multnomah County participants at about 39 percent overall, but with a sharp 

decline from about half of the earlier participants to 31 percent of the 1995-96 participants. 

Multivariate analysis in Clark County showed that persons who were married or living with a 

significant other, had no prior theft-related arrests, and had no positive tests at assessment were 

most likely to achieve 75 percent treatment attendance. Persons with prior drug convictions, 

negative tests for marijuana, but positive tests for other drugs had a much lower probability of 

high attendance. Our analysis also showed that for these higher risk participants, the method of 

entry into the drug court also mattered: persons entering through diversion had a higher 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

98 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
probability of 75 percent attendance than persons entering through conviction (entry of a guilty 

plea). This finding is significant given the overall impact of the shift toward guilty pleas as the 

primary mode of entry into the drug court in Clark County. It shows that the method of entry 

appears to make a specific, as opposed to a general difference, net of the effect of other factors. 

Persons who test positively at assessment, who do not test positively for marijuana, who have no 

I 

(4, 

prior drug convictions and who entered through diversion have a lower probability of 75 percent 

attendance (34 percent) than their counterparts who entered drug court through plea (51 percent 

high attendance). In Portland, having prior felony arrests, recent prior FTAs, indications of 

I 

heroin use, and positive tests at assessment all are associated with a lower probability of high 

attendance, while being over age 40 and having indications of marijqna yse increase the 

likelihood of 75 percent attendance. 

Graduation 

We noted previously that the graduation rates of drug court participants in the two courts 

were similar and experienced similar drops to around one-fourth of entrants toward the end of 

the study periods. Among Clark County participants, graduation was predicted by prior arrests, 

prior convictions, positive drug tests at assessment, race/ethnicity, gender, and method of entry 

into the court. Among those with no recent prior arrests and an initial positive drug test, 

entering the drug court through guilty plea was associated with a lower chance of graduation 

than through diversion. The race/ethnicity and gender of participants was predictive of 

graduation probability in the following specific way: persons with prior arrests, who were 

unemployed at assessment, and who were non-white had a lower probability of graduation (1 1 

percent) than of similar white participants (26 percent). Among those same white participants, 

women were less likely to graduate within two years (17 percent) than men (34 percent). These 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

99 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
‘0 findings point to effects related to method of entry into the drug court and race and gender in 

specific categories of participants that influence the prospects for graduation from drbg court. 

I Given our other findings and discussions with drug court participants in focus groups in Clark 

\ 

County, we interpret these findings to mean that race and ethnic status are surrogate measures for 

the kinds of drug, crime, and other problems experienced by participants in the different 

-&alkng&kA- County Drug 

I 

I 

I I 

$1 I * 

Court in developing responses that might best address @e needs and experiences of participants 

in a culturally relevant and problem-specific way to eliminate chances that graduation can be 

influenced by questionable criteria. , 

, 

Multivariate analysis on the Multnomah County data identified priqs felsny arrests, prior 

misdemeanor convictions, marijuana use (measured at, assessment), and participant race as 

predictors of graduation from drug court. It is not surprising, given our other findings, that 

persons with prior felony arrests and prior misdemeanor convictions should have a lower 

probability of graduation, or that persons with no prior felony arrests and positive tests for 

marijuana should have a higher likelihood of successkl completion of drug court. However, in 

the specific group including participants with no prior felony arrests and no positive tests for 

marijuana, the fact that race/ethnicity is a differentiator of graduation prospects is again 

problematic. White participants in this category show a much higher graduation probability (48 

percent) than non-whites (26 percent). It is our interpretation of the Multnomah County data that 

the race effect in this instance is also linked to drug use and other factors associated with the 

neighborhoods in which participants of different racial and ethnic groups resided. Explanations 

for this race difference in the probability of graduation will need further examination by the drug 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

100 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
0 court to consider methods for addressing the special issues that may be associated with nonwhites in the category identified. 

' , 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

101 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

102 

. 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Part Two 

Drug Court Operation: ' Selected Issues 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

103 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
//! , 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

104 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

4 , ,I 

, , 

V. Courtroom Workload as a Measure of Drug Court Development 

Introduction 

The assumption of the drug court model that drug courts make special use of the criminal 

courtroom has several implications. One general assumption about courtroom use is that the 

drug court is expected to relieve other criminal courts of some significant portion of the drugrelated caseload. By handling the drug court eligible cases, the model would predict, the 

\ 

I 

I 

I1 4 

introduction of the drug'court would have a positive effect on the overall processing of cases as 

well as on related hctions of the prosecutor and defense counsel. We examined this 

' 

I 

assumption in the Phase I report. In Clark County, the high-volume drug court enrolled about 20 

percent of the kinds of drug cases that would have been eligible for drug coh, while in 

Multnomah County, the drug court enrolled about 50 percent of the pool of eligible felony drug 

,< ,I 

, 

cases. In each location this represented about 700 persons per year in the peak years. In this 

aspect, then, the two drug courts we studied did capture a substantial portion and number of 

8 

cases that otherwise would have been handled through adjudication in other courtrooms like any 

other criminal case. 

A second general expectation from the drug court model is that the nature of proceedings 

in the drug court courtroom would differ considerably from the normal courtroom. Proceedings 

would be more informal, more flexible, the participants would directly interact with the judge, 

the judge's role would be central and hands-on, and proceedings would be generally nonadversarial and intended to facilitate the treatment process. 

These expectations about the role of the courtroom make the courtroom itself an 

appropriate subject of study when examining the impact of drug courts. Depending on the 

assumptions in question, one might examine the drug court courtroom and its impact making use 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

105 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

, 

I 

I 

, I1 

I 

of a variety of methods, both qualitative and quantitative. In this research, we have not taken on 

a fbll-scale study of the role of the courtroom in the drug court process. However, we have taken 

some first steps in this direction by examining the role of the drug court courtroom through 

analysis of its “business,” as measured by the courtroom workloads of the drug courts in Clark 

County and Multnomah, County and by testing the impact of courtroom actions (and the judicial 

__ rol& on Darticipant outcomes. [In thescxonclu-Jivg sectionsfthis reportwe attempt to assess the 

relative impact of some key courtroom activities on drug court outcomes among participants.) In 

this section we consider the role of the courtroom through analysis of its routine business. The 

l 

I 

I 

8 

I 

I1 I’ 

’ 

I I 

analysis is mainly descriptive in intent and seeks to draw inferences about the nature of the drug 

courts from the content of the business they routinely carry out during the courtroom day or the ,I 41 

courtroom week. 

Method for the Studv of Courtroom Workload in the Two Drug Courts 

4 

To understand “what a drug court does,” we examined the day-to-day business of the two 

drug courts by studying samples of their daily and weekly dockets over time. Unlike much of 

the other analyses we have presented focusing on participants and their outcomes, this analysis 

considers the content of the drug court workloads, matters scheduled and decided. The content 

of the courtroom week, viewed over time, serves as a measure of the development or evolution 

of the drug courts from their early implementation stages to more advanced stages of operation 

as mature court programs. 

Because the Clark and Multnomah County Drug Courts had each been in operation for 

nearly a decade, it was simply not feasible to study all drug court sessions conducted over time. 

Instead, we sampled court sessions in each jurisdiction over time. The Clark County courtroom 

workload data were based on one week’s worth of sessions selected from each month of each 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

106 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

year (sampling all sessions in the same week of each month), fiom the start of the program in 

November 1992 through February 1999. In all, we sampled 76 week’s worth of sessions or a 

total of 184 sessions over that period of time. Remarkably, except for occasional vacation and 

sick days, a single judge, the Honorable Jack Lehman, presided over the Clark,County Drug 

Court since its inception in 1992. We chose to sample by week rather than by individual session 

because, as the drug court developed over time, it expanded from one session per week to two 

sessions per week (in November 1993) and then added a high volume night session in December 

1995 for clients who were employed and in good standing. We reasoned that the most 

appropriate way to study the drug court’s workload was to capture all of its business on a weekly 

basis, regardless of the number of sessions held in a week or number of cases heard in a specific 

session. In short, the courtroom study in Clark County focused on the drug court’s weekly 

courtroom workload as represented by one week per month over the duration of its operation. 

The approach taken to study the Multnomah County Drug Court workload was similar. 

We selected all sessions (morning, afternoon, and night) occurring in the third full week of each 

month from October 1994 through April 1999 drug court dockets. Court dockets (from which 

we selected our sample and drew data) were not retained for the period prior to October 1994. 

The Multnomah County weekly courtroom workload data were based on a sample of 54 weeks 

including 236 sessions from this four and one-half year period of time. The period for which 

courtroom dockets were unavailable is significant because it represents the early stages of 

development of the Multnomah County Drug Court (which began operation at the end of 1991). 

a 

I 

During the period covered in the Multnomah County workload study (October 1994- 

April 1999), no less than 22 judges and one referee presided over the drug court, in sharp 

contrast to the judicial staffing of the drug court in Clark County. Judicial staffing of the drug 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

107 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

a court changed dramatically within that period of time, however, from coverage by one judge, the 

Honorable Roosevelt Robinson, from October 1994 through December 1995, to coverage in 

1996 by a non-judge referee and then, from January 1997 through May 1998, to assignment of a 

series of 17 judges and a referee to preside over the drug court. Finally, beginning in June 1998, 

the Honorable Judge Harl Haas, the founding and original drug court judge in Multnomah 

County, returned to the program and the court operated-under his-direetiemthrough December 

'2000.~~ 

Weekly Drug Court Workload in Clark County (1 992- 1999) 

Tvpes of Matters Scheduled 

Figure 36 shows the number and type of matters scheduled in the Clark County Drug 

Court over time in the form of a line graph. The weekly measures of scheduled matters in the 

drug court include the number of scheduled appearances overall (for any matter), the number of 

first appearances (candidates considering entering the drug court), the number of status reviews 

scheduled, the number of appearances by persons officially entering drug court, and the number 

of appearances of persons asking to quash bench warrants for failing to attend a court se~sion.'~ 

I 

From the beginning of the Clark County Drug Court's operation in the fall of 1992, the 

number of scheduled appearances grew sharply from a handful to a relatively large number in 

early 1999. The number of appearances scheduled (matters set) for the drug court reached from 

65 to 70 participants per week by the end of 1995 and then increased substantially beginning in 

1996 to peak at over 400 per week by the end of 1998 and the beginning of 1999. The sharp 

32 The impact of judicial staffing patterns in Multnomah County on participant outcomes is examined more 

s ecifically in Section VI below. 

"The number of first appearances includes those choosing to enter drug court (shown separately in Figure 36) and 

those not entering drug court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

I OS 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

'0 

years. 

drops in weekly workload in the drug court were seasonal, occumng in January of the later 

Figure 36 Number and Tjpe of \\'cckly Appearances in the Clark County Drug Court, 1992 - 1999, by 

Month 

Crime and Justice Ruearch lnslilule 

Figure 37 simplifies these trends by employing median yearly numbers of matters 

scheduled in the drug court from 1992 through 1999. This simplified graph shows the sharp 

increase in the overall weekly drug court workload of matters set in Clark County (fkom a 

median of five in 1992 and eight in 1993 to 248 in 1998 and 322 in 1999), driven primarily by 

the sharp growth in status reviews as the drug court enrolled increasing numbers of participants 

over time. The median weekly number of first appearances and defendants officially entering 

drug court grew steadily over time, from two or three in 1992 and 1993, to eight in 1996, 

peaking at 14- 15 in 1997 and 1998, before dropping off slightly in 1999. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

109 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure37 Median WeeklyWorklondin theCIarkCountyIhug CourfbyYear 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

-~ 

150 

IO0 

50 

0 

-Number of Scheduled Appearances 

-Number of First Appearances Schedukd 

+Total Number of Status Reviews 

-* Number of Defendano Officially Entering Drug 6urt 

+In Court to Quash 

1992 1993 1994 I995 1996 , 1997 1998 1999 

Year 

Crimraid Justice Rerearch Institute 

Figure 37 shows a consistent, slowly growing number of appearances of persons starting 

! drug court as new participants each week, with the result that the number of status reviews 

conducted each week multiplied. Finally, there was also a steady flow of participants (five to 

seven) attending drug court to have bench warrants quashed. This reasonably steady, low 

number suggests that as the drug court workload burgeoned (with rapidly increasing numbers of 

appearances), the numbers of persons returning after missed appearances did not. 

Figures 36 and 37 reveal what appear to be two core characteristics of drug court 

workloads:34 a) as the volume of matters scheduled for drug court grows over time, the large 

majority of scheduled matters involve status reviews, or appearances scheduled for the review of 

participants’ progress in treatment; b) as the volume of scheduled matters increases, the ratio of 

34 We base this statement not only on the current study but also on our study of the Philadelphia Treatment Court 

(Goldkamp, Weiland, Collins, & Moore, 1999; Goldkamp, Weiland, & Moore, 2001). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

110 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a status review to non-status review matters grows dramatically, from about one to one in 1992 

during the start-up phase to almost ten to one at the beginning of 1999. In other words, over 

time a small and slowly increasing volume of non-status matters (specifically new enrollments) 

produces an almost exponential increase in drug court volume. 

These phenomena are illustrated simply by collapsing measures of weekly drug court 

workload (matters scheduled) into one-year periods shown as pie charts _* in Figure 38. The 

#proportion of non-status review matters (including new enrollments) scheduled in the Clark 

County Drug Court over time drops from 56 percent in the first sessions of the drug court in 

I 

’ I,,, , 

1992 (note that there were only nine sessions representing 1992) to 20 percent of the first fullyear of appearances scheduled in 1993 and to five percent of scheduled matters in 1999. 

Figure 38 Role of Status Reviews in the Clark Caunly Drug Court Workload, 

November 1992 to February 1999,by Year 

1992 

(n-Y) 

I993 

(n- 116) 

1994 

(n - 304) 

1995 

(11-529) 

1996 

(n - 1.629) 

I997 

(n - 2,435) 

(n = 2,613) fn - 593) 

OSUlUS Kevlnvs . .~ , 

INm-Status Matters Crime nnd Jwrice Rcrenrch lnriiiuic 

Figure 39 characterizes the make-up of the drug court workload on a weekly basis by 

focusing more specifically on the proportion of scheduled appearances representing persons 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

111 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I( 

eligible for drug court who are appearing for the first time. Appearances of potential enrollees 

decreased in relative share of the workload from a majority of cases scheduled in the drug court's 

, 

earliest stages to three percent in 1999. This analysis is important in the sense that listings of 

persons who have never before appeared in drug court represent the potential candidates or 

enrollees who will popylate the drug court. (Certainly, all persons appearing in drug court for 

the first time do not opt to enter the program or are not found to be eligible.) 

, 

Figure 39 Percentage of First Appearances among Total Weekly Session Business in the Clark County 

a 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

100 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

50 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Drug Court, November 1992 to Fehruary 1999 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

1 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

1 I I I I I I I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

11 

I1 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Actions Taken during the Courtroom Week 

Scheduled matters represent the business the drug court intends to conduct during a 

courtroom day (or on a weekly basis). A different measure describes matters actually handled or 

disposed by the drug court. (For example, a defendant may be scheduled for a first appearance 

but may fail to appear.) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

112 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Dispositions in Non-Status Review Matters 

Figure 40 depicts the kinds of dispositions typically made in non-status review matters in 

the Clark County Drug Court each year (as an average of weekly calendars) over the study 

period. These matters involve either persons appearing for the first time to determine whether 

they would enter the dyg court or persons who missed a court appearance and are appearing to 

I 

I 

,I I( 

request __ that __ a --I__.__-- bench warrant .- be quashed. Overall, -1- from 1992 through the beginning of 1999, 

persons appearing and formally entering drug court accounted for a majority (61 percent) of 

dispositions in non-status matters. Only four percent of non-status dispositions involved first 

' 

I I 

appearances in which the candidate did not enter the program, either by choice or by being 

rejected by the court (found ineligible) for some reason. Just over one-third of non-status (I I1 

dispositions involved persons requesting to have the judge quash drug court bench warrants. 

AAer the first start-up months in 1992, the proportion of non-status dispositions accounted for by 

persons entering drug court increased from 30 percent in 1993 to more than 60 percent from 

1997-1999. The small rate of first appearances not resulting in enrollment into the drug court 

suggests that the screening of candidates in advance of court was quite effective (that few 

defendants scheduled for a first drug court appearance who then decided they were not interested 

or who were found to be ineligible occurred infrequently). 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

113 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 40 Disposition of Non-Status Review Appearances in the Clark Counq Drug Court, 

Korember 1992 to February 1999, by Year 

1Y92 

(n-5) 

I 993 

In - 23) 

1994 

(n - 53) 

1996 

(n- 182) 

I997 

(n - 229) 

Diswcsitioiis in Status Reviews 

Figme 41 summarizes the outcomes of status reviews, the major part of the drug court’s 

business, conducted during the weekly workload (averaged over the year). Over the entire study 

period, the dispositions in most (64 percent) status reviews conducted in the Clark County Drug 

Court were “favorable,” that is, involved participants making acceptable progress in the program 

short of graduation. The percentage of favorable status reviews varies notably over time, 

however, from under 50 percent in 1993 (45 percent), 1994 (40 percent), and 1995 (49 percent) 

to nearly 70 percent or more in 1992 (75 percent), 1996 (68 percent), 1997 (69 percent), and 

1999 (70 percent). Graduations increased steadily over time as might be expected to reach an 

overall level (with minor fluctuation year to year) of about three percent of dispositions in status 

reviews. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

114 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
‘0 

I 

Figure 41 Status Review Outcomes in the Clark County Drug Court, November 1992 to Febrary 1999, 

by Year 

I993 

(n = 135) 

1994 

(D = 4a71 

1992 

(a - 81 

I 

. .. . 

, 1997 

(n - 2.735) 

I995 1996 

(r, - 1,902) 

OFavorablc 1998 1999 ln L 3.~303) ERA 

EUnfmmablc (Sanclioncd or Admonished) 

ITerminatcd 

IGl-ddualCd 

(n - 617) 

Crmr and JvJrrce Rcrcorch ImrtIuIe (0 - 9.763) 

Unfavorable status reviews, including cases of participants receiving a sanction3’ or being 

admonished by the judge but not including terminations from the program, occurred in a 

relatively small portion of status reviews overall (12 percent overall). With some variation from 

year to year over time, the proportion of status reviews resulting in unfavorable outcomes 

increased threefold, however, from five percent in 1994 to 15 percent or more in 1998 and 1999. 

A separately measured disposition, the issuance of a bench warrant by the judge for 

failure to attend drug court, could also be considered an “unfavorable” disposition in status 

reviews. From 1992-99, nearly one fifth (1 7 percent) of all scheduled status reviews resulted in a 

failure to appear (FTA) by participants. Although there were no FTAs in the first few sessions 

the program was in operation (during the end of 1992), failures to appear increased from 

accounting for 18 percent of status review dispositions in 1993 to 41 percent in 1994 and 33 

35 Sanctions include jail, observed UAs, being returned to an earlier phase of treatment, being ordered to receive 

acupuncture, and having one’s fees re-assessed. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

115 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

percent in 1995. As the drug court shifted toward accepting mainly convicted persons (and 8. 

moved away from its emphasis on diversion), failures-to-appear resulting in bench warrants 

decreased as a status review disposition to 16 percent in 1996, 12 percent in 1997, 14 percent in 

1998 and just 10 percent in 1999. One explanation for this drop in failure-to-appearhench 

warrant disposition in status reviews is that greater numbers of participants were in drug court as 

a condition of probation or suspended sentenct beginning in 1996. Failure tscomply would 

\ 

I 

t 

< I 

I1 8) 

result in being sent to jail or prison in short order as a violation of probation. I 

The most negative disposition in status reviews, of course, was termination of the 

participant from, the drug court by the judge for failing to comply with the requiremenfs of the 

program. Termination, occurring in four percent of the status reviews from J 992-99, was a more 

common disposition in status reviews in the early stages of the drug court’s implementation, 

accounting for 25 percent in the small number of 1992 court sessipns and 27 percent of the status 

reviews conducted during 1993. After 1993, terminations became a much less frequent 

disposition in status reviews, ranging from seven percent in 1994 to two percent in 1999. 

Figure 42 simplifies all status review dispositions into either favorable (good progress or 

graduation) or unfavorable (sanctions, admonishment, failure to appear, termination) categories. 

Using this rough measure of status review outcomes, Figure 42 shows that (excluding 1992) the 

favorable status review dispositions increased from just under half in 1993 and 1994 to nearly 

three-quarters (74 percent) in 1999. The decrease in unfavorable status review dispositions that 

this figure reflects is probably most explained by the shift in the drug court’s population of 

enrollees to primarily convicted persons in the drug court as a condition of probation or 

suspended sentence. Convicted persons risk severe penalties-serving prison time-for failure 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

116 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

a to comp1,y with drug court conditions. (We have seen earlier, however, that this shift did not 

translate into either a lower rate of rearrest or a higher rate of graduation.) 

Figure 42 Favorable vs. Unfavorable Status Review Outcomes in the Clark County Drug Court, 

November 1992 to February 1999, by Year 

I992 

6-81 

1993 

(n- 135) 

1994 

In = 4111) 

I995 

In = ?66) 

I996 I" r I 9071 

1997 In = 2.735) 

1999 

In 637) 

aFavirrdble 

I Unfavorable 

11192 - 2/99 

(n - 9.163) Crime and JurIice Research Inrrirwe 

Weekly Drug Court Workload in Multnomah County (1 994- 1999) 

Twes of Matters Scheduled 

Analysis of the average weekly workload of the Multnomah County Drug Court also 

considered two workload measures, matters scheduled and actions taken. Figure 43 displays the 

weekly workload measures of matters scheduled in that court each month during the period from 

October 1994 through April 1 999.36 These indicators of appearances scheduled in the drug court 

parallel those employed in the discussion of the Clark County workload above and include the 

total number of appearances scheduled during the courtroom week; the number of individuals 

scheduled to appear for the first time in front of the drug court judge (at what is referred to as the 

36 Docket data were not available for the earlier years of the court's operation. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

117 

e 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
''petit,an hearing") to state whether or not they wisll to enter Le drug court; the number of status 

reviews scheduled (also including individuals who are scheduled to attend drug court to 'observe, 

a form of sanction known as "sit sanctions"); the number of persons scheduled for their first 

appearance as a new enrollee or participant in drug court; and the number of participants who are 

returning from hgitive status (in and out of custody) on bench warrants for missing drug court. 

\ 

I 

, I 

, 

I1 

__ . FTgure 4jJumber_und Tyee of=We+y%ug Court Ameaq,nc$& thcM+Ia,mah Ccy9,~-Dr11g Coua - ~ 

I994 - 1999 

400 I I I 

I 

-Nubbcr of Scheduled Appcar#nces I' 

I 

I 

I 

-Nubbcr of First Appearances pheduled 

+To&l Number of Status RcvicWs 

--Number of Defendana Officially Entering Drug Cwrt I 

356 

A 

37 The numbers for the earlier years were almost certainly much lower than the numbers shown in the 1994-99 

period. 

I 

Session Month and Year 

Crime and JusIicc Rescorch Inni!uIe 

The trends apparent in Figure 43 for the Multnomah County Drug Court (especially when 

viewed as a truncated segment of all weekly workload data that is missing the data for 1991- 

93)37 are similar to those found in the Clark County data. First, the total number of appearances 

scheduled for the drug court per week increased over time. In October 1994, the court's weekly 

workload included scheduled appearances for 167 persons. This number had increased to 256 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

118 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I , ,I 

, , 

a appearances scheduled in the court in April 1999. The general increase from the beginning to 

the end of this span of drug court operation was not the result of a steady, continual increase in 

workload over time. At first, there was a fairly direct increase in the total weekly number of 

individuals scheduled to appear in court from November 1994 until December 1995. The 

workload of the Multnomah County Drug Court then experienced a sharp drop in total 

appearametxchebld &rough -1 -1996. -(Qdy 33 individuals were scheduled to appear at 

only two scheduled drug court sessions in May 1996.) JXs drop in workload corresponded to a 

shift in the supervision of the drug court from a single, dedicated drug court judge to a referee 

I 

I 

$1 

I 

(non-judge). 8 

The number of scheduled appearances increased to around the 200 level before dropping 

to a low of 99 in June 1998 and then peaking sharply to a weekly workload of 356 scheduled 

appearances in July 1998. The July spike then dropped to levels between 200 and 300 through 

April of 1999. The general trends in total appearances scheduled in the drug court are seen more 

easily in Figure 44, which plots the median weekly appearances for each year studied. This 

simplified trend still shows the sharp increase in the workload during 1994, a dipping from 1995 

through 1997, and then an upturn toward the court’s highest volume in 1999. 

Like the Clark County data, the Multnomah County Drug Court weekly workload data 

show that the bulk of the court’s weekly business is accounted for by status reviews of persons in 

the drug court and that the increase in total workload is substantially driven by the increase in 

scheduled status reviews of active participants, from 123 in October 1994 to 169 in April 1999. 

Moreover, like the Clark County Drug Court workload data, the Multnomah County data show a 

widening gap between the number of status reviews and the number of first appearances (of 

potential enrollees) over time. There is no measurable increase in the ratio of status reviews to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

119 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a first appearances of potential candidates (nearly ten to one in 1994 and in 1999), mainly because 

of the missing data for the early years when far fewer appearances wo,uld have been accounted 

for by status reviews. (There would have been an increase with data reflecting the drug court’s 

start up years.) 

Figure 44 Median Weekly Workload in Multnomah County,byYear 

300 

e 

100 

-Number of Scheduled Appearances (146,220,204. 195,207,238) 

-Number of First Appearances Scheduled (1 I. 30.25,30.30.30) 

+TotalNumberofSgtUs~views(99,123,143,117,137, 158) 

- Number of Defendants Officially Entering Drug Court (4, 14, 11, 15.15, IS) 

+In Court to Quash (8,20, 12.13, 10.15) 

50 

* n 

1994 1995 1996 !Y97 I998 I999 

Year 

[Note: This analysis rcprsscnls a rmnuted pofiion offhc dNg coun wo*lod histoy because Jsu wm unavailable for Iheycvr 1991-1993.] 

Crime and Jurrirc Rerearch Inrlirurr 

The remaining three categories of drug court appearances shown in Figures 43 and 44- 

defendants scheduled for a first appearance in drug court (petition hearing), enrollees making 

their first appearance as participants, and participants returning from fugitive status (including 

in-custodies)-accounted for a much smaller share of the drug court’s weekly workload 

throughout the study period. The weekly number of defendants making their first appearance in 

drug court rose slightly over time (from ten in October 1994 to 30 in April 1999), while the 

number of persons making first appearances as new enrollees remained fairly steady at about half 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

120 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
the level of overall scheduled first appearances. The nhmber of individuals returning to the court ,a 

on bench warrant status remained small but fairly stable over time. 

I Figure 45 portrays the weekly workload of the Multnomah County Drug Court simply as 

\ 

made up of status review and non-status review appearances. Over the entire study period, status I 

\ , reviews accounted for nearly two-thirds of appearances scheduled on a weekly basis, with some I1 4' 

_T - - ----- _.~--- __'_ __- _I_-- -_ I-_L-,- -1 __ fluctuation over time, reaching a low of 52 percent of the weekly workload in 1995 to ,a high of 

72 percent of the weekly workload in 1996. These findings show a notably lower proportion of 1 

the workload taken up by status reviews in the Multnomah County Drug Court compared to the 

Clark County Drug Court workload. I I 

Figwe 45 Role of Status Reviews in the Multnomah County Drug Court Courtroorn'%rkldhd, 

October 1994 to April 1999 

I994 

(n - 437) 

1995 f" - 2.424) 

I996 

(n - 2,445) 

1997 (n = 2.344) 

1998 

in = 2,476) 

1999 

(n - 952) 

(0- 11.m) 

Crime ond Justice Ruearch Institute 

The portion of the weekly drug court workload accounted for by persons making their 

first appearances in drug court was relatively small, about 12 percent overall, ranging annually 

from 8 percent to 15 percent of the business scheduled. These levels are somewhat higher than 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

121 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

4 I 

t 

I I I1 

I I 

the levels associated with first appearances of potential candidates in the Clark County Drug 

Court. Figure 46 charts in more detail weekly fust appearances as a proportionl of total 

scheduled appearances in the Multnomah County Drug Court. This figure shows a large drop in 

the percentage of appearhces accounted for by potential enrollees starting in May of 1996, but 

reversing in following Tonths. This drop occurs because only two drug court sessions were held 

4 

I 

, I It 4 

,I 

in the sampled week in May 1996, rather than the four or five sessions ,iypically held (the reason 

for two or three cancelled sessions is not known). I I 

Flgure 46 Prrcentage of Flrst Appearances among Total Weekly Session Business in the Multnuniah 

County bug Court, byhlonth 

50 

40 

30 

E 

0" 

20 

10 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

#I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I1 

I 

I 

I 

II 

I, 

I 

I 

,I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I I I 

I 20 I I 1 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I I I I I 

Session Month and Year 

Crmme and Jvrlice Research ~SI~NIC 

Actions Taken During the Courtroom Week 

Dispositions in Non-Status Review Matters 

The second way of describing the Multnomah County Drug Court's workload is to 

examine the dispositions of the matters scheduled, the matters transacted as opposed to the 

matters scheduled. An important category of dispositions in non-status review matters involved 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

122 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

81 *e*(, 

I 

decisions by and about defendants to enter the drug court. At the first appearance (petition 

hearing) in the drug court, defendants could decline to participate or could withdraw an. earlier 

expression of interest in participating. The court could refuse to accept candidates at first 

appearance because of some eligibility problem, or, they could agree to enroll and be formally 

accepted by the court and placed in treatment. Other non-status matters involved decisions about 

individuals for whom bench warrants had been issued (they could be remanded to custody or be 

1 continued in the program),38 as well as those involved in “other” statuses. 

111 I 

In status reviews, Multnomah County Drug Court dispositions resembled those found in 

Clark County. On the positive side, they could include a favorable review (based on acceptable 

progress by the participant) or graduation (after completion of all requirements). On the 

unfavorable side, status reviews could result in unfavorable outcomes (admonition and warnings 

by the judge, imposition of sanction^^^), issuance of a bench warrant for failure to appear, or 

termination from the drug court program. 

Dispositions in the cases of persons appearing in drug court for the first time (at the 

petition hearing) accounted for the majority (60 percent) of non-status review dispositions 

produced by the drug court on a weekly basis over time. Figure 47 shows that, although the 

percentage of non-status dispositions accounted for by defendants withdrawing, declining or 

being denied entry remained fairly constant from 1994 until 1998 (hovering around 17 percent of 

non-status review dispositions), it dropped to nine percent in the first four months of 1999. The 

percentage of non-status dispositions accounted for by defendants choosing the drug court option 

remained relatively stable throughout the study period, ranging from a low of 24 percent of non38 In fact, we were unable to determine dispositions of cases involving participants returning from fugitive status, 

whether returning voluntarily or in-custody. 

39 See the Phase I report for a discussion of the use of sanctions in the Multnomah County Drug Court (which 

include jail, Forest Camp, and the sit sanction, among other options). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

123 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
statu- dispo itions in 1994 to a high of 31 percent in 1998. (These findings offer fbrther 

evidence that the introduction of the District Attorney's Expedited Plea Program (X-PLEA) in 

July 1997 did not substantially affect the overall percentage or actual number of persons 

choosing the drug court option at their first appearance. See Section IX below in which the 

impact of the X-PLEA program offering early release and probation in exchange for prompt 

I Figure 47 Dispositions of Non-Status Review Appearances in the Multnomah County Drug Court, 

October 1994 to April 1999, by Year 

1994 

("-55) 

1995 I996 (0-575l I" - 45s) 

I 1991 

(" 602011 

1998 

I,, - 5771 

I999 

(D - 113) 

"Other petitioner" statuses accounted for an average of 16 percent of the non-status 

dispositions in the Multnomah County Drug Court during the period studied. Most of these 

dispositions were first appearances that were "set-over" or continued to a later date, usually at 

the request of defense counsel. 

Overall, active participants returning to court in fugitive status (not persons due for their 

first appearance in drug court) accounted for 31 percent of the non-status dispositions. This 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

124 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
percentage varied substantially over time from a high of 42 percent of non-status dispositions in 

1994 to a low of 20 percent in 1998. Except for a small increase from 1998 to 1999, the 

percentage of dispositions involving persons returning from fugitive status declined consistently 

throughout the study period. “Other status” dispositions included set-overs for persons not 

appearing for the first time, individuals in court to fulfill their “sit sanction,’4o and a very small 

number of participants who graduated from the program but who still owed money to the court. 

Dispositions in Status Reviews I 

# 

# 

$1 I 

A large majority (71 percent) of the status reviews conducted as the primary part of the 

weekly drug court workload during the period studied resulted in favorable outcomes. (See 

Figure 48) The percentage of weekly status review dispositions that were ‘favorable (excluding 

graduations, which are shown separately) varied from year to year, with fewer favorable 

outcomes among the 1995 weekly drug court dispositions (58 pexcent) and the 1997 dispositions 

(63 percent) than in the other years (70 percent in 1994, 77 percent in 1996, 78 percent in 1998 

and 80 percent in 1999). Graduations accounted for a small proportion of the dispositions in 

weekly status reviews (five percent or less) throughout the period studied. 

A small proportion of reviews (four percent overall) resulted in “unfavorable” 

dispositions (short of terminationFin the range of from one to eight percent depending on the 

year-in which participants were sanctioned or admonished for poor compliance with program 

requirements. A small proportion of weekly status reviews resulted in termination from the drug 

court (four percent or less) throughout the study period. 

Another clearly unfavorable disposition in weekly status reviews was the absence of 

defendants from court. Over time, failures to appear in drug court-resulting in the issuance of a 

A “sit sanction” could be ordered by the drug court judge to requite a drug court participant to attend court, sit in 

the jury box and watch the entire day’s or several days’ proceedings. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

125 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

bench warrant-occurred in about 18 percent of scheduled status reviews. (About one in five 

participants scheduled for an in-court review of progress in treatment failed to attend drug court.) 

This overall rate masks a change in the trend of missed appearances in the direction of fewer 

FTAs, from roughly one-fourth of weekly scheduled reviews in 1994 and 1995 (22 and 27 

percent, respectively) to 13 and 15 percent of weekly reviews in 1998 and 1999. 

-- --- - Ftgomtt-ststus Review Outcomes in the Multnomnh County Drug Court, October 1994 to April 1999, 

by Year 

I994 

(n . 3821 

1995 

(“ - 1.819) 

19% 

1“- 1.m) 

1997 !” - 1.742) 

1998 

(n- 1,901, 

1999 

(D- 7301 

Figure 49 shows that, when weekly status review dispositions are categorized more 

simply into favorable (acceptable reviews or graduation) and unfavorable (unacceptable 

progress, adm~nition,~’ sanction, failure to appear, or termination), the great majority of 

41 Because these workload data were taken from notes on dockets describing dispositions, we are not extremely 

confident about the percentage of status reviews in which the judge may have admonished the participant. It is 

likely that many such admonitions occurred but were at a level of severity that did not result in being recorded by 

the court clerk. In other words, one could make the case, using a stricter standard, that some of the reviews 

categorized here as “favorable” or acceptable, were somewhat less than reflective of acceptable performance. From 

workload data, this determination cannot be made with more precision. The topic of courtroom outcomes in 

individual cases of sample participants is, however, covered in the Phase I report. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

126 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

e dispositions are favorable, 74 percent overall for weekly dockets from 1994 through 1999; 80 

percent or more were favorable in three of the six years examined, withGonly slightly less than 70 

percent receiving favorable dispositions in the 1995 and 1997 weekly status reviews. 

Figure 49 Favorable vs. Unfavorable Status Review Outcomes in the Multnomah County Drug ,Court, 

October 1994 to April 1999, by Year 

I!,* I 1994 

(n - 382) 

1995 

(n - 1.849) 

1997 

(n - 1,742) 

1998 

(n - 1,901) 

]OB4 - 4/99 

(a - 8,603) 

Crime and Jusficr Rcrrorch Innilufr 

Issues Raised from the Drug Court Workload Analvses 

In this section, we have employed one approach to examine the implications of the role of 

the courtroom under the drug court model, as illustrated by these two established drug courts. 

The analyses of the Clark and Multnomah County Drug Court workloads, framed as weekly 

profiles of the matters set and disposed on the courts’ dockets, have identified common themes 

across the two different jurisdictions. The analyses are purposehlly designed to focus on the 

content of the court workload, not the volume.42 The workloads of the two drug courts grew 

increasingly to be dominated by the “business” of transacting status reviews, although other 

42 The growth in the volume of the cases dealt with by the drug courts is discussed in the Phase I report. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

127 

1999 

(11 - 739) 

OFavorable 

=Unfavorable 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
matters, such as enrolling candidates making their first appearances before the court and dealing 

with hgitives, ,were critical. In fact, the vast majority of the work of the drug courts in both 

locations had to do with status reviews. This finding is not in itself very earth-shattering; it is, 

after all, only the logical extension of the drug court practice of requiring frequent visits to the 

courtroom by participahts in treatment. The implication of this fact for the use of court and 

courtroom resources, however, is of great practical relevance to the operation of the criminal 

courts. 4 I 

In the graphs presented above, the steadily increasing share of the drug court workload 

accounted for by status reviews stands in sharp contrast to the much smaller and only slowly 

increasing portion of the workload made up of new cases involving candidates appearing for the 

first time. To varying degrees, both jurisdictions showed increasingly disparate ratios of status 

reviews to new admissions as the courts operated for longer periods. In other words, while a 

steady portion of new cases-peaking at around 25-35 cases per week in both sites-were 

channeled away from the traditional criminal caseload, the courtroom workload generated 

increased almost exponentially. 

This gap between status review and new case workload has at least two important 

implications. First, a relatively small and stable number of entering cases (new candidates or 

participants) causes a caseload that rapidly proliferates in terms of matters to be set and dealt 

with by the drug court. (See Figure 49A.) This phenomenon differs sharply from the “normal” 

criminal courtroom where large caseloads more nearly represent large numbers of cases resolved 

(adjudicated). An implication for the larger criminal court system is that the drug courts do 

channel a substantial and relatively stable number of cases away from the normal adjudicatory 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

128 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I Year 5 Years 

1:1 5:l 

process, but, in so doing, require increasing courtroom resources (cou+oom workload) to handle 

the far greater number of hearings or appearances required to “resolve”,each case. 

A second implication of this finding is that, in the real and practical world of the criminal 

courts, drug courts can or naturally may tend to reach a sort of “imbalance ratio,’A3 or a point at 

which the disproportion between status reviews and the processing of new cases into the drug 

court system.become dysfunctional (the court is onlyhandling existing cases and soon depletes 

’ its population for lack of sufficient new cases) or too resource intensive (too few cases from the 

criminal caseload are dispatched at too high a cost in resources). This issue requires further 

investigation to consider the experiences of other drug courts across the United States. It 

nevertheless raises the question of what the appropriate balance between new case and 

monitoring of continuing cases (status reviews) may be. This question may be resolved 

differently in different jurisdictions. 

’ 

’ 1st I 

Figure 49A The Ikug Court Workload: Disparitybetween Enrollments and Siatus Review 

10Ycars 

101 

120 

--Total Worldond 

-SIams &views 

+New Admissions IO0 

B 3 SO 

9 2 

% 260 

Imbalance Ratio 

40 

20 

0 

1 Ycm 5 Years IO Years 

a 43 We have adapted this term from Daniel Freed’s work relating to pretrial detention in the 1960s. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

129 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crime and Justice Research Institute 

130 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 4 

,I 

eo VI. Judicial Staffmg and Its Effect on Participant Outcomes in Multnomah County 

The Assumption of the Central Importance of the Dedicated Drug Court Judpe ’ 

I From its beginnings, the drug court innovation was about a new, unorthodox, hands-on 

role of the judge that represented a major departure from traditional judicial proceedings. A 

major assumption of the drug court approach was that its effectiveness depended on the special 

role of the judge as facilitator, supervisor of treatment, arbiter, and guarantor of accountability 

, ,, t 

among drug court participants. This assumption was drfven by the fact that the first drug court 

judges-the Hons. Stanley Goldstein in Miami, Harl Haas in Portland, and Jack Lehman in Las 

I 

Vega-were pioneers known for their dynamic in-court personalities. The judicial style I 

innovated by the first handful of drug court judges set the mold for the judges whp followed. As 

the first courts shaped replication efforts across the country, the central role of the judge in the 

dnig court emerged as the principal element of the innovation that set it apart from other a treatment initiatives attempting to deal with the substance abusing criminal justice population. 

The nature and importance of the judicial role in drug courts has been well described 

elsewhere (see e.g., Goldkamp, 1994, 1999a, 2000; Goldkamp & Weiland, 1993; National 

Association of Drug Court Professionals, 1997). Its principal features include an informal, nonadversarial style in a dramatically changed courtroom arena (now a “theatre in the square”) in 

which the drug court participant interacts directly with the judge, instead of through counsel, to 

accomplish the aims of the treatment process. The hands-on, supervisory role of the judge in the 

treatment process-which is carried out through the frequent in-court appearances required of 

participants-is assumed by advocates of drug courts to be critical in facilitating the treatment 

process for a number of reasons. First, participants (and courtroom actors alike) are impressed 

by the status of the judge, the credibility the judge brings to the treatment related proceedings, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

131 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

,’ 

I ,I I 

l 

and the special attention the judge gives to each case. The drug court judge conveys the 

impression that he or she is familiar with the details of each individual’s progress. Advocates 

l 

explain that the judge serves as an authority figure who engages drug addicted participants in the 

treatment process and who holds them accountable for their performance by dispensing rewards l 

and sanctions (including the power to confine them or release them or to dismiss their criminal I 

! I I1 

&-&-,--- ? _-_-- _*----- .- - *_I - - __ --- . 

In the early stages of the drug court movement, this unorthodox, iconoclastic, and even 

anachr~nistic~~ judicial role was viewed skeptically by members of the larger judiciary, to greatly 

I 

understate their general reaction. Many judges saw the drug court judge performing the role of a 

“social worker” or “probation officer” and simply thought it was an inappropriate, ;ole for judges, 

I 

i 

who should more properly serve as detached and impartial arbiters. Within the drug court 

movement itself, the first question about the role of the judge was not whether a single, dedicated 

judge was appropriate or really needed in a drug court, but whether that judge needed to be 

“charismatic.” (Could a drug court work just as well under the oversight of an ordinary, less 

dynamic judge?) Thus, some wondered whether the initial positive results reported by the early 

drug courts were a product of the special qualities that the early pioneering judges brought tq the 

innovation. 

a 

As drug courts have proliferated, they have raised important resource and management 

questions for the administration of criminal courts. The question of whether the dedication of a 

single drug court judge (and courtroom) is really necessary for a successful drug court effort 

remains an important question that goes to a core assumption of the drug court model. Leaders 

of the judiciary responsible for their overall operation are forced to ask whether many judges 

44 Some observers have noted that in the drug court the criminal court judge takes on the informality, paternalism, 

and greater discretion reminiscent of the traditional juvenile court judge. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

132 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a assigneG to the drug court in short rotations, the use of quasi-judges (referees, commissioners, or 

magistrates), or even of probation officers could accomplish the same results obtained by the 

resource intensive assignment of a single drug court judge. 

In related research, we conducted focus groups with drug court participants in six cities 

(Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b) and asked them about some of the assumptions of the drug 

court model. Participants in each location indeed viewed the judge as the most important 

influence in their drug court experience, were convinced that they were receiving individual 

attention from the judge, and believed that, when they failed to perform adequately in the 

I,’ I 

program, the judge would immediately know and be upset with them. It was clear that through 

their interactions with the judge in drug court, participants personalized their treatment 

experience and regarded it as quite different from the feelings of anonymity associated with 

processing in normal criminal courtrooms. The focus group participants argued that judges were 

an irreplaceable element of the drug court because of their special relationship with participants ’ 

and their abilities to resolve all sorts of ancillary issues related to their criminal cases, old 

warrants, appearances in other courtrooms, and treatment related issues ranging from housing 

and employment to childcare, education, and social services. 

Participants also freely admitted that, without the judge, they would not feel “forced” to 

comply with the treatment process, and that, as experienced “addicts,” they would easily find 

ways to “play” or “beat” the program, as many of them admitted doing in prior treatment 

programs (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b: 115). These drug court participants did not believe 

that a lesser official, such as a probation officer, could bring the same authority to the drug court 

role or have the same effect on their behavior as a “real” judge who would hold them personally 

accountable. Focus group participants pointed out the problems posed by frequent substitution 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

133 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
44 

of judges in drug court, comparing the substitute judge to a “substitute teacher” who was “easy 

to get over on” (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b: 46). 

These drug court participants’ views of the nature of the judge’s role are reflected in the 

following excerpts from the focus groups (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b: 47-51): 

. . . She helps, she,cares, she wants you to get your life together. 

. . . Judge . . . is like a father figure in a sense . . . he seems to know your background, your kids, 

your name, I mean he knows a lot of details about you-he remembers what he talked about with 

you last time. 

. . . If you have one judge that oversees this program and she is constant then we all know what to 

expect, but when you have a whole lot of judges coming in they don’t know what you’ve been 

through or what’s really been happening with you. 

I, I 

I 

When you have one judge they are able to track what you are doing better . . . one’,is better 

because you have a link. . . 

. . . When it is such a personal issue, it is nice to be recognized by someone. I think that one 

judge is better because you already have a rapport built up with him. 

The ImDact of Judicial Staffing in the Multnomah Countv Drup Court: Takinp Advantage 

of a “Natural ExDeriment” 

Both the drug court model and participants themselves assume that the single, dedicated 

judge is a critical element in producing the drug court’s positive impact. Because the role of the 

single drug court judge is so critical to the assumptions of the drug court model and because of 

the resource implications of its adoption, it represents an important question for research. 

Testing this core assumption, however, raises difficult methodological problems. 

An ideal experiment would randomly assign drug court participants to alternative 

versions of judicial staffing in the same court system to assess the effect of the dedicated drug 

court judge. In theory, participants would be assigned to a drug court presided over by a single 

drug court judge, to a drug court staffed by multiple judges in rotation (e.g., judges sat for four 

weeks in drug court and then moved to another assignment), to a drug court supervised by a 

quasi-judge (a non-judge judicial officer), or even to a drug court managed by a senior probation 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

134 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
official. The researchers would draw inferences about the relative impact of the single-judge 

effect by comparing outcomes (e.g., participant performance in court, in treatment as well as 

desistance from substance abuse and criminal behavior) generated under the different approaches 

over sufficient follow-up periods. This neat textbook approach, however, would have little 

chance of being adopted in the practical world of the criminal courts because of the logistical 

difficulties that would be associated with the manipulation of judicial schedules and courtrooms 

to provide the conditions for the study. 

Still another design for assessing the impact of the single-judge versus other judicial 

staffing approaches might compare participant outcomes generated over some period of time by 

drug courts in different locations that operated under alternative judicial staffing approaches. 

This strategy would draw inferences about the effects of the single drug court judge by 

contrasting participant outcomes associated with each drug court. As reasonable as this strategy 

sounds, it would suffer from (at least) two major difficulties. First, it is unlikely that one could 

identify drug courts that were reasonably similar in all respects except the method of judicial 

' 

supervision employed. Whether there are in reality a sufficient number 0f-r even any-drug 

courts operating under each of the alternative staffing approaches of interest in such a study is 

doubthl. Second, even if one could find appropriate drug courts operating under the desired 

judicial models, the multi-site comparison would face threats to validity that would greatly 

hamper the researcher's ability to attribute any differences in participant outcomes found to 

differences in judicial supervision in the drug courts. In fact, other differences among the site 

courts instead could account for differences in outcomes. These might include the criminal laws 

governing the courts in each area (the kinds of penalties associated with various drug crimes), the 

nature of the enrolled populations, kinds of criminal cases accepted, the resources made available 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

135 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
to the drug court, screening and treatment procedures, the drugs of abuse prevalent, the drug 

court and treatment program procedures, frequency of courtroom appearances, use of sanctions 

and incentives, or other variations in the context, make-up, or operation of the courts. For these 

reasons, at least at this stage of drug court research, such a cross-jurisdictional design would not 

be feasible-r, at least, would require resources beyond those usually available to carry out this 

- typeofresearch successfully. - __ __ 

The methodological challenges associated with these approaches to study the importance 

of the single drug court judge notwithstanding, the unique history of the Multnomah County 

’ 

’,,, 

Drug Court has nevertheless provided a special opportunity to examine this assumption of the 

drug court model in what amounts to a “natural experiment,” or more accurately perhaps, a 

“natural quasi-experiment.” The special opportunity is presented by the fact that the iMultnomah 

Court did operate under different judicial staffing approaches over the period covered in this 

evaluation. The history of judicial staffing of the Multnomah County Drug Court includes 

periods in which single drug court judges, a non-judge referee, and multiple judges in rotation 

I 

presided in the drug court (see Figure 50). 

The court’s founding judge, the Honorable Harl H. Haas, presided over the Multnomah 

County Drug Court from its inception in 1991 through the end of 1993. One of the original 

“models” of drug court judging, Judge Haas provided strong leadership in conducting the drug 

court until he was succeeded in January 1994 by another dynamic judge, the Honorable 

Roosevelt Robinson. Judge Robinson presided over the drug court and guided its growth over 

the next two years. Thus, from 1991 through 1995, two single judges in succession for two-year 

periods presided over the Multnomah County Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

136 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 50 Judges Presiding in the Multnomah County Drug Court, 1991-1998 

Year Judge Number of Sessions Referee Number of Sessions 

All 

All 

1991-1993 Haas 

1994-1995 Robinson 

1996 (6 Judges, 1 Referee) 

Beckman 

Freeman, 

Haas 

Keys 

Robinson 

3 

A 

'1 , 

24 

5 

Lawrence 86 ' 

Wittmayer 

Total 37 ' Total 86 I 

1997 (16 Judges, 2 Referees) 

Bergman 79 Lawrence 59 

Brown 50 Weisberg 

Ceniceros 6 

Freeman 1 

1, 

Fasano 2 

Galagher 1 

Gernant 4 

Hull 1 

Kalberer 1 

Marcus 1 

Maurer 5 

Moultrie 1 

Robinson 2 

Wilson 2 

Wittmayer 5 

Haas 18 

--__ 

Total 179 Total 60 

1998 (5 Judges, 3 Referees) 

4 Cinniger 6 

146 Lawrence 98 

Amiton 

Haas 

Keys 

Moultrie 1 

1 Overgaard 1 

Robinson 4 

-- Total 156 Total 105 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

137 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Beginning in January 1996, the nearly five-year period of the dedicated, single-judge 

approach to supervision of the drug court was interrupted with the assignment of a non-judge 

referee (Referee Lawrence), who operated the drug court in 86 of the 123 sessions conducted 

during that year. Six judges also presided over a total of 37 sessions (with one judge, Judge 

Keys, responsible for most). This change, fiom a judge to a non-judge presiding in drug court 

represented the first time in the nation that anyone other than a judge was given the day-to-day 

responsibilities for conducting drug court. This step posed a test for the drug court model in that 

- ._c-_I_I. 

4 

it removed the “real” judge from the court’s central role and functioned instead with an official 

who carried out the same functions, but without the full powers of a judge. Other changes 

accompanied the introduction of the non-judge into the drug court, including modification in a 

number of policies governing compliance with drug court requirements and termination from the 

program (inflexible automatic termination rules were introduced for persons having difficulties 

I in the early phases of treatment). 

0 

In 1997, the approach to judicial assignment to the drug court changed dramatically 

again. In addition to two referees (accounting for about 60 of 241 sessions), 16 judges sat in 

drug court in rotation. Two judges (Bergman and Brown) accounted for 129 of the 241 sessions, 

while 14 other judges presided in 50 drug court sessions that year. This period was characterized 

by difficulties in continuity, operation, and impact of the drug court (see the Phase I report). 

This judicial assignment approach reverted to primary reliance on referees in the first half of 

1998, with three referees accounting for 105 of 115 drug court sessions. (Referee Lawrence was 

responsible for 98 of these.) Four judges contributed a total of 10 sessions during the first halfyear. The period of alternative judicial staffing (non-judge and rotation of many judges) in drug 

court came to an end in June 1998, when Multnomah County’s founding drug court judge, Harl 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

138 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Haas, was returned to the drug court to restore the single-judge approach. (He presided for a 

period extending through the year 2000.) 

Measuring the Impact of Judicial Staffing on Participant Outcomes 

Our evaluation data, drawing on sample cohorts of participants entering the Multnomah 

County Drug Court in successive periods from 199 1 through 1997, allows analysis of the impact 

of these variations in judicial staffing through 1997 (stopping short of studying the period when 

the single-judge approach was reintroduced). The question posed for the research in this section 

is whether differences in judicial staffing of the drug court were related to participant 

outcomes.45 We chose to address this question by recording the number of different judges (or 

non-judges) to whom participants were exposed (presiding ,over sessions they attended) while 

they were progressing through the drug court program. 

Particinant ExDosure to Judges in Drug Court 

I Table 12 shows that the proportion of participants “exposed” to one or two judges during 

their drug court experience dropped dramatically from 100 percent of the 1991, 1992, and 1994 

enrollees, and 98 percent of the 1993 enrollees, to 55 percent of the 1995 enrollees and 26 and 24 

percent of the 1996 and 1997 enrollees.46 In short, until 1995, the “rule” was that drug court 

participants would experience no more than two judges (including substitute coverage for 

vacations, etc.) during their involvement in the drug court. Changes beginning part way through 

1995 meant that this proportion was reduced nearly by half to 55 percent of enrollees exposed to 

one or two judges only. The proportion with one or two judges halved again to 26 percent of the 

45 Note that we examined the impact of the shift in judicial assignment on court operation in time series analysis in 

the Phase I report. 

46 Note that the sample numbers are relatively small because cohorts of participants were sampled in two year pairs 

(1991-92, 1993-94, 1995-96) with the exception of 1997. About 150 entering defendants were sampled from each 

period. The 1997 sample was supplemented to permit more in-depth analysis of a year during which participants 

were exposed to a large number of presiding officials in a short period of time. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

139 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

1996 enrollees and 24 percent of the 1997 enrollees. 'During 1996 and 1997, the great majority 

of participants saw three or more judges (or non-judges), with as many as one-fourth seeing six 

or more judges during their involvement in the drug court. 

Table 12 Participants Entering the Multnomah County Drug Court 1991-1997, by Number 

of Judges (and Non-Judges) Seen, by Year of Entry 

I 

I, Number of Judpes (and Non-Judges) Seen 

Total 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 

Year of Entry N Percent N Percent N Percent N Percent 

(687) 100.0 (411) 60.0 (194) 28.0 (82) 12.0 

1992 (98) 100.0 (98) 100.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 

1993 (87) 100.0 (86) 98.0 (1) 2.0 (0) 0.0 

1994 (63) 100.0 (63) 100.0 (0) 0.0 , (0) 0.0 

1995 (78) 100.0 (43) 55.0 (35) 45.0 (0) 0.0 

1996 (74) 100.0 (19) 26.0 (39) 53.0 (16) 22.0 

1997 (243) 100.0 (58) 24.0 (119) 49.0 (66) 27.0 

' 1991-1 997 

1991 (44) 100.0 (44) 100.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Figure 5 1 simplifies representation of exposure to judges, indicating the proportions of 

participant cohorts entering the drug court in different periods experiencing ranges of numbers of 

presiding judges (or non-judge referees). This figure groups participants into three enrollment 

periods roughly representing the use of different judicial staffing patterns: a) participants who 

enrolled during the initial single-judge staffing approach (1 991-95); b) participants who enrolled 

during the primarily referee-supervised period (1 996);47 and c) participants who enrolled during 

the period with 16 judges and two referees (1997). 

Most participants (90 percent) who entered the Multnomah County Drug Court between 

199 1-95 only experienced one or two judges presiding over their drug court appearances. Given 

the need to cover vacations, sick days, etc., this finding suggests that the large majority of 

participants entering during these years experienced the single-judge model. Ten percent, 

" From what we have seen above, the growth in the number of judges or referees seen by participants started 

increasing part way into 1995. Thus, this grouping according to years is necessarily rough. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

140 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

however, were exposed to from three to five judges during their pahicipation in the program, 

with most of these accounted for by participants entering the drug court 'during 1995. 

Figure 51 Percentage of Drug Court Participants by Number of Judges Seen, 1991 - 1997' 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0- 

53 

49 

1-2 3-5 6-10 1-2 3-5 6-10 1-2 3-5 6-10 

1991 - 1995 I996 1997 

(n = 370) (n = 741 (n - 243) 

Number of Judges Seen 

As we have seen from Table 12, participant exposure to judges shifted seriously after 

1995. Using the three period grouping of participants, only about one-fourth of entering 

participants during 1996 (26 percent) and 1997 (24 percent) were exposed to as few as one or 

two judges. Roughly half during both periods (53 percent of the 1996 participants and 49 

percent of the 1997 participants) experienced from three to five judges (or non-judges), with as 

many as roughly another one-fourth (22 percent of 1996 and 27 percent of 1997) of participants 

exposed to six or more judges. 

Having documented this fairly dramatic increase through 1997 in the average number of 

0 judges to whom participants were exposed in successive cohorts, the principal research question 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

141 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
is whether the number of judges (or non-judges) seen by participants was related to later 

participant performance. The drug court model, assuming an importafit effect associated with 

the single drug court judge, would presumably predict that participants supervised in court by 

one or two judges (allowing for occasional substitutions for vacation, etc.) would record notably 

better outcomes than those who saw many, judges (or non-judges). Persons supervised by many 

judges or non-judges would not benefit as much as single-judge participants from the symbolic 

authority of the judge experienced in courtroom interactions, would not feel the personal 

connection to the judge or feel that the judge was as familiar with their cases, would experience 

more inconsistency from session to session in the treatment of both their own and their peers’ 

noncompliant behavior, etc. 

The Relationshiu between Exuosure to Judges and Rearrest 

Figure 52 examines the relationship between number of judges seen by participants and 

# rearrest during the first year after entry in the drug court as measured combining all samples 

(1991-97) and by year of entry. When the 1991-97 data are taken together, there seems to be a 

slight, though oddly curvilinear, relationship between judge exposure and later rearrest. The 

relationship is “odd” because the lowest rearrest rates are recorded by participants seeing only 

one judge and by participants seeing five or more judges (33 and 30 percent respectively). 

Persons exposed to from two to four judges were rearrested somewhat more often (40 percent of 

those seeing two or four judges and 44 percent of those seeing three judges). When this 

relationship is examined for each sampling period, the pattern is not consistent. Because of the 

small number of cases resulting when samples were split by single year periods (they were 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

142 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

initially drawn to represent two-year periods), it is difficult to identify meaningfkl patterns by 

'a 

year:* with the exception of the 1997 drug court sample. 

Figure 52 Rearrest among Drug Court Participants by Number of Judges Seen from 1991 - 1997, 

Multnomah County 

100 jEokl;Lo 20 ;Do 20 

:60 8 6 p 40 20 33 

c 

0 I2345+ 12345+ I2345+ 

1991 - 1992 

(n - 81/61mM) 

I993 - 1994 

(n - 68l8lllAW) 

il:u 560 3 40 40 40 

lj0 40 llli l!h 40 2

40 $1 26 

20 20 

0 

12345+ 12345+ 12345+ 

199s 

(n- 1Ol3Zi2W10/1) 

The 1997 data-the year of 16 judges and two non-judge referees in the drug courtdisproportionately shape the results shown in the 1991-97 analysis because the 1997 sample was 

supplemented (by about 100 additional drug court cases) to permit more in-depth analysis. 

When the augmented sample of participants entering the Multnomah County Drug Court in 1997 

is examined, the same curvilinear relationship as shown for participants overall (1991-97) is 

found-except the curve is steeper and variation in rearrest by number of judges is greater. 

Among 1997 participants, the lowest rearrest rate (26 percent) was recorded among those who 

saw five or more judges. Persons who saw only one judge and persons who saw four judges 

~- ~ ~ 

48 For the purposes of the remaining analyses, judges and referees are treated as a single unit of analysis, assuming 

that drug court participants would not normally be able to differentiate between the two. When judges and referees 

are combined, the fewest number of judges seen by a participant in our sample is one, and the highest number is ten. 

Crime and Justice Research lnstirure 

143 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
showed the next lowest rearrest rates (39 and 40 percent respectively). Participants who saw two 

or three judges during their involvement in the drug court showed the highest rates of rearrest (at 

58 percent and 5 1 percent). 

Interaction between Number of JudPes and Length of Time in Drug Court in Explaining Rearrest 

\ 

, 

These bivariate ' findings present contradictory or ,at least equivocal support for the 

hypotEesis-deriving fromThe drug coU5 model that the sing3 dfug 'corn jiidge is a critical 

element that contributes to reduced reoffending. Interpretation of this curvilinear relationship is , 

, 

I, I' 

difficult because the combined 1991-97 data and the 1997 data in particular seem to suggest that 

either a) being exposed to only one judge (the smallest judge exposure possible) or, quite the 

contrary, b) being exposed to five 01 more judges (the greatest exposure 'possible) results in 

. lower probabilities of rearrest than exposure to two to four judges (exposure to a medium 

number of*judges). On the one hand, the single-judge assumption of the drug court model 

appears to be supported in the finding of the next lowest rearrest rate, while it appears to be 

soundly rejected in the finding that those exposed to the largest number of judges will generate 

the lowest rates of rearrest. 

One possible explanation for this apparently odd finding is that the number of judge's to 

whom a participant is exposed and the length of time a participant spends in the drug court are 

related and interact to affect rearrest probability. During 1997 in particular (with 16 judges and 

two referees sitting in the drug court within a 12 month period), one would expect that 

participants in the program for the longest periods (up to 12 months) would encounter the 

greatest number of judges presiding over the drug court sessions they attended. Exposure to a 

large number of judges, in fact, would be a sign that participants were successful in continuing 

and (maybe even) completing treatment; in other words, the more successful participants could 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

* 144 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
not help but be exposed to a large number of judges or non-judges during their minimum 12- 

month involvement. As the most “successful” participants well on the way to graduation, they 

would also be the least likely to be rearrested. 

Participants who stay in the program for only a short period because of non-compliance 

are more likely to experience only one judge. A short stay in the program would also be 

associated with a higher probability of rearrest. In fact, many participants terminated early from 

drug court were terminated because of a new arrest. Thus, short-stay, one-judge participants 1 

should show relatively higher rates of rearrest. The exposure to judgedength of time in drug 

court interaction cannot explain the 1997 finding that exposure to only one judge was associated 

with a relatively low rate of rearrest. However, another version of this interaction may shed 

some light. 

I/ 

Another category of one-judge participants would be expected to have comparatively 

lower reaxest rates: those who had only one judge for the duration of their involvement in drug 

court and who succeeded in staying in and completing the program by performing well (and 

showing a low rate of rearrest). These are the one-judge participants, in fact, envisioned by the 

drug court model-those who are shepherded by their dedicated drug court judge through the 12- 

month treatment program and who avoid becoming involved in crime. 

To help in the interpretation of these findings, Figure 53 examines the relationship 

between number of judges and rate of rearrest while controlling for length of time participants 

were in drug court. When these controls are applied, the relationship between number of judges 

(participants’ exposure to judges) and rearrest does not “disappear” as it would if the judgerearrest relationship were spurious. The relationship instead survives, showing different 

relationships depending on the length of time participants were in treatment. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

145 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 53 Relationship between Number of Judges and Reatrest among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants, Controlling for Time in Treatment in One Year 

\ 

1 - 90 Dw~ 

t 

Q ;1$ llo 

0 

4 20 

0 

1-2 3-5 6-10 1-2 3-5 6-10 

1996 1997 

91 - 270 Davi 

100 

Q 

t 

1-2 3-5 6-10 1-2 3-5 6-10 

1996 1997 

(n - 21 1/11 (n - 13/38/16) 

iI 43 

In - WlY14) (n - 3/46/39) 

Crime and Justice Rueorch I~tirutr 

Among persons who were terminated or opted out of the Multnomah County Drug Court 

within the first three months (90 days or less), there was a slight (non-significant) relationship in 

the direction hypothesized by the drug court model. Participants exposed to one or two judges 

during their short period in the drug court were rearrested less frequently (48 percent) than 

participants seeing from three to five judges (55 percent). However, among persons attending 

drug court from 91 to 270 days and those attending for 271 or more days before termination or 

completion, a weak relationship in the reverse of the hypothesized direction is found. 

Within the 91 to 270 day treatment group, a substantial majority (69 percent) of persons 

seeing one or two judges was rearrested, compared to 42 percent of persons seeing from three to 

five judges and 39 percent of persons seeing from six to ten judges. These differences seem 

large in the “wrong” direction; however, the relationship is based on a small number of cases and 

is not significant. Finally, the same “reverse” but weak judgehearrest relationship is seen among 

Crime and Justice Research Institute , 

‘ 146 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
,I 

, 

e 

persons in drug court from 271 days or longer; 33 percent of participants who saw one or two 

judges, 24 percent of persons who saw from three to five judges and 18 percent of persons who 

saw six to ten judges wer;e rearrested. (The small number of cases is partly due to the fact that 

there were few persons who had only one or two judges and stayed in the drug court for this 

length of time.) This relationship is also not significant1 and is based on a relatively small 4 

-A _1 

number of cases. The lower rates of rearrest generally and specifically the lowest rates among 

the three to five judge and six or more judge groups may be partly explained by the fact that 

these groups include persons who completed the 12-month program successfilly and, over 12 

months during '1997, they would have been exposed to quite a number of judges (qnd nonjudges) in their court appearances. ,I ,I 

In short, the effect of considering the exposuie to judgedrearrest relationship by 

controlling for length of time in the drug court did 'clarify the relationship, hinting at an 

interaction between time in the program and number of judges seen by participants. Because of 

the small number of cases and lack of significance, the results remain difficult to interpret. 

Suffering from an insufficient number of cases as they do, nevertheless, they do not provide clear 

support for the notion that the fewer judges seen (as in the single-judge ideal), the better the 

results when measured by rearrest in the first year. In fact, this analysis suggests that length of 

time in treatment overshadows the importance of participants' exposure to judges in explaining 

rearrests. For persons terminated from the court in a short period (up to 90 days), a hint of the 

hypothesized relationship is found, but it is slight and not significant because of the small 

number of cases. For persons lasting in drug court for over 90 days, the findings are less 

supportive of the single-judge effect; instead showing a hint of an inverse relationship (also not 

I 

significant), the opposite of the drug court model's presumption. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

I47 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
DeveloDing Alternative Measures of Judicial Exposure 

I 

Limitations in the Measurement of Participants’ Exposure to Judges on Later Outcomes 

Investigation of the number of judgeilater outcomes relationship posited by the drug court 

model is not straightforward, as the bivariate and trivariate analysis above has shown. The fact 

that the best opportunity to measure the effect of many different judges occurs mainly in one 

period (1 997) limited the data we had available for analysis, even though we supplemented the 

original sample for that period. The interrelationship between number of judges and length of 

involvement in the drug court-particularly in 1997--further confounds explanation of that 

important relationship. Another problem is that perhaps “number of judges” does not measure 

very well the notion of the quality of the exposure to a single judge. In addition, that measure 

does not differentiate between judges or non-judges who were “primary presiders” or just 

substitutes who made a number of appearances during the year but who did not contribute much 

l to the disposition of the drug court business overall. Thus, one might argue that one participant 

may have seen three very good judges for reasonably extended periods of time. Another may 

have seen one for most of the year’s appointments and four others for a session or two. Our data 

fail to support analysis of such distinctions (and would deplete its number of cases quickly in 

trying to do so). 

Judpe ExDosure as Longest Period Seeing One Judpe Controlling for A Priori Risk of 

Rearrest and Sample Period (1991-1995.1996-1997) 

In addition to employing an unsatisfactory measure of “judge exposure,’’ the trivariate 

analysis above also suffers from the fact that other factors, such as participants’ a priori risk of 

rearrest, were not taken into consideration. Given our body of analysis in this evaluation, it is 

possible that these factors could play an important role in explaining rearrest outcomes, affecting 

or even making spurious the judge exposure/rearrest relationship. Moreover, the use of multiple a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

148 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

judges (or non-judge referees) in the Multnomah County Drug Court is associated with a 

particular era of that court’s history, as we’ve shown in Table 12 above. Thus, another concern 

is that we are encountering an historical effect (with single-judge courtroom experiences more \ 

common before 1995 and less common after 1995) that may be related to judicial staffing. We 

attempted to address dese concerns in the multivariate (lpgistic regression) analysis of judge 

exposure and outcomes shown in Table 13, drawing on the complete body of Multnomah County 

data (1 99 1 through 1997, including the supplemental 1997 data). 

I 

I1 e’ 

I 

Table 13 summarizes a series of analyses of one-year drug court outcomes, asking the 

following question: After taking into account a) participants’ a priori risk attributes (their risk of 

reoffending based on attributes predictive of rearrest) and b) the historicallperiod in which they 

entered the Multnomah County Drug Court, does exposure to judges (measured through largest 

number of days under one judge and number of judges seen) make a difference in later 

participant outcomes? 

A Priori Risk 

Earlier in this report, we described findings from analysis of rearrest among the cohorts 

of participants entering the Multnomah County Drug Court. From a version of this esirlier 

analysis (based on all samples and the supplemented 1997 sample combined), we identified a 

number of participant attributes which, when taken together, modeled rearrest (within one year) 

reasonably well. The summary model of this analysis presented in Table 14 identifies the 

following risk attributes: race (non-whites were more likely to be rearrested); whether the 

participant had an alias (nolyes-persons with aliases were more likely to be rearrested); pending 

charges (no/yes-persons with other cases pending were more likely to be rearrested); and 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

149 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

heroin use (no/yes-persons with heroin use indicated at assessment were more likely to be 

rearrested). I 

Table 13 Number of Days Seeing a Single Judge, and Number of Judges Seen, Controlling ' for Sample Period, 1991-1995,1996-1997 

I Any Drug Non-Drug 

{Rearrests Rearrests One Rearrests Any Jail Missed Five Unfavorable 

One Year Year ' , One Year Sanctions Appointments Termination I1 

Risk 

Race (WhitemonAlias 

Pending Arrests 

Indication of Heroin 

Time Seeing One 

Number of Judges 

1-2 (Indicator) 

3-5 

6-10 

White) 

One Judge 

Judge 

Seen , 

Timepanre 

Sample Period (9 1 - 

95/96-97) 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

- - -2- - - . ~ 

.594(.OO2) 995 (.OM) .317(.110) .I72 (.329) .210 (.356) 8 .268 (.240) 

-1.540 (.OOO) -1.275 (.OOO) -1.256 (-000) -.923 (.OOO) .015 (.937) -.095 (.648) , .968 (.002) .530 (.095) .948 (.001) .907 (.005) .I92 (.606) .061 (.866) 

.737 (.OOO) .999 (.OOO) .258 (.231) 374 (.050) .326 (.198) .229 (.325) 

-.002 (.030) -.001 (.228) -.002 (.077) .OM (.754) e004 (-001) 4.014 (.OOO) 

(.094) (.121) (.758) (.451) " (!OOO) (.OOO) 

-.I36 (.589) -.064 (.822) .077 (.7d7) .050 (.830) 1.389 (.OOO) -1.501 (.OOO) 

-.729 (.035) -.815 (.052) -.I61 (.647) -300 (.335) 2.242 (.OOO) -2.810 (.OOO) 

.I49 (.599) .I60 (.613) .023 (.938) -.037 (.888) -.070 (.819) 1.531 (.OOO) 

765.63 1 608.388 719.255 898.762 588.375 599.057 

6.479 5.171 5.367 10.606 19.793 13.945 

.594 .739 .718 .225 .oi I .083 

136.232 96.734 78.174 56.564 50.744 33 1.924 

8 8 8 8 8 8 

.OW .OM) .ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo 

-. 692 692 692 693 625 693 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Instilute 

150 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 14 Predictors of Rearrest in One Year for Drug Court Participants, 1991-1997, Multnomah 

County (Including 1997 Oversample) 

Predictors Rearrest 

Race (Non-Whitemhite) .532 (.006) 

Alias (Nones) 

Pending Arrest Charge (NoNes) 

Heroin Use Indicated (NoNes) 

Time in Treatment (No. of Days) 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit 

GF Significance 

DF 

Model Statistics 

, Chi Square 

"' 'significance 

-1.453 (.oooj 

-.002 (.OOO) 

312 (.010) 

.651 (.002) 

723.036 

4.385 

.82 1 

128.448 

5 

,000 

N 65 1 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Drug Court Historv 

The analysis also enters a variable representing the period when the single judge 

experience was more common (1991-95) versus the period when it was less common (1996-97). 

We concede that this division of the court's history is somewhat imprecise, given our discussion 

I above showing that the shift to multiple judges presiding in the Multnomah County Drug Court 

began part-way through 1995.49 However, it was a feasible demarcation in the data and remains 

a fairly good indicator of the different eras of judicial stafing. Entering this variable in the logit 

model seeks to control for the period in which the drug court was operating (separate from the 

judge measures), which we know is associated with historical period. 

Judge ExDosure as Lowest Period Seeing One Judge 

In this analysis, we sought to improve the measure of exposure to judges. We adopted 

the largest number of days (longest continuous period) participants were supervised by a single 

judge as the variable measuring judge exposure. In employing this measure, we were seeking to 

capture better the rationale of the drug court model, which is based on the assumption that drug 

0 49 In a later analysis, we could improve on this in selecting a more precise cutoff date defining the two eras. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

151 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
court impact is dependent on the capacity of a single judge to closely monitor the progress of 

participants in the program and to convey to them the impression of continuity and consistency. 

The point of the single-judge emphasis is not that participants would never be exposed to 

“substitute” judges (on the occasion of vacation or sick days). Perhaps measuring participant 

exposure to judges (the degree to which they experienced the single-judge approach) could be 

..-_ - better measured by the longest period of time participants were under supervision of a single 

, 

judge. 

Analvsis of Participant Outcomes 

Table 13 presents the models developed when this approach is taken to logit analysis of 

the following six drug court outcome measures: 

0 

0 

0 

Rearrest within one year of entry 

Rearrest for drug offenses within one year of entry 

Rearrest for non-drug offenses one year from entry 

Jail sanctions during drug court 

Missing five treatment appointments or more 

Unfavorable termination from the program 

With measures of risk and the drug court historical era entered as controls, two measures of 

judge exposure (number of judges seen during drug court involvement and longest period seeing 

one judge) were entered in models seeking to predict these outcomes.50 A judge exposure effect 

was found in four of the six analyses of drug court outcomes. 

Anv Rearrest: With drug court era and risk variables as controls, the longest time seeing 

one judge was a significant but weak predictor of rearrest within one year (interpreted as 

showing that the longer the period with one judge, the lower the likelihood of rearrest). In the 

same model, one measure of number of judges seen (from six to ten) was also a significant 

a 50 Because time in treatment is significantly correlated with the judge effect measures, it is not included in this model. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

152 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
predictor, indicating that compared to persons seeing one or two judges, persons seeing from six 

to ten judges had a lower rearrest probability. 

Drug Rearrest: The modeling of rearrest for drug charges followed a similar pattern. 

However, with controls, the longest period with one judge was not a significant predictor; seeing 

from six to ten judges was again significant (in the direction ,of a lower probability of rearrest). 

# 

14 I 

Rearrest for Non-Drug Charges: No measure of participants’ exposure to judges was 

significant in modeling non-drug rearrest occurring one year from entry into the drug court. I 

Anv Jail Sanctions during Drug Court: The likelihood of incurring jail sanctions during 

the drug court program was not affected by exposure to judges using these measures. I 

Missing Five or More Treatment Auuointments: The measure of treatmetit performance, 

missing fivc or more appointments while in drug court, was related to both measures of judge 

exposure, taking into account the effects of the other factors. The longer the period a participant 

was seen by one judge, the greater the likelihood bad attendance occurred. Seeing more than one 

or two judges was also positively and strongly associated with missing five or more treatment 

appointments. 

Unfavorable Termination from Drug Court: Being unfavorably terminated from drug 

court was influenced by judge exposure as reflected by both measures, independent of controls. 

The longer the time a participant saw one judge, the lower the chance of unfavorable 

termination. Seeing more than one or two judges was negatively associated with chances of 

unfavorable termination as well. The modeling of unfavorable termination was the only analysis 

in which the drug court era was a significant predictor. Taking into account the effects of risk 

and judge exposure, defendants entering drug court during 1996-97 had a greater probability of 

unfavorable termination. (We suspect that this finding reflects the fact that during the 1996-97 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

153 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
period, greater proportions of participants were terminated not so much because of judicial 

staffing, but because of the more stringent automatic termination policies introduced in 1996, 

corresponding with the shift away from the single judge.) 

Measurinp Judge Exposure as a Rate: Number of JudPes Der 100 Daw in the Drw Court 

The analyses presented in Table 15 repeat the same general approach taken in the 

analyses employing the ‘‘longest time seeing one judge” measure, but drops the simple “number 

of judges seen” measure for a rate which norms the number of judges seen to the length of time 

participants were in the drug court program. The rationale for this measure is that it standardizes 

judge exposure to length of time in the program (per 100 days period), thus taking into account 

the problem that participants who leave the program in a short period would see one judge, while 

others who remain successfully in the program for a long period would see more judges. 

Table 15 Using Rate of Judges per 100 Days in Treatment 

- 

Any Drug Non-Drug 

Rearrests Rearrests Rearrests Any Jail Missed Five Unfavorable 

One year -Year One Year Sanctions Appointments Termination 

Race (Whitemon-White) .585 (.004) .988 (.OM) .274 (.193) .I74 (.350) .042 (366) .428 (.069) 

Risk 

Alias -1.482 (.OOO) -1.239 (.OOO) -1.162 (.OOO) -318 (.OOO) -.075 (.705) -.I05 (.616) 

Pending Arrests .957 (.004) .616 (.068) 351 (.007) 399 (-008) .359 (.421) .264 (.492) 

Indication of Heroin .652 (.003) .858 (.001) .I28 (36) .427 (-037) .062 (323) .298 (.212) 

Judge 

Time Seeing One Judge -.001 (.179) -.001 (S76) -.001 (.242) .001 (.446) .OOO (.765) -.011 (.OOO) 

Number of Judges 

Seed100 Days 

Timefame 

Sample Period (91- 

95/96-97) 

.019 (.106) .003 (.843) .025 (.028) .017 (.140) -.073 (.OOO) .OS2 (.OOO) 

..063 (.813) .052 (.866) - .050 (.858) -.131 (590) .645 (.043) -345 (.194) 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 677.593 537.019 631.013 791.528 493.189 550.98 1 

Goodness of Fit 1.880 10.153 5.360 3.619 8.015 7.586 

GF Significance .984 .254 .718 390 .432 .475 

Chi Square 109.078 74.426 62.358 48.567 34.581 249.426 

DF 7 7 7 7 7 7 

N 606 606 606 607 607 607 

Significance .OW .ooo .ooo .ooo .OW .OW 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

154 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

Any Rearrest and Rearrest for Drug Charges: When this measure is introduced as an 

independent variable, no measure of judge exposure enters the model significantly. 

Rearrest for Non-Drug Offenses: With controls, the number of judges seen per 100 days 

was a significant predictor of rearrest for non-drug offenses. The interpretation of this model is 

that, taking into account the effects of the control variables, the more judges seen by participants 

per 100 day< the greater their chances of being rearrested for non-drug -offenses. 

I,( , 

, 

Anv Jail Sanctions during Drug Court: Measures of judge exposure did not predict the 

likelihood that jail sanctions would be imposed during drug court, independent of other factors. 

Missing Five or More Treatment Apuointments: The number of judges seen per 100 days 

in the program was a weak but significant predictor of poor treatment attendance: the greater the 

number of judges per 100 days, the lower the chances that the participant would miss five or 

more treatment sessions. In addition, the drug court era was significant. Independent of risk and 

judge exposure, participants who entered the drug court during the 1996-97 period had a greater 

probability that they would record poor treatment attendance. 

Unfavorable Termination from Drug Court: Both measures of judge exposure were 

significant in modeling unfavorable termination from the drug court. The longer the period 

participants were supervised by one judge, the lower the probability of unfavorable termination 

from drug court. The greater the number of judges seen per 100 days, the greater the chances of 

unfavorable termination, after controlling for the effects of risk and drug court era. 

Conclusion 

Taking advantage of the special history of the Multnomah County Drug Court regarding 

its approach to judicial staffing, the analyses in this section have attempted to examine the 

impact of the single-judge approach promoted by the drug court model as a key ingredient of 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

155 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
success. One of the nation's pioneering drug courts, the Multnomah court adopted different 

approaches to staffing the drug court over the seven years studied, beginning with strong, single 

judge supervision of the court, then later shifting to non-judge and multi-judge coverage. The 

height of multi-judge rotation occurred in 1997 during which 16 judges and two referees 8 

presided in drug court. 'It is certain that this experience with judicial staffing of the drug court is 

unique in the nation. 

,+ 1 

Disentangling the mechanism through which the single-judge staffing approach affects , 

participant outcomes was a complex undertaking. In part, our analyses have identified some of 

the difficult issues of design, interaction, and measurement that confound making simple 

inferences about ~ the potency of the single-judge assumption of the drug couft model. The 

measurement of judge exposure, as we have termed it, arid the interaction of judge exposure with 

length of time in drug court are two challenging issues. Taking into account the ef'fect of history 

(the time eras associated with different judicial staffing approaches) is also difficult. The 

analyses suggest, in fact, that, whether or not judge exposure plays a role in shaping outcomes, it 

is clearly tied to other factors related to different periods of time. We believe, for example, that 

along with the shift toward the non-judge referee and the frequent judicial rotation beginhing 

around 1996-or independent of it-the shift in court policies (toward more ready use of 

automatic termination of participants at early stages of drug court treatment) greatly influenced 

outcomes. 

Despite all the complexities-and putting off their better resolution to future researchwe see themes in the findings suggesting that, depending on the type of outcome measure 

examined, there is a noteworthy effect of the way in which the drug court courtroom is staffed. 

In fact, of the six drug court outcome measures examined, only the analysis of use of jail 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

156 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

sanctions did not identify a significant judge exposure effect. The significant findings are not 

necessarily supportive of the primacy of the single-judge approach to drug court (e.g., 

particularly the finding showing that participants seeing six or more judges had a lower 

probability of reoffending). When the number of judges was normed to the length of time 

participants were in drug court (judges per' 100 days), the significant but inverse effects found for 

judge exposure disappeared in the modeling of rearrest (my kind)-and rearrest for drug offenses, 

, 

but appeared as a positive predictor of rearrest for non-drug offenses, when it had not reached 

significance before. Both measures of judge exposure supported the interpretation that the more 

judges seen by participants, the greater the chances of poor treatment attendance. This finding 

may be significant if, in fact, increased retention in treatment (the principal rationale for the 

judge's hands-on supervision) also increases the chances of better outcomes generally, as the 

drug treatment literature would suggest. The prospects for unfavorable termination from drug 

ILlI , 

court seem also to be influenced by judge exposure. The longer the time seeing a single judge, 

the lower the chances of unfavorable termination. The more judges seen per 100 days in drug 

court, the greater the probability of termination, other factors held constant. 

This examination of one of the principal tenets of the drug court model-that a dedicated 

judge is essential to an effective drug court-is, as a first undertaking of its kind, less conclusive 

than one might hope. It has, nevertheless, identified important themes and issues that will need 

to be addressed in more depth in subsequent research. At this stage, and within the limitations of 

these data and analyses, we find both grounds to support the importance of the single judge 

approach, depending on the outcome of interest, and grounds to question whether the single 

judge assumption might really represent other assumptions of the drug court model, such as the 

need for effective judicial supervision, continuity of monitoring, and consistency in rules and 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

157 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

rw, 

I 

responses to participant behavior during the drug court process. One could imagine a non-judge 

approach (which we were unable to evaluate here) or a multiple judge1 supervision strategy that 

would incorporate those dimensions and have a positive effect on outcomes-though perhaps not 

intentionally involving 16 or more judges in one year, as was the case in Multnomah County. 

Clearly, that experience, which permitted ,the opportunity for study of the impact of the judicial 

staffing question, ako presented manydifficulties for the drug court and-its participants during 

the 1996-97 period. ' I,!, , 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

158 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

a VII. The Effect of Acupuncture in Treatment in the Clark County Drug Court 

In two focus groups in which Clark County Drug Court participants discussed their 

reactions to various aspects of the drug court experience, they made the following comments 

related to the role of acupuncture in treatment (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b). , 

. . . I think the needling is cool. 

___A_ . ;-;4t+elps-me Wh+nt-wkere+we&;it-w&t reallyhelpingme kame I-really didn’t feel 

anything, but when I went in there I saw things happening to other people. . . and I began to 

think. 

. . . The only thing I did notice was that at the very beginning when I started and was still doing 

drugs that the needles hurt more going in when I was on drugs than when I wasn’t. 

4 

It, I 

. . . I feel it’s gotta help some ‘cause the Chinese people been using it for years. 

. . . Like it would be relaxing now. I fell asleep, you know, I fell asleep watching the moving 

thing. I fell asleep every time. 

. . . I didn’t get anythmg out of it. I was smoking cigarettes at the time and it helped me quit 

smoking. I guess maybe I don’t know . . . Biit I did come in on a Saturday when they have that 

Chinese lady here cause I have disc problems and she put it in my wrist, in my jaw, in my back. . . Oh, I’ve for the first time in like three years I did not have back problems. 

. . . I hate it. 

. . . Feel nothing. 

. . . I didn’t like the needling ‘cause it didn’t do any thing for me. . . 

. . . I haven’t noticed anything with it but the thought of it just . . . I had a fear of needles, so I 

never did dope with needles or anything. But it got me over the fear of needles which you have 

to stick in your head for awhile. 

. . . I mean you know that kept asking are you having withdrawal, you know, this can help you 

with withdrawal. I don’t agree, you know what I mean . . . I never noticed any as far as 

detoxification except for the fact that it makes you not want to smoke cigarettes before you come 

in. 

. You feel like a voodoo doll. 

. . . I haven’t noticed anything either. 

. . I think it’s a joke. . . I can’t believe they even use it. 

. . . It gives me an anxiety attack. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

159 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. . . No it doesn’t hurt. Just my chest hurts, you know, I get really excited. 

. . . I think it’s unconstitutional and cruel and unusual punishment. 

Acupuncture and the Drug Court Model 

\ 

In the history of the development of drug courts in the United States, the Miami Drug 

Court was the launching pad of what, at the time, was considered a highly unorthodox judicial 

endeavor. The Miami Court set its stamp on the movement for change in the courts by 

, 

I 

4, I 

pioneering an approach to substance abusing criminal defendants that included the basic 

ingredients of what is now referred to as the “drug court m~del.”~’ By far, one of its most 

t 

unorthodox elements was the use of acupuncture in its drug treatment regimen. Some of the 

early reactions to the Miami Drug Court, both locally and nationally, were unflattering, 

sometimes seizing on the use of acupuncture and the image of criminal drug defendants with 

long needles in their ears to dismiss the experiment as weird, too far from the mainstream of 

punitive justice, and involving mysterious and exotic “voodoo” drug treatment techniques. It is 

an understatement to report that the substance abuse treatment establishment was not notably 

0 

receptive at first. Drug treatment providers had many problems with the flexible, judge-directed 

methods employed in the Miami Drug Court and its use of acupuncture was certainly one of 

them. 

The development of the Miami Court is relevant to our discussion of the Multnomah and 

Clark County Drug Courts, not only because they were both greatly influenced by its example in 

their respective planning and implementation, but also because both drug courts relied on 

acupuncture. The introduction of acupuncture by the Miami officials into the first drug court 

~ ~~~~ 

For a discussion of the drug court model see Goldkamp (1 994); NADCP (1 997); Goldkamp (2000); Goldkamp et 

al. (2000). The early leaders of that effort in Miami-Judges Herbert Klein, Gerald Wetherington and Stanley 

Goldstein, State Attorney Janet Reno, Public Defender Bennet Brummer and Office of Substance Abuse Control 

Director Tim Murray-would never had agreed that they intended to launch any kind of “model” for any movement 

in the courts. They were trying to solve some very difficult problems in the Dade County setting. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

160 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

treatment regimen had origins that, in hindsight, played an important role in the philosophy or 

theory of the court experiment. In its initial stages, the fledgling Miami Drug Court sought to 

draw on the practices and cooperation of local providers. When early arrangements with 

providers failed to work out because of a conflict between the way providers were used to 

operating and the way the drug court needed them to operate to be responsive to the treatment 

needs of thk &g Guft populal7on,%€€icals iristZad%hap8d theiT6wChppmach, which made use 

qf Dade County’s public treatment system. 

, 

In planning for what was to become the Miami Drug Court strategy, the Honorable 

Herbert Klein of Florida’s 1 lth Judicial Circuit visited Dr. Michael 0. Smith’s program treating 

hard-core heroin addicts in the Lincoln Hospital in New York’s South Bronx. Dr. Smith 

employed a mix of traditional and non-traditional methods in his approach to heroin addiction. 

His treatment program integrated acupuncture, which he adapted from practices in Hong Kong 

He 

found that it helped calm addicts who were going through withdrawal and helped them become 

more receptive to the treatment process. Respecthl of the tradition of oriental medicine from 

which the practice of acupuncture derived (with a history of more than two thousand years in 

China alone), Dr. Smith argued that one specific technique, auricular acupuncture (in which only 

the ears are treated), could be adapted to treating addiction and that it could be applied by 

competent auricular acupuncturists who did not require the years of extensive training in oriental 

medicine required of professional (“hll body”) acup~ncturists.’~ 

l and China, to assist heroin addicts in the detoxification process and early treatment stages. 

’* This was not easily accepted by professionals trained in oriental medicine, who feared that abuses would result if 

one small acupuncture practice was borrowed from the overall practice of oriental medicine without full and 

adequate training. Dr. Smith helped found a national organization dedicated to the application of acupuncture to the 

problems of addiction. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

161 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
At Dr. Smith’s recommendation, acupuncture was included as a tool in the treatment 

approach to be, taken in the Miami Drug Court, supporting the intensive outpatient treatment of 

the predominantly cocaine and then crack-abusing Miami criminal justice population. Before 

adopting acupuncture as an adjunct to treatment, the approach was field tested successhlly at 

Dade County’s “Stockhde” (correctional insti,tution) among sentenced drug offenders. The 

-tWmy%ehindhrimuvatk dragtaurt=treatrrknt-=appma&;+reav+ly~ced by &.Smith’s 

recommendations, was that the combination of the speoial in-court, hands-on supervision of the , 

\ 

I 

I I1 44 

judge (and related non-adversarial courtroom procedures), intensive outpatient treatment, and 

acupuncture as a treatment adjunct amounted to a treatment modality specially adapted to 

promote effective treatment of drug abusers in Dade County’s felony population.11 The drug court 

treatment rationale in the nation’s first drug court clearly emphasized intensive outpatient 

treatment and de-emphasized the traditional reliance om resideptial treatment. This treatment 

approach, crafted to be the standard operating procedure in the Miami Drug Court, powerfully 

influenced the drug court model that many other jurisdictions adopted during the 1990s. 

As drug courts spread throughout the United States strongly influenced by the original 

Miami model, many incorporated acupuncture into their treatment regimens-in fact, calling 

upon Dr. Smith to advise them in setting up appropriate services. Some jurisdictions were 

unable to incorporate acupuncture into the drug court treatment process because sufficient 

acupuncture services were simply not available to them. Other jurisdictions, more influenced by 

traditional substance abuse treatment perspectives (and reliance on residential treatment), 

rejected acupuncture on principle. These jurisdictions saw acupuncture as relatively untested in 

drug treatment; some believing that acupuncture was exotic, or an unnecessary frill and perhaps 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

162 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

a sort of affectation of the drug court fad. Nevertheless, by 1997, the use of acupuncture was 

employed in treatment in an estimated 40 percent of state and local drug courts (Konefal, 1997). 

, 

Acuauncture in Treatment in the United States \ 

Although acupuncture was used in drug treatment sporadically in the United, States 

during the 1970s, its formal use in the treatment of substance abuse was initiated at the Lincoln I 

KiijtalL i~-~Cii Y~zx’~B~T~ E.-“Msz~~%. ~iiii% airiZiFof GeTGqjitaTs Xivisi of 

substance abuse (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1995). The medical rationale for the I 

use of acupuncture is based on an understanding of the physiology of withdrawal. Under this 

model, addiction is conceived as involving changes in the central nervous system’s activity as a 

result of chronic drug use. When drug use is halted, the body experiences v4ithdrPwal symptoms 

that vary based on the substance of abuse and the individual’s physiology, but typically produce 

tremors, perspiration, drug craving, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, anxiety, agitation, and possibly 

delirium or hallucinations (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1995). By affecting “central 

nervous system activity in those regions of the brain affected by substances of abuse” (Center for 

Substance Abuse Treatment, 1995: 36), acupuncture appears to reduce the severity of withdrawal 

a 

symptoms and the physical craving for drugs (Katims, Ng, & Lowinson, 1992). In sessions 

lasting about 45 minutes and administered on a daily basis for the first few weeks of treatment, 

acupuncture involves placing needles at strategic body “points” located on the outer ear in 

auricular acupuncture, or throughout the entire body in full body acupuncture. By 1995, 

formerly skeptical Federal treatment agencies appeared to accept the practice of acupuncture as a 

useful adjunct in the treatment of addiction. “Ideally, acupuncture treatment is combined with a 

comprehensive treatment approach, including counseling, drug testing, and other interventions” 

(Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1995: 36). 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

163 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Despite initial skepticism among many in the medical and treatment communities, a 

growing body of research suggests that acupuncture can serve as an effective adjunct to 

substance abuse treatment. Konefal (1997) noted that a reduced craving among heroin and 

opiate addicts was reported as early as 1972 in China as a result of acupuncture. In a study of 

acupuncture and alcoholism, Singer (1 992) found that alcoholics who received acupuncture 

made significant treatment progress when compared to a control group that received “sham” 

acupuncture (needles put near but not on specified sites). Moreover, alcoholics in the control 

group expressed stronger desires to abuse alcohol than those receiving acupuncture. In a 

similarly designed study, Washburn et al. (1993) found that, although dropout rates were high in 

both the acupuncture and “sham” acupuncture groups, participants in the treatment group stayed 

in treatment longer and attended more frequently. Bullock et al. (1989: 1,439) concluded, 

‘‘increased use of acupuncture therapy not only may be an effective adjunct to therapy in current 

programs for patients with persistent craving for alcohol, but may also allow treatment to be 

extended to a large group of recidivist alcoholics for whom current therapies are not effective.’’ 

0 

! 

In an application of acupuncture to the criminal justice population, Pennell and Melton 

(1 994) examined its use in an outpatient program for parolees with drug problems in San Diego 

County and found that those receiving acupuncture spent twice as many days in treatment, 

received more individual and group counseling (and ancillary services), reported less drug use, 

and recorded fewer subsequent arrests than those not receiving acupuncture. Analyzing 

retrospective cohort data from Boston, Schwartz et al. (1999) found that, controlling for other 

factors, patients who attended outpatient programs with acupuncture were less likely to 

experience relapse following discharge than patients receiving treatment in residential programs. 

Margolin et al. (2000) conducted an experiment with 82 dually addicted participants 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

164 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
8 , I1 

, 

(addicted to heroin and cocaine), randomly assigning1 them to auricular acupuncture, “control” 

acupuncture (needles inserted in parts of the ear thought to have no treatment effect), and 

relaxation (view video tapes displaying relaxing imagery) groups. After eight weeks in 

treatment, more than half of the acupuncture group tested negatively for illegal substances during 

\ 

I 

the last week of treatmknt (54 percent), compared to 24 pqrcent of the control group and nine I1 It 

percent of the relaxation group (Margolin et al., 2000). Moreover, those in the acupuncture 

group experienced longer periods of abstinence than those in the other two groups (Margolin et I 

al., 2000). 

Acuuuncture in8 the Clark Countv Drup Court: Issues of Studv Design I 

, 

Against thjs background of relatively widespread use of acupunctule in hg courts and 

supportive findings in a small number of research literature, few studies have directly examined 

the role and effectiveness of acupuncture in drug court treatment of offenders. With the special 

support and cooperation of the Clark County Drug Court officials, the Phase I1 evaluation took 

0 

advantage of the opportunity to examine the utility of acupuncture in drug court t~eatment.’~ The 

research question, whether acupuncture improved treatment outcomes in drug court, was 

relatively simple. For a number of reasons, designing a study to answer that question was not.’ 

The Ethical Issue of Denying Treatment 

Ideally, in a world free of practical and ethical constraints, one would study the 

contribution of acupuncture to treatment outcomes by randomly assigning drug court participants 

to treatment with and without acupuncture. The treatment experiences of participants, under this 

approach, would differ only in whether they received acupuncture or not. One problem facing 

53 We must particularly express our gratitude to John Man, President of Marcon Associates and Director of Choices 

Unlimited, the principal treatment provider for the Clark County Drug Court. John actively worked with the 

researchers to organize the study approach and facilitate access to the data. The research examining acupuncture in 

treatment was also strongly supported by the Honorable Jack Lehman, the drug court judge since 1992. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

165 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

such an acupuncture experiment is the traditional ethical problem faced in clinical trials of new 

medical treatments relating to who will receive and who will not receive the new, hopefilly 

I effective medicine. This ethical problem relating to the treatment of human subjects is most 

difficult when the treatment involves possibly life saving, curative drugs, and random assignment I 

could have life and deah implications. The etkcal issues raised for the study of acupuncture in 

treatment are not as extreme and-do net involve We or death. The effect of acupuncture is 

hypothesized to be helpful in facilitating treatment amenability but that has not so far been , 

8 

I1 IO 

convincingly demonstrated in research. Some drug courts do and some drug courts do not 

employ acupuncture. Thus, experts would disagree on its salience to effective drug court 

treatment. The ethical issue of whether an experiment denying “treatment” placed a control 

group at serious risk, therefore, is more easily resolved in studying acupuncture. In designing 

our experiment in Clark County, we reasoned that its absence may not be detrimental, and its 

presence may be helpful. Moreover, acupuncture is viewed as an adjunct to, rather than the 

principal vehicle for, effective drug court treatment. 

Disentangling; the Effect of Acupuncture from Primarv Treatment Effects 

Another challenge to the study of the contribution of acupuncture to treatment outcofnes 

is the need to disentangle the effects of acupuncture from all the other influences on treatment 

outcomes in the drug court. Its secondary status as a treatment-enhancing practice makes its 

effects hard to distinguish from the primary treatment effects in most studies. 

The Disruptive Impact of an Acupuncture Exueriment on the Drup Court Treatment Regimen 

Theoretically, the best way to separate and measure the impact of acupuncture in drug 

court treatment would be through an experimental design in which all conditions except the 

treatment effect of acupuncture are held constant. Opportunities to construct such an experiment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

166 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

are rare, however, and the likelihood of achieving the cooperation of a court system to produce 

the circumstances necessary for an experiment focusing on acupuncture is low or nonexistent. 

One could imagine that, with carefbl planning and a research-oriented judiciary, a drug court 

about to start operation could decide to randomly assign its participants to treatment with and 

without acupuncture to study its impact. It is more likely that study of acupuncture would have 

to occur in an ongoing drug court program, if at all. Because of the considerable logistics of the 

drug court's operation, the practical consequences of implementing an experimental design that 

would alter or disrupt normal operation of an ongoing drug court treatment program might be too 

great. 

Devising an Appropriate Study of Acuuuncture in Clark County 

During the evaluation study period (1993-97), the Clark County Drug Court required all 

participants in the first phase of treatment to attend acupuncture at the clinic locations five days 

per week. After the first treatment phase, acupuncture was voluntary but was encouraged to 

lessen depression, anxiety, and insomnia, to reduce or eliminate withdrawal symptoms (Le., drug 

craving, nausea, body aches, etc.), and to assist with stress reduction and relapse prevention. In 

later phases of treatment, the judge would sometimes order a struggling participant to attend 

acupuncture again, usually in response to a positive urinalysis. At each of those appointments, 

participants were also required to undergo drug testing. Thus, attendance at sessions provided 

the opportunity for ongoing monitoring of substance abuse among participants. 

0 

I 

Court and treatment leaders in Clark County were supportive of a study of acupuncture 

and willing to consider, if necessary, the possibility of an experimental design because of the 

great emphasis placed on the use of acupuncture in the drug court throughout its existence. 

Researchers and program officials agreed, however, that straightforward random assignment of 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

167 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
participants entering drug court to treatment conditions with and without acupuncture posed a 

serious practical problem for the program. It would have caused persons assigned to the nonacupuncture condition to have one of their routine activities simply eliminated. Because the 

program had fixed procedures relating to treatment, the simple expenmental approach would 

have meant a major-and potentially disruptive-change to the treatment process. It would have 

subtracted a cure activity from the-control group;leavmg a-prugrammaticMn their daily and 

weekly treatment regimen, while only preserving an existing treatment condition (acupuncture) ,ut 4 

in the routine of the experimental group. 

If this approach were to be followed, those without acupuncture would be expected to 

appear for drug testing-and on several days other treatment services (individual and group 

counseling)--but would have no other experience equivalent to those given acupuncture. On 

some days, in fact, this would mean that non-acupuncture participants would merely arrive. at the 

clinic to drug test and then leave. Apart. from the questions this would raise about the substance 

of treatment for the control group (and the questions this would raise about keeping “all other 

conditions equal”), such an approach would almost certainly make those assigned to receive 

acupuncture feel that they were being asked to meet program conditions unfairly imposed on 

them and not required of others. The sense that one group was being favored (“getting off easy”) 

I 

while another was being unnecessarily burdened could undermine the morale of the drug court 

program and cause participants to question its fairness. At the same time, some participants not 

assigned to the acupuncture condition might sincerely wish to have acupuncture and feel that 

they were being unfairly and arbitrarily deprived of a helpful treatment resource. 

After considering these kinds of issues, the researchers decided that a two-part approach 

would take best advantage of the opportunity provided by the Clark County Drug Court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

168 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
54 Note that the median number of sessions is based on all participants, including those who may have dropped out 

of the program in its early stages as well as those who attended a minimum of 12 months. 

evaluation to examine the use and impact of acupuncture in treatment. The two study 

components included a) a descriptive analysis of the acupuncture participation' and its 

relationship to outcomes among cohorts of drug court participants sampled from 1993 through 

1997 (using a quasi-experimental approach employing post-hoc statistical controls); and b) an 

acupuncture experiment that sought to accommodate the logistical and ethical issues raised 

above. 

L 

I 

I I, 4 

Use of Acumncture and Outcomes among ParticiDants Enterinp the Clark Countv Drug , Court. 1993-1997 

The first way the Phase I1 evaluation could examine the use and impact of acupuncture 

was to examine its apparent relationship with treatment outcomes through analysis of the 

participant cohort data described in the earlier Phase I and current Phase I1 reports. The 

I 

difficulty of disentangling the effects of acupuncture from other treatment factors in nonexperimental data is illustrated in the following analysis of acupuncture in participant cohorts 

from 1993-97. 

According to treatment records for the combined cohort samples of participants entering 

the drug court from 1993 to 1997, participants attended, on average, about 16 (median) 

acupuncture sessions in their first 12 months of drug ~ourt.~ Around this median, however, a 

small proportion (27 percent) of participants attended ten or fewer sessions and an almost equal 

proportion (25 percent) attended 30 or more acupuncture sessions during the first 12 months. 

Because acupuncture was required in the first phase of treatment (a period averaging around 30 

days) and was optional thereafter, one would expect to see the number of acupuncture sessions 

attended peak upon completion of Phase I and then begin dropping thereafter. In addition, we 

would expect that the number of acupuncture sessions attended by drug court participants would 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

169 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

mirror their attendance in treatment and be affected by their program status. (For example, 

persons with few appointments recorded would be participants who were terminated or fkgitive 

fiom the drug court at any early stage.) 

AcuDuncture and Most Advanced Treatment Phase Achieved in 12 Months 

The curvilinear relationship bepeen number of acupuncture sessions attended and 

pragram status (length of hne in-the pmgrarnhe.fore--u tloa -or completion by 

‘graduation) is illustrated in Figure 54. As one might suppose, persons failing to complete Phase 

I of treatment showed a low median attendance (ten acupuncture sessions). Those advancing to 

’ 

’ (/(I , 

Phase I1 but no farther recorded the greatest number of acupuncture appointments (median, 24). 

Those who completed Phase I1 recorded nearly as many sessions (median, 21) in 12 months. 

Those reaching Phase IV and graduation showed relatively low attendance (with medians of 14 

and 11 acupuncture sessions). The lower median number of acupuncture sessions attended 

among participants reaching more advanced phases of treatment within 12 months is explained 

by the dmg court policy of not requiring acupuncture after Phase I. The greatest number of 

I 

acupuncture sessions would be recorded by those who failed the drug court after only completing 

Phase I or Phase I1 in 12 months. Persons taking a long while to complete Phase I would record 

the largest number of acupuncture sessions. Although some participants would voluntarily 

continue acupuncture after Phase I, one would expect those advancing to Phases 111 and IV in 12 

months to record lower average (median) numbers of acupuncture appointments because they 

went “so far so fast,” in a sense. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

170 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 54 Median Number of Acupuncture Sessions during a One Year Observation Period, among Clark 

County Drug Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Most Advanced Treatment Phase 

30 

2s 24 

Did Not Advance Advanced to Advanced to Advanced to Graduated from 

(n- 124) (n - 97) (n - 167) 4 (n- 89) (0- IO) 

Treatment Phase 

beyond Phase I Phase 11 Phase 111 Phase IV 

Acupuncture and 12-Month Outcomes 

Figure 55 summarizes the relationships between acupuncture attendance, measured as 

receiving only in Phase I and receiving after Phase I of treatment, and four drug court outcomes 

(favorable status at one year, graduation within two years, rearrest within one year, and 

confinement within one year) among the 1993-97 participants combined. When interpreted as 

reflecting the amount of acupuncture treatment given (in a treatment “dosage” sense), the 

findings concerning relationships between acupuncture and these outcomes seem, at least at first, 

to be consistently unfavorable: Persons having acupuncture after Phase I (“more”) showed a 

slightly smaller proportion than those having acupuncture only in Phase I (“less”) in a favorable 

treatment status at the 12-month mark (63 versus 69 percenP), and a notably lower proportion 

graduating in two years (39 percent compared to 53 percent). 

55 The difference is not statistically significant at the .05 level. 

They also showed a larger 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

171 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
proportion rearrested within 12 months of drug court entry (52 versus 38 percent) and a greater 

100 

80 

proportion confined (57 percent versus 35 percent) during the 12-month observation period. 

-Received Acupuncture after Phasc 1 (n = 228) 

ODid Not Receive Acupuncture after Phase I (n = 146) 

I, ,I ' 

69 

Figure 56 replicates these findings using median number of acupuncture sessions. Those with 

the negative outcomes showed either no notable difference in number of acupuncture sessions 

attended, or greater average (median) acupuncture attendance. In short, on the surface, these 

findings appear to support the interpretation that greater exposure to acupuncture was associated 

1 

I 1, I 

with worse treatment and criminal justice outcomes. , I 

I 

Favorable One Year Graduation within Two Years Follow-up Arrcst Follow-up Confinement 

Treatment Status 

Our comes 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

172 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 56 Comparison of Treatment and Criminal Justice Outcomes among Clark County Drug Court 

Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Median Number of Acupuncture Sessions 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

17 

I 

17 

14 r 19 

13 r 

Favorable Unfavorable YCS NO 

Case Slatus Two Year Graduation 

No , Yes 

Reamst 

No YeS 

Coni4 

Interuretinp the Apparent Relationship between Exposure to Acupuncture and Outcomes 

I This interpretation confuses “cause” for “effect.” Another interpretation, perhaps more 

plausible, would understand the acupuncture measures to be the product-not the producer-of 

participant performance (length of time) in treatment. This alternative reasoning would expect 

that persons who performed poorly (and were terminated before completing Phase I of treatment) 

would produce fewer acupuncture sessions. Early termination, therefore, would explain low 

acupuncture attendance or exposure, not the other way around. However, successful 

participation in treatment, following this logic, would not necessarily produce a larger number of 

sessions attended. Program successes would spend the minimum period possible in Phase I and 

attend the minimum five These would-be successes would not be 

required to attend acupuncture longer as they progressed through the program. When they 

graduated, they would still have only the few acupuncture sessions they attended during Phase I 

acupuncture sessions. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

173 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

on their record. This explanation-that treatment progress accounts for the number of 

acupuncture sessions attended and not the other way around-seems to account for the findings 

that persons attending few sessions a) survived in the drug court for only short periods, or b) 

turned out to be the long-run successes. 

The Role of Drug Court Policv Related to Acuuuncture in Exulaininn Outcomes 

The explanation for this seemingly anomalous fading that -both early failures and 

1 eventual successes have less numbers of acupuncture sessions may be found in the drug court 

policy that makes acupuncture optional after Phase I. In fact, rather than continue on with 

’ 

’ I*(, , 

acupuncture routinely after Phase I (and its roughly 20 to 25 acupuncture sessions), Clark 

County Drug Court participants seldom opted to continue to attend acupuncture into the ,next 

phases. (This practice is consonant with the drug court’s view that acupuncture is most helpful 

during the detoxification and early stages of treatment.) This standard operating procedure 

meant that, as a result of treatment success, attendance at acupuncture sessions drops in later 

program stages. In short, “good” performance too produces low acupuncture attendance. Read 

the wrong way, though, the data would suggest that low acupuncture attendance was associated 

with (“caused”) greater treatment success. 

Because of the normal practice of discontinuing acupuncture sometime shortly after 

Phase I, we find that persons completing advanced stages of treatment record fewer acupuncture 

appearances than, for example, those only completing Phase I. Persons who participate in 

acupuncture after Phase I, therefore, were the exception to normal practices. In fact, their 

participation at Jater stages was generally the result of a court sanction that, by order of the drug 

court judge, required them to “return” to acupuncture for a specified period of time because of 

poor performance in the program. In other words, many of those recording acupuncture sessions 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

174 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, ,I 

after Phase I were participants on the verge of (or at greater risk of) failing the program and 

being terminated from the drug court. Thus, the order back to acupuncture amounted to a 

prediction of greater difficulty in achieving successhl program outcomes. In fact, those 

receiving such orders subsequently showed poorer outcomes relating to program completion, 

, 

rearrest, and confinement. 

Modeling the Effect of AcuDuncture on Outcomes 

I 

The analysis of acupuncture treatment based on attendance of drug court participants I 

from 1993-97 illustrated well the difficulty involved in drawing inferences about the impact of 

acupuncture itself. The apparently negative-or at least oddly curvilinear-bivariate 

relationships between acupuncture attendance and drug court outcomes were 'made more 

understandable when considering acupuncture as a reflection of program status (more like a 

program attendance reading), rather than as a causative agent. That descriptive analysis based on 

drug court cohorts could not provide an assessment of the independent (causative) contribution 

of acupuncture to treatment progress. Moreover, in measuring attendance, the analysis using 

evaluation data did not pretend to broach the question of acupuncture treatment quality. 

Certainly, the quality and content of what happened at acupuncture sessions might also have ,had 

an effect on treatment progress. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

175 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

t ,I 4 

I 

Table 16 Modeling the Effect of Acupuncture on Rearrest (within One Year) and 

Graduation (within Two Years) among Clark County Drug Court Participants, 1993-1997 

Rearrest within One Year 

Predictor Variables 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Recent prior arrests (nolyes) , .939 (.OOO) 

Time in treatment, one year (no/yes) -.004 (.012) 

(no/yes) 4 

Acupuncture after Phase I (no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 10 or fewer, 1 1 or more 

Acupuncture: 15 or fewer, 16 or more 

.460 (.054) 

Innlve-.- -I_. _- 

Acupuncture: 25 or fewer, 26 or more 

(no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 30 or fewer, 31 or more 

(no/yes) 

Constant 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

0 Predictor Variables 

! 

Graduation within Two Years 

Prior arrests (ndyes) 

Time in treatment, one year (no/yes) 

Acupuncture after Phase I (no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 10 or fewer, 1 1 or more 

(no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 15 or fewer, 16 or more 

(no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 25 or fewer, 26 or more 

(no/yes) 

Acupuncture: 30 or fewer, 3 1 or more 

(nolyes) 

Constant 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

,457 (.437) 

433.101 

2.952 

.937 

29.440 

3 

.ooo 

335 

-.273 (.005) 

-.663 (.011) 

.030 (.OOO) 

-9.646 (.OOO) 

372.842 

2.068 

.979 

89.699 

3 

.ooo 

.710 (.001) .770 (.001) .728 (.001) .739 (.001) 

1.037 (.OOO) .988 (.OOO) 1.023 (.OOO) 1.051 (.OOO) 

-.004 (.OOO) -.004 (.OOO) -.004 (.OOO) m.004 (.OOO) I 

.448 (.082) 

I ' .966 (.OOO) I1 1) 

, 

I 

-.732 (.087) 

540.194 

9.661 

290 

59.551 

4 

.ooo 

433 

-.332 (.OOO) 

.029 (.OOO) 

-.114 (.712) 

-9.557 (.OOO) 

402.919 

3.986 

358 

157.085 

3 

.ow 

,846 (.048) 

523.488 

10.339 

.242 

76.258 

4 

.ooo 

433 

.617 (.006) 

.741 (.003) 

-.658 (.117) -.676 (.108) 

535.608 534.141 

10.478 I, 11.123 

.293 .195 

1, 64.138 65.604 

4 4 

.ooo .ooo 

433 433 

-.298 (.001) -.296 (.002) -.324 (.OOO) 

.029 (.OOO) .030 (.OOO) ,030 (.OOO) 

-.632 (.O I 1) 

-1.080 (.OOO) 

-.878 (.002) 

-9.577 (.OOO) -9.932 (.OOO) 9.836 (.OOO) 

396.468 384.948 392.898 

4.058 6.171 5.687 

352 .628 .682 

163.536 175.056 167.107 

3 3 3 

.ooo .ooo .ooo 

N 335 433 433 433 43 3 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

176 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The multivariate analyses summarized in Table 16 try to make use of the drug court 

participant data to test for an effect of acupuncture (measured several ways) on two key drug 

court outcomes-graduation from drug court and rearrest-by controlling for time in treatment 

and a priori risk attributes. Five different measures of acupuncture exposure were tested, 

. including receiving acupuncture after Phase I (no, yes) and various dichotomous splits of number 

of needling sessions attended (10 or fewer, 11 or more; 15 or fewer, 16 or more; 25 or fewer, 26 

or more; 30 or fewer, 31 or more). The effect of each of these acupuncture measures was tested 

while controlling for risk attributes and time in treatment. Like the bivariate findings, these 

I 

IN, , 

appear to fly in the face of conventional wisdom (and common sense). They suggest that four of 

the five measures of acupuncture exposure were significantly associated with rearrest within one 

year, indicating that increased attendance at acupuncture sessions is related to a greater 

probability of rearrest. Similarly, four of the five measures of acupuncture exposure were 

negatively (and significantly) associated with graduation at two years (suggesting that increased 

acupuncture was related to a lower probability of graduation). Both of these findings are 

accounted for by the sizable group of participants who completed Phase I (but with difficulty and 

' 

I 

lots of acupuncture) but failed shortly afterwards, or those failing after Phase 11. In short, 

participants who have difficulty in the drug court program in the early stages recorded more 

acupuncture sessions, were more likely to be rearrested for new offenses, and were less likely to 

graduate. 

Summary: Descriptive Analysis of the Use of Acupuncture in Clark County 

The results of the descriptive analyses discussed in this section were not equivocal. 

There was a significant relationship between acupuncture and later outcomes, such as graduation 

and rearrest. On the surface, the relationships between acupuncture attendance and participant 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

177 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

I I1 I 

, 

outcomes seemed to be opposite of those that would be posited by the drug court model. 4 

Apparently, instead of producing better outcomes with increased exposure, the more participants 

attended acupuncture, the worse their outcomes. However, contrary to this simple interpretation, 

we found that the use of dcupuncture was inextricably related to progress in drug court treatment 

I 

(most advanced phase cympleted) and that the simple reading of the findings confused cause and 

effect. When understanding number of acupuncture sessions as an “effqct” rather than a “cause” 

# 

, I I1 I 

and recognizing the impact of the policy that treatment acupuncture is voluntary after Phase I, 

the findings made more sense. Participants who failed in drug court after a long period in Phase 

I 

I-when they attended a large number of acupuncture sessions-recorded the highest number of 

sessions. I 

(I ,I 

The Acupuncture Exueriment 

The drug court officials considering an acupuncture experiment had two main concerns. 

First, they feared that elimination of the acupuncture requirement from the treatment regimen of 

a control group would be disruptive in the sense that it dismantled what had been a coherent 

programmatic approach (with acupuncture appointments serving as a central element in 

scheduling, for example). In addition, they feared that removal of the acupuncture condition 

would appear to require less of one group-or unfairly require more of the other-and, as a 

result, would have a destabilizing or demoralizing effect on the program overall. Thus, the drug 

court officials felt that to be feasible an experiment would need to provide equivalent services to 

each group of participants in the study. 

Second, officials felt uncomfortable “prohibiting” voluntary participation in acupuncture 

for the sake of a study from persons who might really feel they needed it. Conceivably, such 

persons might request acupuncture immediately at the beginning of the process and feel deprived 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

178 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
if they were not placed in the acupuncture group (thus defeating randomization). Others might 

realize their need for acupuncture later in the process and wish to access those services. 

Moreover, the court could not agree to discontinue its practice of ordering some noncompliant 

\ 

participants in advanced treatment phases “back” to the Phase I daily acupuncture requirement. 

8 

I 

,I I’ 

Modified Experimental Desim 

Based on these concerns, a modified experimental design was devised to address the need 

for “equivalent” treatment conditions for all participants, and to allow for the occasional specific 

requests made by participants in the control group for acupuncture services. (In other words, 

services would not be denied if requested. The researchers and program officials estimated that 

I 

this would not occur frequently.) In addition, persons who entered treatmept wiQ partners were 

kept in the same study group (they were not split up), once assigned, rather than being separated 

g 

through randomization. I 

The more difficult question was how to arrange for equivalent treatment experiences for 

the acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups and to still be able to draw inferences about the 

specific effect of acupuncture on participant outcomes. The solution, to replace acupuncture in 

the control group with a relaxation therapy of equivalent duration, was proposed by the treatment 

provider. The relaxation sessions, which provided clients with educational information and 

instruction regarding relaxation techniques, were scheduled in the same way acupuncture was for 

the acupuncture group. Daily attendance was required in Phase I. 

In a normal experimental design, the aim is to provide similar conditions for treatment 

and control groups with the only difference between them accounted for by the introduction of 

the single treatment effect (acupuncture). This would permit researchers to draw inferences 

about the effect of the intervention by comparing the outcomes of the group with the intervention 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

179 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
and the group without it. The problem posed by the modified experimental design employed in 

the acupuncture study was that it compared the effects of two interventions (acupuncture and 

relaxation) on drug court treatment outcomes without the benefit of a non-intervention control 

group to serve as a baseline. Thus, the major drawback.to this design was that we would not be 

able to draw inferences about whether either intervention produced results that were better than 

no intervention (that is, better than no treatment complenient or readiness enhancer). 

lmulications of Possible Experimental Findings 

4 

The researchers felt that this approach was nevertheless usefbl based on the following 

analytic reasoning. First, if there were no differences in participant outcomes between the 

randomly assigned acupuncture and relaxation groups, one could infer that other techniques 

(such as relaxation therapy) were just as likely as acupuncture ro be effective in producing 

treatment and criminal justice outcomes. Second, if the acupuncture group generated outcomes 

that were notably poorer than those associated with the relaxation group, then one couki 

coriclude that other treatment complements, including relaxation, were likely to be rnore 

effective than acupuncture as a treatment adjunct. Third, if the acupuncture group fared notably 

better in participant outcomes than the relaxation group, one could infer that acupuncture was at 

least better than some alternative approaches (such as relaxation). Note that two of the three 

possible results-that participants with acupuncture will do a) the same or b) worse than the 

relaxation group-would provide evidence that would not support the contention that 

acupuncture made a positive difference in treatment progress and outcomes. 

The Conduct of the Exueriment (March through August 1999) 

@ ' 

I 

According to the agreed upon procedures, participants who entered the Clark County 

Drug Court from March 8, 1999 through August 13, 1999 and who then made their first 

Crime and Justice Reseurch Institute 

180 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

appearance at the treatment center were randomly , assigned to acupuncture and relaxation 

conditions of treatment based on the last digit of their identification number. (Candidates with 

odd last digits were assigned to relaxation, while those with even last digits were assigned to 

acupuncture). Random assignment continued relatively efficiently for the five-month period in 

1999, resulting in 166, participants in the acupuncture group and 170 participants in the 

relaxatioammpiwn grnllnn- I “Isertsb;-2+pamciyarrtsally-~si@ed to the 

I 

\ 

I 

0 

4 I II 1 

’ relaxation group subsequently requested acupuncture. , I 

As might be expected in a large volume treatment clinic where all services were colocated, there were some problems with maintaining the integrity of the alternative treatment 

approaches once participants were assigned to the two study groups: I Specifically, 85 

participants randomly assigned to each treatment group mistakenly participated in 3t least one 

! 

, 

session provided to the other treatment group during Phase I. (This amounts to about 25 percent 

of the cases involved in the study). Of these, 15 were acupuncture group members who received 

at least one relaxation session and 70 were relaxation participants who received at least one 

acupuncture ~ession.’~ The error in maintaining the integrity of treatment was not evenly 

distributed between the two groups and might have exercised a bias in outcomes in the direction 

of artificially improved relaxation group results over the acupuncture group results (because 

more relaxation group members benefited from some acupuncture than the other way around). 

Participant progress through treatment and re-involvement in criminal justice were 

observed for a period of six months. The six-month observation period (counted from the date of 

56 This meant that each group was “contaminated” to some minor degree: nine percent of the acupuncture sample 

received at least one relaxation session (n=15, median relaxation sessions=l); and 41 percent of the relaxation 

sample received at least one acupuncture session (n=70, median acupuncture sessions4). The error in maintaining 

the integrity of treatment assignment was not equally divided. More persons who started in relaxation experienced 

some acupuncture than persons in acupuncture who experienced some relaxation. Removing these participants 

would have reduced the number of cases available for analysis and biased the samples. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

181 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

I I I1 

I I 

entry into drug court) was adopted for two reasons. First, acupuncture is employed in the Clark 

County Drug Court principally to produce effects in the early stages of treatment (to,increase 

amenability, to treatment and to increase retention), thus making the early treatment period an 

appropriate observation pkriod. Second, resources for a longer follow-up study were limited. 

Similarity of Attributes of Acupuncture and Relaxation Group Members 

I 

I 

I 

, 

11 4 The aim of randomization is to produce - Go groups for comparative study that differ only 

in their exposure to the treatment intervention. Because even random assignment may produce 

groups that differ in some aspects, a first step in analyzing experimental data is to ensure that two 

~ __ L .- 72 . d ..--_i -.I__.___ _-__ - -. _- - 

8 

I 

I 

I similar groups were in fact produced. This determination is even more important when 

imperfections in the random assignment are noted. If groups are found to differ on some ,I I1 

+ attribute(s) significantly, then differences in outcomes will need to be examined Once controls for 

the group differences are exercised. The following comparison of attributes of participants in 

each study group revealed no significant differences. indicating that the random assignment 

worked reasonably well. Table 17 contrasts the expeemental groups on a range of selected 

attributes. Only one difference, gender, was statistically ~ignificant.~~ 

57 Bivariate analyses did not result in the identification of significant differences in the attributes of study groups at 

the .05 level of probability. Because slight differences did exist, we employed logit analysis to determine whether, 

considering 19 demographic, criminal history, and assessment attributes as potential independent variables, we 

could model (predict) sample as a dependent variable. We were not able to produce a statistically significant 

predictive model, indicating that the two study groups did not differ meaningfully or statistically. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

182 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 17 Selected Attributes among Clark County Drug Court Participants Assigned to 

Acupuncture and Relaxation Groups from March-August 1999 

Acupuncture Relaxation ' Significance (p<.05) 

A ttribufes (N) % (N) % - 

Race 

Total 

White 

African-American 

Hispanic 

Other 

Gender 

Toral 

Male 

' Female 

Alias 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Total 

None 

Possession 

Salt 

Borh 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Total 

Immediate release 

Release from detEntiofl 

Not released 

i%ig Couri Entry 

Total 

Diversion 

Condition of probation 

Guilty plea 

Total 

NO 

Yes 

Total 

NO 

Yes 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Total 

No 

Current Case: Dnrgs 

Current Case: Serious ?rop:rly/TheJ 

Pretriul Release t 

Recent Prior Arrests 

Serious Person Prior Arrests 

Drug Prior Arrests 

Felony Prior Arrests 

165 

97 

51 

12 

5 

165 

131 

34 

164 

73 

91 

1 62 

45 

49 

6 

62 

161 

118 

43 

161 

44 

115 

2 

160 

22 

69 

69 

166 

26 

140 

166 

105 

61 

166 

51 

115 

166 

31 

100.0 

58.8 

30.9 

7.3 

3.0 

100.0 

79.4 

20.6 

100.0 

44.5 

55.5 

100.0 

27.3 

30.2 

3.7 

38.3 

100.0 

73.3 

26.7 

100.0 

27.3 

71.4 

1.2 

00.0 

13.8 

43.1 

43.1 

00.0 

15.7 

84.3 

100.0 

63.3 

36.7 

100.0 

30.7 

69.3 

100.0 

18.7 

170 

88 

56 

22 

4 

170 

119 

51 

170 

68 

102 

169 

57 

54 

10 

48 

! 68 

109 

59 

169 

53 

115 

1 

168 

23 

60 

85 

170 

21 

149 

170 

108 

62 

170 

51 

119 

170 

30 

100.0 .22 

51.8 

32.9 

12.9 

2.4 

100.0 

70.0 

30.0 

100.0 

40.0 

60.0 

100.0 

33.7 

32.0 

5.9 

28.4 

100.0 

64.9 

35.1 

100.0 

31.4 

68.0 

0.6 

100.0 

13.7 

35.7 

50.6 

.05 

.40 

.23 

.IO 

.61 

.35 

100.0 .38 

12.4 

87.6 

100.0 .96 

63.5 

36.5 

100.0 .89 

30.0 

70.0 

100.0 .81 

17.6 

Yes 135 81.3 140 82.4 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

183 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 17 Selected Attributes among Clark County Drug Court Participants Assigned to 

Acupuncture and Relaxation Groups from March-August 1999 (Cont.) 

Acupuncture Relaxation Significance (p<.05) 

Attributes W) YO 0 % ~ 

Prior Convictions 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Prior FTAs 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Total 

No 

Yes 

'Total 

NO 

Yes 

Total 

No 

Yes 

Ethical ion 

Total 

Did not graduate high school 

High school graduate 

Some college 

Total 

Unemployed 

Full-time 

Part-time/other 

Marital Status 

Total 

Mamedliving with significant other 

Divorcedseparated 

t 

Positive Test at Entry 

Cocaine Use Indicated 

Marijuana Use Indicated 

Meth. Use Indicated 

Employment 

166 

82 

84 

164 

73 

91 

165 

86 

79 

166 

120 

46 

166 

82 

84 

166 

97 

69 

164 

57 

80 

27 

166 

80 

67 

19 

166 

40 

29 

100.0 

49.4 

50.6 

100.0 

44.5 

55.5 

100.0' 

52.1 

47.9 

100.0 

72.3 

27.7 

100.0 

49.4 

50.6 

100.0 

58.4 

41.6 

100.0 

34.8 

48.8 

16.5 

100.0 

48.2 

40.4 

11.4 

100.0 

24.1 

17.5 

170 100.0 

85 50.0 

85 50.0 

' 170 100.0 

66 3818 

104 61.2 

170 100.0 

74 43.5 

96 56.5 

170 100.0 

116 68.2 

54 31.8 

170 100.0 

99 58.2 

71 41.8 

170 1 100.0 

99 58.2 

71 41.8 

:63 100.0 

55 33.7 

87 53.4 

21 12.9 

168 100.0 

95 56.5 

59 35.1 

14 8.4 

169 100.0 

37 21.9 

31 18.3 

.9 1 

.29 

.12 I 

.42 

I 

.10 

.97 

.58 

.56 

.89 

Never married 97 58.4 101 59.8 

I 

I, ' 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

184 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Acupuncture versus Relaxation: Comparative Treatment Outcomes 

Figure 57 displays treatment performance measures or outcomes for both acupuncture 

and relaxation groups recorded in the first six months of the program. The proportions of 

participants in each group receiving sanctions, recording positive drug tests, and missing at least 

one appointment were nearly identical. About one-fourth of participants in both the acupuncture 

and relaxation groups (25 versus 29 percent) received at least one sanction, three-quarters of 

each group recorded at least one positive drug test (75 versus 79 percent), and 82 percent of both 

groups missed at least one appointment in the first six months. The measures showing the length 

/,I , 

of time from enrollment into the drug court to first sanction, first positive drug test, first missed 

appointment, and mean days confined during the first six months (7 and 10 days respectively) 

were also very similar. The slight differences between the two study groups were not significant. 

Figure 57 Treatment Performance of Acupuncture and Relaxation Treatment Croups in the Clark COUII~ 

Drug Court, March - August 1999 

100 ~A~~~~~~,,~~ Median Number of Neeative 

ORelaxation Performance Measurg 

80 5 

4 5 60 6 

&' t 40 si 5 53 

2 

1 

0 0 

20 

UAs Appointments UAs Appomancnts 

(n - 158/168) (n- IWl68) 

8o 

70 

60 

B 50 

$ 30 

20 

10 

0 

Time to First Neentive Performance 

Measures Mean) 

d 

e 40 

UAs Appointments 

(a-47/51) (n-IlW133) In- 136/142) (a- 155/165) 

Crime and Jurrrce Ruearch Inrnrurr 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

I85 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
e 

, I ,I 

, 

Figure 58 displays additional measures of treatment progress or outcomes. Acupuncture 

participants seemed to have advanced farther in treatment: 54 percent of acupuncture group 

members reached Phase I11 in six months, compared to 44 percent of the relaxation group 

members (significant at p<.05). When the median number of days spent by members of each 

\ 

I 

study group in each trehtment phase are contrasted, again the groups are closely similar-with , 1 I 

the-exception that the acupuncture group recorded a greater average number of days in Phase 111 

(with a median of 20 days) than their relaxation counterparts (with a median of 0 days). , 

Moreover, the acupuncture group averaged 10 days longer in treatment (median, 132 days) in the 

first six monthq than the relaxation group (122 days). The groups averaged nearly ,identical 

numbers of treatment contacts in six months (with medians of 57 and 56 respectively). 

Figure 58 Treatment Outcomes of Acupuncture and Relaxation,Treatment Groups in the Clark County 

Drug Court, March - August 1999 

-- Daw in Each Treatment Phase Most Advanced Treatment Phase Time in Treatment IAssessment 

IO0 

80 

IU 

60 

50 

l Acupuncture 

URelaxation 

B 40 60 

-ii 

2 40 $ 30 

20 

20 

10 

n n 

B 

"I II 111 IV 

(n- 166/170) 

Acupunc- Relaxaflve tion 

(n- 166470) 

Acupuncture Relaxation 

(n- 166'169) 

Total Number of Treatment Contacts 

/Mediad 

Treatment Status fSix MonthQ 

60 70~ 

__ 57 

80 

50 

C 40 $60 

;ii 

$ 30 1 40 

20 

20 

10 

n n 

Acupuncture Relaxation Still Active, Fugitive Still Active, Terminated 

Released Jailed 

(n- 16Y170) (n- I6Wl6S) Crime nnd Justice Research lrrrrirvrr 

Although these findings suggest that participants in the acupuncture group progressed 

somewhat farther through the treatment regimen and recorded more days in treatment than their 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

186 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
e relaxation group counterparts, they showed closely similar statuses in the drug court treatment 

program at the end of the first six months. Most (60 percent of the acupuncture group and 62 

percent of the relaxation group) were still active in the program and in good status in the 

community. Twenty-seven percent of acupuncture group members, compared tQ 21 percent of 

the relaxation group members, were fugitives; about one percent of each group was in jail but 

still in-rpledfog--crotrrt pi6grarn:- By six months,-l+percent-of the acupwcture group and 16 

percent of the relaxation group had been terminated from the drug court for non-compliance. 

Comparative Criminal Justice Outcomes within Six Months 

It, 

Closely similar proportions of acupuncture and relaxation group participants (86 and 84 

percent respectively) had cases involving convictions by the end of the six-month follow-up 

period. (Admittedly, the majority of these are explained by the fact that most cases entered drug 

court after pleading guilty.) The study groups did not differ in the proportions recording failures 

to appear (as measured by bench warrants) over the six-month follow-up (58 and 55 percent). A 

slightly smaller percentage of acupuncture participants were confined at least once during the six 

month observation period (49 compared to 54 percent of the relaxation group members) and 

were confined for slightly shorter periods of time (a median of 14 versus 18 days). These 

differences, displayed in Figure 59, were not significant. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

187 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
e 

4 

I 

I 

I 

,' 

, , I1 

Figure 59 Selected Criminal Justice Outcomes (Six Month Follow-up) of Acupuncture and Relaxation 

Treatment Groups in the Clark County Drug Court and Comparison Group Defendants in 1999 

'09 

80 

sb60 s 

B 4 40 

20 

'0 _"L_ - 

100 

80 

L60 s 

z 2 40 

20 

0 

Failures to ADD= 

loo I cases Resultine in Conviction 

" Acupuncture Relaxation Acupunctum Relaxation 

(n- 15011M/170) (n- 166/170/150) 

Confinements (at Least OnQ 

Acupuncture Relaxation Acupuncture Relaxation 

(n- 164/169/156) (n- 161/164/150) 

Cnmr end Jurfrce Rumch Imtttule 

As shown in Figure 60, participants assigned to the two study groups differed little in the 

extent to which they became re-involved with the criminal justice system in the first six months 

of drug court treatment. Nearly identical proportions of each group (45 percent of acupuncture 

and 46 percent of relaxation) were rearrested for a new offense. Acupuncture participants took 

slightly longer to be rearrested (with a median of 57 days compared to 49 for relaxation 

participants). The two groups did not differ significantly in serious person rearrests (6 versus 8 

percent), drug rearrests (14 versus 19 percent) or in bench warrants issued within six months of 

program entry (36 versus 41 percent). The outcomes summarized in Figure 60 were not 

significant. 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

188 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, Figure 60 Selected Rearrest Outcome (Six Month Follow-up) of Acupuncture, Relaxation, and Mixed 

Treatment Groups in the 12 Clark County Drug Court and Comparison Group Defendants in 1999 

70 

60 

50 

560 .s 40 6 46 -0 

Rearrests ~xcludine Bench 

Warrantd 

80 

Time to First Rearrest (Median) 

57 

Acupuncture Relaxation 

(n- 166/170) 

Acupunch~re Relaxation 

(n - 35) 

Serious Person Arrests Drue Arrng 

k', 4 loo I loo I loo I 

Bench Warrant Arrests 

80 I 80 I 80 I 

Acupuncture Relaxation Acupuncture Rclaxetion Acupuncture Relsxltion (n - 166/170;150) (n- 166/170?150) (n- i66/170/150) 

Crime and Jwricr Rrrcwch lnrtirvrr 

Implications of ExDerimental Findb 

The modified experimental design examining whether acupuncture contributed positive 

early effects to drug court treatment in the first six months was reasonably well implemented. 

Few mistakes in random assignment were detected and the resulting study groups showed few 

notable, and no significant, differences in composition when a large variety of attributes were 

considered. Comparison of six-month treatment and criminal justice outcomes revealed slight 

differences favoring acupuncture over relaxation. The positive (but mostly not statistically 

significant) findings included: a longer time to first positive drug test, less confinement, 

advancing farther in treatment by six months (statistically significant), more time in treatment, 

more treatment contacts, and a longer time to rearrest. These slight differences noted, the 

experimental findings showed substantially similar results when the outcomes for the two groups 

were compared. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

189 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I’ 

I 

The “no difference’’ finding suggests that acupuncture participants did as well and did no 

worse than those receiving other treatment enhancement services (and maybe did slightly better), 

at least as represented by relaxation therapy. We are not able to say that acupuncture contributed 

to better results in treatment and criminal behavior among participants as measwed in the early 

stages (within six months of entry). Because of a limitation of the design (we were not able to 

create a drug courf group receiving no equivalent treatment enhancement), we are not able to 

conclude whether both interventions improved treatment retention and success (and so both 

should be viewed as helpful) or if neither was beneficial. 

, 

JL1 I 

We are concerned that aspects of the experiment in operation may explain these results or 

at least may have biased the outcomes in favor of the relaxation group. Specifically, there were 

some problems with maintaining the integrity of treatment in 85 cases (of 366 total in the study). 

In these cases, participants assigned to one intervention group received at least one session 

reserved for the other treatment group. We noted above that the treatment integrity problem was 

not random, in the sense that 70 involved relaxation assignees partaking in some acupuncture 

I 

compared to only 15 acupuncture assignees who attended at least one relaxation session 

(including 2 1 relaxation members who formally requested acupuncture). 

We would argue that these slip-ups (formal requests, court orders, and accidents) not only 

made a disproportionate impact on the experimental findings because of their number (in favor 

of improving relaxation results), but also that the treatment lapses were qualitatively much 

different. Going from relaxation therapy with its classroom or group counseling atmosphere to 

acupuncture treatments where staff place needles in the ears of participants is a far more 

dramatic change than going from acupuncture to non-acupuncture treatment. Having 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

190 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
participants rejoin their appropriate treatment paths must have added a second disruptive quality 

to the overall treatment experience of participants involved. 

4 Our examination of the impact of this slippage in treatment integrity suggests that the 

slightly positive findings we detected relating to better advancement and retention in treatment 

among participants undergoing acupuncture might well have been made stronger if the treatment 

slippage had not occurred. Initially, we created a third mixed treatment group that included the 

,I I 

21 control participants who requested acupuncture and the 64 participants who received at least , 

one session of the “wrong” treatment. However, site officials correctly pointed out that the 

mixed treatment group was largely composed of relaxation group participants who received 

acupuncture because they were struggling in treatment and they either requested it or were 

ordered to receive it by the judge. Thus, by moving these participants out of the relaxation 

group, the “control7’ group was left primarily with participants who performed relatively well. 

The acupuncture group, on the other hand, was not altered and included all participants randomly 

assigned to it, both those struggling and those doing well. Essentially, by removing the poor 

performers from the relaxation group, we may have unfairly and artificially “stacked the deck” 

against the acupuncture group. Thus, participants were placed back in their originally assigned 

PUP. 

a 

As a result, over 40 percent of the relaxation group received some “dose” of acupuncture 

because they were struggling in treatment (or by accident). The impact or effect of this 

acupuncture dose on their subsequent performance remains unknown. More specifically, the 

important question involves whether the exposure to acupuncture helped those 70 relaxation 

group participants who were struggling. In other words, did the introduction of acupuncture to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

191 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I I ,I 

I 

almost half of the 170 relaxation therapy group members improve what would have been poorer 

results for relaTation? 

I Though we cannot know for sure the effect of acupuncture, there are some indications 

that the mixed treatment group experienced improved performance over time, despite their 

i 

troubles at the start. Tht mixed treatment group posted the longest median time to first arrest (89 

days, versus 54 for acupunctureand 36 for pure rehatio@;*e lmgest'awragetirne ktreatment 

(137 days, versus 128 for acupuncture and 1 19 for pure relaxation), and received the most , 

treatment contacts (median of 59, versus 56 for acupuncture and 54 for relaxation). At the end of 

the six-month follow-up, participants in the mixed group were no more likely than the ,others to 

be terminated (1 4 percent, versus 13 percent for acupuncture and 1 8 percent 'for relaxation), were 

less likely to be fugitive (19 percent, versus 28 percent acupuncture and 24 percent relaxation), 

and were slightly more likely to remain active and in good standing (66 percent, versus 58 

percent for both other groups) We would argue that the struggling relaxation participants would 

likely have continued to perform poorly (or even performed worse) if they had been denied 

acupuncture. However, because of ethical and programmatic concerns, they received 

acupuncture, which for many of them, likely facilitated successful participation in the treatment 

regimen. 

The difficulties in interpretation experienced with the experiment are much like those 

from the descriptive analysis (e.g., cause and effect). In the earlier descriptive analysis, we 

understood increased acupuncture exposure as an effect or consequence of poor performance. 

Similarly, in the experiment, poor performance among the relaxation group often led to 

acupuncture exposure (either voluntarily or by court order). In both parts of our acupuncture 

study, the Clark County Drug Court's reliance on acupuncture as a programmatic tool, 

I 

I1 4' 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

192 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
particularly for those struggling in treatment, clouded our ability to interpret its relationship with 

outcomes. Nevertheless, participants who received acupuncture performed slightly better than 

those who were given relaxation, and there is at least some indication that acupuncture helped 

many of the relaxation members who struggled early-on to get back on track and be in favorable 

program status by the six-month mark. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

193 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I ll 

I 

a , 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

194 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I' 

, 

I 

I I 

VIII. Participant Fees for Treatment in the Clark County Drug Court: 1993-1997 

Paving for Drug Court Treatment Services 

The costs of operating drug courts-and their cost effectiveness-is an important topic 

not examined in this research.'* However, since the inception of drug courts in the United States 

\ 

in 1989, finding the resburces to fund them and, in particullar, to pay for treatment services has 

been one of the most challenging questions facing jurisdictions. The methods for fimding and, 

more particularly, for paying for the treatment services provided to drug court participants are as 

varied as methods for supplying and paying for treatment services in non-drug court and non- I 

criminal justice settings across the United States. The diverse arrangements have been 

influenced by Federal, state, and local policies relating to reimbursement of treatment services, 

the availability and coverage provided by health insurance, the influence of managed care on 

payment for behavioral care services, treatment availability and capacity, and competition from 

many other arenas for the same, scarce treatment dollars. 

The selection of arrangements for provision of treatment services and of payment for 

those services is an important and complex part of the history of the development of drug 

courts-unfortunately beyond the scope of the current research. From the beginning, 'the 

approaches specially crafted to provide treatment in drug courts ran afoul of traditional hnding 

policies and mechanisms. It is safe to say that, over time and across geography, there have been 

wonderful as well as questionable examples of arrangements for treatment services drawing on 

public and private providers, or some combination of the two. We provide this brief introduction 

to highlight the magnitude of treatment funding issues for drug courts. These issues constitute an 

important area for investigation. 

The reader should consult the work of Michael Finigan and his associates for the best and most understandable 

discussions of cost, cost effectiveness, and cost benefits of drug courts (e.g., Finigan, 1998, 1999). 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

195 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Having introduced this major area of investigation relatingmto drug courts and their 

impact, we readily confess this perspective is mostly missing from (and*beyond the scope of) this 

evaluation--except to the extent that we have described the provision of services and their 

histories and influences in our Phase I report. The drug courts in both sites employed private 

treatment providers to manage and deliver treatment services to the drug court population. Yet, 

both sites were influenced in many ways by public funding sources, policies, and constraints, 

whether from Federal grants, state managed care payment policies, insurance coverage, or the 

provision of state fimding to pay for treatment services. 

Requiring Drug Court Participants to Pav for Treatment 

. . . I could have went to a four-week review. Everything could have been good, but I was short 

five bucks and he [Judge Lehman] gets all irate, you know.’ 

. . . It’s hard to give him your money, okay. I know the program itself and everything, you gotta 

pay to be in the program. 

I’ve lost a dozen jobs, although right now I’m not working. My whole devotion is to just make it 

here and somehow get the money every week. (Goldkamp, White et al., 2001b) 

The extent to which drug court participants are required to pay for services is a relatively 

small, but not inconsequential, part of the funding mosaic influencing drug courts. Payment for 

services by participants is important to drug courts for two principal reasons: a) as a matter of 

drug court treatment philosophy that teaches responsibility and accountability; b) simply as a 

matter of revenue to pay for treatment. 

As a matter of treatment philosophy, some courts take the position that their druginvolved participants need to learn responsibility related to family, education, and work. Just as 

they must pay rent for their living quarters in the real world, they must be able to pay for other 

important, basic costs. Thus, requiring payment of fees is seen in these courts as an important 

lesson in managing the basic responsibilities of every day life. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

196 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Other courts choose not to emphasize the payment of fees because they do not believe 

courts should be in the business of raising revenue from individuals. Those not supporting 

payment by participants may also feel that it is unreasonable to ask drug addicts finding 

themselves in the criminal justice system to pay fees; for the same reason, many find cash bail 

unacceptable-they believe that the practice discriminates against the poorest of the poor who 

are-without fi&nEial reCowceCand-sets-fiem Up for sanctions (including jail) unfairly. , Finally, 

some critics have womed about the criminogenic, or co'unterproductive, influence of requiring 

\ 

I 

+ , 

I1 

-_ - 

I 

drug addicts with no money to pay fees, believing that they will find non-legitimate means for 

paying the court fees to avoid sanctions, means almost certainly involving drugs and crime. A 

related concern is that the handling of fees presents an opportunity fof.' corhption among 

employees, or between employees accepting the money and participants providing it. (There 

have been instances, for example, of theft of fees involving court employees in American drug 

courts.) 

Assessment and Pavment of Treatment Fees in the Clark Countv Drug Court 

Both drug courts we studied have required some payment from participants in the 

treatment process as a matter of revenue and as a matter of philosophy. The Clark County Dbg 

Court stands out from other drug courts in its strict requirements regarding payment of treatment 

fees. Because of this emphasis and the availability of records relating to fees and their 

payment,59 this section focuses on a descriptive analysis of assessment and payment of treatment 

fees in the Clark County Drug Court as an illustration of this aspect of drug court operation.60 

59 Note that these findings are not the result of employing a standard follow-up period. Rather, fee infomation was 

examined based on length of participation, for up to three years in some cases. 

The emphasis on Clark County is partly, therefore, a matter of data convenience. More in-depth investigation of a this topic, including in the Multnomah County Drug Court, was beyond the resources of this research. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

197 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I 

In the Clark County Drug Court, defendants who enter the program can have treatment 

costs paid through county fhds6’ (“county-pay”) or they can pay their own treatment expenses 

(“self-pay”). For participants supported through county funds, the judge sets a weekly fee at the 

first drug court appearance. The weekly fee must be paid without fail to the court at each 

\ 

I 

\ subsequent appearance. The drug court policy requires that,participants make their payments in 

court or face possible sanctions for falling behind in payments. (The likelihood of sanction is 

increased if the participant has also missed treatment andYor produced positive drug tests.) 

I1 44 

I 

Participants may be required to pay their own costs for a number of reasons. Their cases 

may involve offenses not meeting the original eligibility criteria; they may be entering , the 

program for a second time and be excluded from support through county fbtiding:’ the participant 

may have been in the program for more than one year and,still be noncompliant (thus exhausting 

the presumption for continued public support of treatment)! In addition, on occasion, 

participants may have sufficient income and employment stability to require that they pay their 

own costs, or may have private insurance that may cover behavioral health care costs. We 

discuss “county-pay” participants first, followed by participants categorized as “self-pay.” 

Figure 61 shows that about 83 percent of participants entering the Clark County Drug 

Court from 1993 through 1997 had treatment services paid for by county-fimding. The 

proportion of participants supported through the “county-pay” approach ranged from 71 to 80 

percent from 1993 through 1995 before increasing substantially in 1996 and 1997 when upwards 

of 90 percent were categorized as county-pay. The implication of this finding is that the large 

majority of persons treated in drug court were supported by public (county) funds and that this 

proportion grew to nearly all participants over time. The increase in participants supported 

61 Each year, the drug court treatment provider negotiates a contract with the county to provide treatment to drug 

court participants. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

198 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a 

through county fhds corresponds to the period during which the drug, court shifted away from 

diversion increasingly to accept participants who pled guilty to enter the court (and were often in 

the drug court as a condition of probation). 

Figure 61 Proportion of County- and Self-Payment of Assessed Treatment Fees among Clark County Drug 

Court Participants, 1993 - 1997 

95 

I County-Pay 

C3Self-Pay 

83 

80 

71 

78 

91 

1993 - 1997 1993 I994 199s 1996 1997 

(n * 2,529/512) (n - 79/20) (n = 70129) (n - 78/22) (n - 9415) (n-9119) 

Study Period 

“County-Pay”: Assessment of Fees 

The fees assigned to county-pay participants were generally small: the median initial fee 

was five dollars per week, both for the entire study period (1993-97), as well as for each year 

separately. The amount a participant was required to pay in court depended on the frequency of 

court appearances; thus, for example, a person appearing before the judge every week might pay 

$5 at first, but a person appearing in court on a monthly basis would pay $20. Nineteen percent 

of participants had their fee amount changed by the judge at some point during their treatment, 

either an increase (58 percent of fee changes) or decrease (42 percent of fee changes). Nearly 

a half of all fee schedule changes occurred in 1997; 80 percent of these involved an increase in the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

199 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
amount required. Change in fee schedule could occur for a number of reasons. For example, the 

judge may assign a higher weekly amount as a sanction for positive drug tests, arguing that “if 

you have enough money to buy drugs, you have enough money to pay your treatment fees.” The 

judge might also reduce the fee amount as a reward for positive progress. Changes in fee 

schedule could also result from changes in the participant’s employment status, for example, 

because of losing a job or getting a better-paying one. 

Fee Payment by “County-Pay” Particbants at Drug Court ApDearances 

Figure 62 examines payment of fees by county-pay participants from the perspective of 

court appearances.62 Overall, drug court participants appeared before the judge about 15 times 

(median) during their treatment experience. On average, appearances more often (median of 

eight appearances) resulted in non-payment of the full amount of assessed fees63 than in full 

payment (median of six appearances). Among 1993 and 1994 participants, the discrepancy 

f between sessions in which they paid their fees and they did not was large. (On average 

participants recorded more non-payment sessions than payment sessions.) However, 1995 

participants averaged more full payment sessions (median, 9) than non-payment sessions 

(median, 8) during their drug court experiences. The ratio shifted back in the direction of 

favoring non-payment (median, 1 1 appearances) over payment (median, six appearances) among 

1996 participants, while the court appearances of the 1997 participants were equally divided 

among payment and non-payment of fees. These findings suggest that full payment was, more 

62 Note that the follow-up periods varied depending on the year. We followed 1993 and 1994 participants for three 

years from entry, 1995 and 1996 participants two years from entry, and 1997 participants for one year from entry. 

Note therefore that 1993-96 participants almost certainly were followed through to the completion of their drug 

court experience. Because the minimum period of time for completion is 12 months, all 1997 participants would not 

have had a chance to complete drug court. (In fact, completions would disproportionately involve persons who were 

terminated from the program short of satisfying requirements for completion.) 

This measure includes instances when participants paid nothing at all and when they paid some part of what was 

owed. Usually the judge asked, “what can you pay now?” and secured part-payment. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

200 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
often than not, difficult for participants and that, on average the drug court would receive 

payment generally below the amount owed for treatment. 

Figure 62 Median Number of Court Appearances and Fee Payment among Clark County Drug Court 

\ Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Year 

20 

1s 

c g 10 

5 

0 

=Number of Court Appcarancu 

13Cour1 qppcaranccs Paid in Full ,, 

15 

1993 - 1997 1993 (n - 2.51 ll2.49D2.492) 

I. 2.3 year F-up 

(n = SOiBWSO) 

3 F F-up 

16 16 

1s 

1997 

(n- 91/91/91) 

1 F F-UP 

Estimates of Averape Fees Assessed. Paid. and Owed by “Countv-Pay” Partickants 

In general, the amount of fees required of individuals was not inordinately large, certainly 

compared to the actual costs of treatment. Overall, about $260 (median) was required of drug 

court participants entering the program from 1993 through 1997.@ Figure 63 shows total fees 

assessed by the court varied over time, peaking among 1995 participants at about $355. (This 

may be explained by a longer average time in treatment among 1995 participants. The greater 

the number of weeks in treatment, the greater the number of weeks during which fees were 

imposed.) 

@ The total assessed amount is determined by multiplying the weekly, assessed dollar amount by the number of 0 weeks that the participant was in the program (also taking changes in fee schedule into consideration). 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

20 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, Figure 63 Total Fees Assessed, Paid, and Owed at Time of Termination among Clark County Drug Court 

400 

300 

’ , 

100 

0 

Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Year 

lTotal Fees Assessed 

OTotal Fees Paid 

OTotal Fees Owed 

275 

260 

235 

- 0 

355 

- 

0 

260 

245 

5 - 0 

1993 - 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1991 

(n = 2.1 19/2,429/2,126) (n - 77/80/77) (n - 6fJi7WM)) (n - 56/65/55) (n - 66/90/68) (n - 87E’IlW 

1.2.3~F-u~ 3 yur F-up 3 ycu €-up 2 ycrr f-IQ I ycrr Fyp 1 yrai F-up 

Crime and Juncc Ruearch lnr~run 

The greatest difficulty in achieving payment of the fees in the drug court occurred among 

the 1993 participants (when the drug court was in its early stages of operation) when payment 

I 

averaged $78 per participant (compared to the $235 owed). A large gap between the average 

amount owed per participant ($260) and the average amount paid ($155) also was found among 

the participants entering the drug court in 1996, a point when the drug court population was 

shifting to post-conviction candidates. The gap narrowed considerably among the 1997 

participants. It would follow that the largest “losses” to the revenue of the drug court would 

have been generated by the first class of participants (1 993) and the last cohort studied (1 997). 

Although these findings suggest that participants as a group frequently did not pay the 

full, assessed amount by the court by the time of their completion, Figure 63 shows that, in many 

cases, they did pay a good portion of it. The median total fees owed at time of termination 

a overall was only $5, and 49 percent of participants owed nothing when they left the program. In 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

202 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

0 

1994, 1995, and 1997, the median dollar amount owed by participants was $0. In 1994 and 

1997, just over half of participants (52 percent and 53 percent, respedtively) had paid the full 

amount and owed nothing (median, $0). In 1995, 62 percent of participants had made all 

required payments at the time of termination from the program. In 1993 and 1996, participants 

were less compliant with the fee schedule,'owing on average (medians of) $23 to $25 at the time 

they left the program. 

, 

JL1 I We were also able to document the actual amount of fees assessed, paid, and owed for 

drug court participants sampled from 1993 through 1997.65 From 1993 through 1997, the Clark 

County Drug Court assessed total fees of approximately $658,682 for 2,113 participants. Of that 

amount, it collected about $543,281, and was unable to collect about $1 15,400 in outstanding 

fees. Thus, the drug court was successful in collecting over 80 percent of the fees it imposed on 

clients, but failed to collect about 18 percent of the expected, fee-generated revenue. 

Pavment of Fees and Drug Court Status I 

a 

The data presented above suggest that the Clark County Drug Court did a remarkable job 

of securing payment of weekly treatment fees owed by participants.& The unrecovered 

amounts-and even the average court appearances not resulting in full payment of fees-were 

basically explained by the participants who were performing poorly and dropping out of the 

program. Participants who would ultimately be terminated from the program would leave poor 

records of compliance with drug court requirements along the way-including non-payment of 

fees. Once these persons were terminated from the drug court (and left to face the consequences 

65 We were able to obtain all three amounts for 345 participants of the 497 sample participants from 1993-97. For 

an additional 51 participants, we could determine the actual amount paid but not the amount owed (or total 

assessed). The remainder of the sample of participants were self-paying and therefore not considered in this 

analysis. 

66 The 82 percent payment rate is outstanding as judged by payment of court fees of other types in most jurisdictions 

in the United States. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

203 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

of conviction, confinement, and revoked probation), the fees they owed were no longer 

'0 

recoverable. Even those participants, however, did not leave very large amounts of fees still 

l 

owed to the drug court. 

This explanation of uncollected fees is supported by the data presented in Table 18 

showing the relationship between drug court outcomes, fee assessment, and payment of fees 

(measured in medians). Participants with favorable outcomes (favorable status, graduation, and 

not being rearrested one year after entry) showed greatdr payment than those with unfavorable 

I 

I, I 

outcomes. For example, those in favorable drug court statuses at the end of the observation 

period recorded, a slightly greater median number of drug court appearances (ten) with full 

payment than with non-payment (nine). Those with unfavorable statuses re'corde'd far fewer full 

payment appearances (two) than non-payment sessions (eight). The ratio (in medians) of 

payment to non-payment among graduates was 11 full-payment court appearances to eight nonfull payment appearances, compared to non-graduates (three full payment to nine non-payment 

appearances). Participants with no rearrests recorded more full payment sessions (eight) to nonpayment sessions (seven) compared to those who were rearrested, who averaged four full 

payment sessions to ten non-payment sessions in court. 

The same picture is found in Table 18 when the measure is median dollars assessed, paid 

and owed by drug court participant^.^^ Those with favorable outcomes averaged close to the total 

amount assessed, while those with unfavorable outcomes averaged far below the amounts 

assessed. Those with favorable drug court outcomes under each measure owed a median of $0, 

while those with unfavorable outcomes owed from $25-30. Over 70 percent of participants in 

favorable one-year status were paid in full (i.e., owed no money) when they left the program. 

Moreover, eighty-four percent of graduates owed no money when they left the program. 

a 67 Note that medians for those paid and owed do not add up to the medians of the total amounts assessed. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

204 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

,* 

, I ,I 

, I 

Table 18 Fees Assessed, Paid, and Owed by Participants in the Clark County Drug Court, 

1993-1 997 

Drue court Status Graduation (2 Years) Rearrest (I Yea$) 

Favorable Unfavorable No Yes No Yes 

Fee Measures Median (n) Median (n) Median (n) Median (n) Median (n) Median (n) 

Total No. Court 19 (1,261) 11 (1,250) 13 (1,697) 19 (813) 15 (1,181) 16 (1,329) 

Appointments I 

Court, Paid in Full 10(1,261) 2 (1,231) 3 (1,679) 11 (813) 8 (1,175) 4 (1,317) 

Full 

Total Fees Assessed $374 (1,094) $125 (1,025) $165 (1,349) $357 (770) $282 (1,015) $229 (1,104) 

Total Fees Paid $295 (1,261) $45 (1,169) $70 (1,616) $330 (813) $255 (1,169) $115 (1,261) 

Total Fees Owed $0 (1,088) $30 (1,037) $30 (1,355) $0 (770) $0(1,015) $25 (1,111) ' 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Court, Not Paid in 9(1,261) 8(1,231) ' I 9(1,679)1 8 (813) 7 (1,175) 10 (1,317) I1 0 

Self-Paving Drug Court Participants 

Approximately 17 percent of participants entering the Clark County Drug Court between 

1993 and 1997 were classified as self-paying for various reasons (described above). This meant 

I, ,I 

I 

that they were expected to pay for the full cost of treatment (directly to the treatment provider), 

rather than paying weekly, court-assessed fees to the judge. The self-paying participants became 

increasingly rare over the years of the study period to less than ten percent of all participants in 

1996 and 1997. Because self-pay participants were responsible for the total amount of treatment 

costs, the median cost of treatment assessed to them-about $1,225-was much higher than total 

fees assessed to county-pay participants (about $260) who were responsible in weekly 

installments for a fraction of the full cost of their treatment. (See Figure 64.) The median 

assessed cost for self-pay participants varied somewhat from year to year, from a low of $1,001 

in 1996 to a high of $1,425 in 1997.68 

Figure 64 shows that self-paying participants overall paid a large share of fees assessed to 

them, about $1,040 (median) of the $1,225 assessed. The record of payment among self-paying 

participants-like county-pay participants-was poorest among those entering in 1993, the drug 

e The small n's associated with self-paying participants, particularly in 1996 and 1997, may account for the 

variation in median treatment fees assessed. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

205 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
a court's first full year of operation, and participants entering in 1996. At the time of termination 

from the program, self-paying participants owed the treatment provider a median amount of 

$270. Just over one-fourth of self-paying participants (27 percent) paid the full cost of the 

program; three-fourths owed dollar amounts ranging from a low of $180 in 1993 to a high of 

$425 in 1994 at completion of or termination from the drug court. 

Figure 64 Total Fees Assessed, Paid, Owed at Time of Termination among Self-Pay Clark County Drug 

Court Participants, 1993 - 1997, by Year 

1,600 

Ih, , 

1.400 

1.200 

400 

200 

0 

DTotal Fees Asssscd 

OTotal Fees Paid 

OTotal Fees Owed 

1.263 

1,225 

1993 - 1991 

(n - 43V394076) 

1.2.3 yeaF-up 

1.200 

1993 1994 

(n- 12/IWIO) (n-20/19/19) 

3 yea F-up 3 y~r F-up 

I .400 

1995 

(n - 23/22/21) 

2 pa F-up 

1,001 

1996 

(n - 8/1/7) 

I year F-up 

1.425 

Although the number of self-paying participants overall is small-and grew very small 

toward the end of the study period, treatment costs assessed, paid, and owed were sizeable. 

Overall, self-paying participants were charged $490,448 for treatment, of which $365,379 was 

recovered and $125,068.59 was outstanding. Approximately 26 percent of the total amount 

charged for self-pay clients was not recovered before participants completed or were terminated 

from the program. Because the treatment provider received no supplemental money from the 

county for self-paying participants, any fees that self-paying clients did not pay contributed to a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

206 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
financial loss for the provider, as services were rendered without compensation. The dificulties 

associated with ensuring payment compliance among participants and the financial risk for the 

treatment provider may help to explain the move away from admitting self-paying clients in the 

later years of the study period. 

\ 

b 

I 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

207 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

208 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Part ThreC 

Drug Courts in Context 

, I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

209 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crime and Justice Research Institute 

210 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
IX. Competition for the Drug Court Population in Multnomah County: The Impact of 

the District Attorney’s Expedited Plea Program (X-PLEA) 

In Section IV of our Phase I report, we argued that meaninghl evaluation should take 

into consideration the influences exerted on drug courts by the environment within which they 

were operating. Using time series analysis, we considered the possible effects on the Clark 

County and Multnomah County Drug Courts of a variety of external factors, including changes 

in law, criminal justice policies, judicial staffing, leadership, the advent of managed care, and jail 

overcrowding measures (see also Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a). In this section, we focus on 

one potentially significant change in the environment within which the Multnomah County Drug 

Court operated, the introduction of the District Attorney’s Expedited Plea (X-PLEA) program in 

1997. The aim of the X-PLEA program was to expedite the adjudication of increasing numbers 

of drug cases entering the court system by encouraging very early guilty pleas; it had the 

potential of competing directly with the drug court for the cases of felony drug defendants. 

, We decided to study the effect of the District Attorney’s X-PLEA program for two 

reasons. First, it represented a potentially significant justice system development outside of the 

drug court that could have had a major impact on its operation (by drawing away the cases 

targeted by drug court), an impact that might have erroneously been assumed to be the result of a 

dynamic internal to the drug court. Second, the parallel operation of the X-PLEA program, 

drawing cases from the same pool as the drug court, raised questions about the relative impact of 

the two alternatives on normal adjudication, whether they were unnecessarily duplicative, and 

the extent to which defendants selecting each option returned to the criminal justice system. 

Although the drug court and X-PLEA alternatives pursued different aims (treatment 

versus efficient disposition of cases), they shared in common the objective to slow or eliminate 

the return of defendants to the system. Reduced reoffending was an implicit rather than explicit a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

21 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

goal of the X-PLEA program, in that little would be achieved by efficient disposition of drug 

cases if the cases disposed promptly returned to the court system at a higher rate. 

, The District Attorney’s ExDedited Plea (X-PLEA) Propram \ 

The descriptive analyses presented in the Phase I report documented the steadily I 

increasing volume of fdlony drug defendants whose cases ,were handled by their enrollment in 

the Multnomah County Drug Court. In 1997, the drug court had enrolled more than 700 felony 

drug defendants, making it-like the Clark County court-one of the highest volume drug courts 

,I 4 

in the United States, particularly considering the surrounding population base and the percentage 

of the relevant criminal caseload it enrolled. 

Despite the strong growth of the drug court, Oregon’s Fourth Judicial District Court in 

Multnomah County continued to experience dramatic growth in the drug-related criminal 

caseload throughout the early and mid-1990s. In 1991, the year the drug court first accepted 

participants, there were 3,837 drug arrests in Multnomah County. By 1997, drug arrests peaked 

at just over 6,000, an increase of nearly two-thirds (64 percent). This period of peak volume in 

drug arrests coincided, by accident of timing, with a period of internal change for the drug court. 

Strong support of the drug court by court leadership wavered during this period and the staffing 

of the drug court was given a lower priority, as non-judge referees and many judges in rotation 

sat for brief periods in the drug court. 

With broad responsibility for prosecuting this growing volume of cases, the Multnomah 

County District Attorney established the Expedited Plea Program (X-PLEA) in July 1997. 

Unfortunately, to a large extent, the X-PLEA program targeted the same felony drug cases 

already addressed by the drug court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

212 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I 

Basically, the X-PLEA program offered to eligible defendants the incentives of prompt 

adjudication (within several days of arrest) and a sentence of one year's probation in exchange 

for an immediate guilty plea. The X-PLEA agreement required 12 months formal probation 

from the offender, subject to all standard conditions in drug cases, and stipulation to Drug Free 

Zone exclusion.69 The eligibility criteria for the X-PLEA program were nearly identical to those 

for admission to the drug court: 

,I,, 

0 

e 

e 

e 

e 

e 

The defendant had to be charged with felony possession of a controlled substance (PCS I, 

PSC 11), or attempts to commit either offense. 

The defendant had to have no other pending felonies or class A person misdemeanors in 

the same charging instrument, or pending anywhere in the criminal justice system. 

The state was not seeking a departure from the sentencing guidelines (signaling that the 

case was unusual for some reason). 

The defendant was not charged with driving under the influence (DUI) in the same 

charging instrument. 

The crime was a level 1 on the sentencing guidelines grid. 

There were no other aggravating circumstances. 

The defendant had not been given a pretrial offer under this program previously 

(defendants who left the drug court during the 14-day opt out period could still enter XPLEA if they pled guilty immediately, prior to the case going to grand jury). 

Procedurally, the felony drug defendant was made aware of the X-PLEA Program at the 

defender orientation, which occurred shortly after arrest (no later than the day after). This was 

exactly the same stage at which defendants typically learned about the possibility of entering the 

drug court. Prior to this program, defendants had two basic choices explained to them by 

defender staff at orientation before making their first court appearance: a) they could have their 

cases adjudicated in the normal fashion in the felony court; or b) they could decide to enter the 

0 69 For a discussion of the drug free zones see the Phase I report and Robinson (2001). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

213 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

drug court treatment program for a minimum of one year, with the possibility of having the 

charges dismissed. Defendants entering the drug court had a 14-day period within which they 

could decide to “opt out’: for any reason (e.g., they thought they had a good chance to win the 

case or they just were not motivated to continue in treatment). Once the X-PLEA program was I 

introduced, felony arrestees were given a third(choice: to enter an immediate plea of guilty ,I I( 

_- 

(within a few days of arrest) and receive automatic probation. 

In theory, the District Attorney’s early disposition program targeted felony drug cases of I 

defendants who were unlikely to enter the drug court-still a substantial number of cases despite 

the success of the drug court-making an educated guess that the prompt case dispositiqn option 

would not draw treatment candidates away from the drug court. 

The Potential ImDact of an ‘‘Easy Out” 

The introduction of the X-PLEA program represented a ‘potentially serious threat to the 

operation of the drug court. The principal fear was that, instead of presenting arrested drug 

offenders with a hard and informed choice between going to trial (and taking their chances in 

court) and entering treatment (and possibly avoiding a conviction), the X-PLEA option would 

give candidates an “easy out,” one that was so attractive that it would undermine the viability of 

the drug court program. A drug conviction and probation, it was feared, would give drug abusers 

a “hassle-free’y option that looked a great deal easier to live with than meeting the demands of the 

drug court treatment process. Moreover, it was feared that X-PLEA would encourage defendants 

initially interested in treatment to drop out of the drug court within the two-week window, after 

they realized that drug court treatment was going to be an intensive, difficult process. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

214 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

We were interested in examining two issues related to the intioduction of X-PLEA: 1) 

the impact of X-PLEA on the drug court's ability to enroll its target population; and 2) the 

comparative impact of X-PLEA on public safety and criminal justice outcomes. 

Impact of X-PLEA on Drug Court 

In the Phase I report, we attempted'to identify the impact the introduction of the X-PLEA 

program might have had on drug court enrollments over time using time series analysis. We 

found, surprisingly, that the flow of cases to the drug court did not appear to be intempted or 

reduced by the creation of the X-PLEA program. In fact, during its introduction, scheduled 

attendance at the public defender orientation and actual enrollments in the drug court appeared to 

increase. The impact on scheduled attendance at orientation yas abrupt and long-term. Because 

the defender orientation served as an initial stage of processing for all eligible felony drug 

defendants (including potential drug court and X-PLEA candidates) and the new program 

included slightly different, expanded eligibility criteria, it made sense to site officials that the 

implementation of the X-PLEA option necessarily increased the volume of cases appearing at the 

public defender orientation. 

The impact on actual drug court enrollments was abrupt and temporary, resulting in a 

one-month increase in the flow of cases into the drug court. In considering the time series 

results, we identified several possible explanations for the association between the start of the XPLEA program and the temporary increase in drug court enrollments. First, the relationship may 

have been spurious, the result of other, unmeasured factors that we failed to identify @e., a onemonth surge in arrestees seeking substance abuse treatment as a result of particularly effective 

media advertising involving the dangers of drug abuse). Second, continuing increases in drug 

arrests and the flow of cases to the public defender orientation may have accounted for the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

215 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I 

I I( 

I , 

a 

temporary increase, rather than the expected decreas’e of enrollments to the drug court. For 

example, there may have been a high-profile drug-sweep conducted by local authorities that led 

to a short-lived surge in,drug possession arrests, which led to the temporary increase in drug 

court enrollments. 

! 

Or, more likely, perhaps the defender’s, staff engaged in pre-emptive actions (either 

consciously or unconsciously) in anticipation of the implementation of the X-PLEA program and 

made a “harder sell” for the drug court option to offset the expected drop in enrollments. Under 1 

this scenario, confirmed by the Defender, the persuasiveness of the defender staff may have 

resulted in the brief increase in drug court enrollments, an increase that subsided once it appeared 

that the concerns regarding the X-PLEA option and its possible impact on the drug court were 

overblown. Possibly, defendants were willing to turn down the X-PLEA option because they 

wished to avoid a conviction entirely, the possible outcome of successfbl drug court 

participation. Regardless of the explanation, time series results show that drug court enrollments 

did not drop off following the introduction of the X-PLEA program. However, because the time 

series analysis examined trends in numbers of cases-rather than in proportions of total caseload 

accounted for by drug court enrollments-it is still conceivable that the X-PLEA program ‘was 

undermining the potential for enrollment of candidates into the drug court, when the overall 

increase in volume of drug cases into the court is taken into consideration. 

As a first step toward understanding the impact of the X-PLEA option, we sought to 

reconstruct the flow of eligible felony drug cases into the court process for the six-month period 

prior to introduction of X-PLEA-the first half of 1997 when defendants either chose drug court 

or normal adjudication. We then contrasted this with the allocation of drug cases among three 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

216 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

options (drug court, X-PLEA, and normal adjudicatioh) during the second six months of 1997, 

when the X-PLEA option had been introduced. 

Figure 65 shows pat, during the fust half of 1997 when the X-PLEA option was not 

available, about 56 percent of all relevant felony drug cases (the target population) were enrolled 

into drug court, leaving about 44 percent to be adjudicated in the normal fashion. During the 

second half of the year, the portion of the drug caseload entering drug court was reduced slightly 

I 

4 

I1 I 

to 52 percent of all felony drug cases, as 19 percent chose X-PLEA and 28 percent were I 

processed in the normal way. Thus, Figure 65 suggests that, during its first six months at least, 

the X-PLEA option appeared to have only a slight effect on the drug court “share” ofithe drug 

caseload (reducing it four percent), but mainly affected the part of the drug caseload composed 

of defendants who would not have chosen drug court. Thus, X-PLEA did not appear to steal 

away cases destined for the drug court, but rather reduced the proportion of drug cases that 

would face trial (or plea bargain) in other criminal courtrooms. In short, the X-PLEA program 

appeared to make an important contribution to the efficient (and timely) disposition of drug 

cases.” 

, 

’O One could argue, nevertheless, that some of the cases disposed under the X-PLEA option during its first sixmonths could have or would have chosen drug court if it had not existed and, therefore, that the X-PLEA program 

prevented the further growth of the drug court. This argument cannot be refuted from the evidence at hand. Given 

the increased number of felony drug cases entering the Circuit Court and the fact that the drug court was 

nevertheless having a peak year in enrollments, the possible loss of a small number of candidates who might have 

enrolled in drug court seems greatly overshadowed by the impact of the X-PLEA program on cases following the 

“traditional” route to adjudication. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

217 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 65 Change of Processing Options in Drug Court-Eligible Cases Scheduled Appearing at Public 

Defender Orientation in 1997, Pre- and Post-Introduction the Start of the Expedited Plea Program 

(X-PLEA) 

Total for Januarv 1 -June 30.1997 

n - 2491321 

(571) 

Total for Julv 1 -December 31.1997 

[Note: There figurer are estimates basrd on dam fmm the Metropolitan Public Dcfmder and Dirbicl Anomeyk Office.] 

Modeling the X-PLEA versus Drug Court Choice among Eligible Felony Drug Defendants (JulyDecember 19971 

The finding that the X-PLEA program attracted candidates from the same general pool of 

drug cases as the drug court but managed, for the most part, to attract defendants who would not 

have chosen drug court raises the question of how the two populations of (X-PLEA and drug 

court) defendants differed. At least two opposing hypotheses could explain the different choices 

made by the generally similar felony drug defendants in the second half of 1997. 

One hypothesis is that the two groups of drug defendants differed little in significant 

(measurable) ways. Instead, the X-PLEA and drug court options met different needs of felony 

drug defendants (i.e., timely disposition of charges without confinement versus treatment and 

possible dismissal of charges). Thus, the X-PLEA program added an option to the adjudicationalternatives routing of cases away from normal processing, one that responded to the almost 

“hydraulic” demand for such alternatives. The X-PLEA option increased “supply” (capacity) by 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

218 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I’ 

opening another, needed exit door from normal processing for defendants who wanted to avoid 

sentences to confinement. Under this hypothesis, the defendants and their cases may have been 

similar, but their own objectives differed. Some wanted to “get it over with” as quickly as 

possible and chose X-PLEA because they did not mind trading a conviction for probation to 

avoid confinement. Others chose drug court because they were attracted by the prospect of 

treatment and wished to avoid the conviction itself. - 

I 

A competing hypothesis, however, is that beyond their surface similarity the two groups 

of felony drug defendants differed in significant (and measurable) ways. Knowledge of these 

differences and their relationship to their processing choices would be of practical significance in 

planning for treatment and dispositional initiatives for drug cases. 

To identify differences predictive of the different drug case routes, we compared the 

attributes of defendants who chose drug court and defendants who chose the X-PLEA option. 

Detailed demographic, current case, prior criminal history, and criminal justice one-year followup data were collected for all defendants (n=lOO) entering X-PLEA from July 1997 through 

December 1997 and for a comparably sized random sample of defendants (n=90) entering the 

drug court during that same period of time.7’ 

We compared the drug court and X-PLEA participants across a range of demographic, 

current case, and prior criminal history measures, and found that the two groups differed 

significantly in a number of ways, but most obviously in their prior criminal histories. (See 

Table 19.) X-PLEA participants were more likely than drug court participants to have spent time 

in pretrial detention on their current case (69 compared to 23 percent), though time detained 

rarely exceeded three days (only seven percent of X-PLEA participants were detained for longer 

7’ This sample included all Phase I 1997 drug court participants who started the program after July 1, 1997, as well 

as a supplemental random sample of participants. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

219 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
than three days). X-PLEA participants more often than drug court participants had recent prior 

arrests (61 compared to 42 percent), theft/RSP prior arrests (31 versus 11 percent), and prior 

felony arrests (68 percent versus 43 percent). They were also more likely than drug court 

participants to have prior convictions for drug offenses (46 versus 26 percent), and recent prior 

failures I to appear (45 versus 18 percent). ,I I 

Table 19 Selected Bivariate Differences between Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants and X-PLEA Defendants, July 1-December 31,1997 , 

Total Drug Court X-PLEA 

Attributes N Percent N Percent N Percent 

I 

Demographic 

Hispanic * 

Yes 

No 

Current Case 1 

Phone* 

Yes 

No 

Number of Charges* 

One 

More than one 

Yes 

No 

Total 

Median days 

Criminal History 

Prior Arrest* 

Any Pretrial Detzntion* 

Time to Program Start 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

Prior Arrest in 3 Years* 

Pending Arrest Charge* 

Prior Serious Person Arrest * 

Prior Serious Proper9 Arrest * 

Prior The3 Arrest" 

190 

17 

173 

179 

132 

47 

190 

137 

53 

189 

89 

100 

189 

190 

133 

57 

190 

99 

91 

190 

24 

166 

190 

45 

145 

190 

30 

160 

190 

41 

100.0 

8.9 

91.1 

100.0 

73.7 

26.3 

100.0, 

72. I 

27.9 

100.0 

47.1 

52.9 

100.0 

100.0 

70.0 

30.0 

100.0 

52.1 

47.9 

100.0 

12.6 

87.4 

100.0 

23.7 

76.3 

100.0 

15.8 

84.2 

100.0 

21.6 

90 

4 

86 

81 

49 

32 

90 

15 

89 

20 

69 

90 

3 

90 

56 

34 

90 

38 

52 

90 

5 

85 

90 

14 

76 

90 

7 

83 

90 

10 

75' 

100.0 

4.4 

95.6 

100.0 

60.5 

39.5 

100.0 

83.3 

16.7 

100.0 

22.5 

77.5 

100.0 

100.0 

62.2 

37.8 

100.0 

42.2 

57.8 

100.0 

5.6 

94.4 

100.0 

15.6 

84.4 

100.0 

7.8 

92.2 

100.0 

11.1 

100 

87 

98 

83 

I5 

100 

62 

38 

100 

69 

31 

99 

3 

100 

77 

23 

100 

61 

39 

100 

19 

81 

100 

31 

69 

100 

23 

77 

1 00 

31 

13, 

100.0 

I 13.0 

87.0 

100.0 

84.7 

15.3 

100.0 

62.0 

38.0 

100.0 

69.0 

31.0 

100.0 

100.0 

77.0 

23.0 

100.0 

61 .O 

39.0 

100.0 

19.0 

81.0 

100.0 

31.0 

69.0 

100.0 

23.0 

77.0 

100.0 

31.0 

No 149 78.4 80 88.9 69 69.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

220 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Table Selected Bivariate Differences between Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants and X-PLEA Defendants, July 1-December 31,1997 (Cont.) 

Total Drug Court X-PLEA 

Attributes N Percent N Percent N Percent 

Prior Drug Arrest * 190 100.0 90 100.0 100 100.0 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No , 

Prior Drug Possession Arrest* 

Prior Felony Arrest* 

anviction in Past 3 Years* 

Serious Properv Conviction* 

Drugs Conviction* 

Drug Possession Conviction * 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

Fe fony Conviction * 

Prior Failures to Appear* 

Prior FTAs in 3 Years* 

79 

111 

190 

75 

115 

1 90 

107 

83 

190 

79 

111 

190 

18 

172 

190 

69 

121 

190 

64 

126 

190 

86 

104 

189 

77 

112 

189 

61 

41.6 27 

58.4 63 

100.0 90 

39.5 24 

60.5 66 

100.0 90 

56.3 39 

43.7 51 

100.0 90 

41.6 30 

58.4 60 

100.0 90 

9.5 3 

90.5 87 

100.0 90 

36.3 23 

63.7 ' 67 

100.0 90 

33.7 20 

66.3 70 

100.0 90 

45.3 31 

54.7 59 

100.0 89 

40.7 22 

59.3 67 

100.0 89 

32.3 16 

30.0 

70.0 

100.0 

26.7 

73.3 

100.0 

43.3 

56.7 

100.0 

33.3 

66.7 

100.0 

3.3 

96.7 

100.0 

25.6 

74.4 

100.0 

22.2 

77.8 

100.0 

34.4 

65.6 

100.0 

24.7 

75.3 

100.0 

18.0 

52 

'48 

100 

51 

49 

100 

68 

32 

100 

49 

51 

100 

15 

85 

100 

46 

54 

loo 

44 

56 

100 

55 

45 

100 

55 

45 

100 

45 

52.0 

48.0 

100.0 

51.0 

49.0 

100.0 

68.0 

32.0 

100.0 

49.0 

51.0 

100.0 

15.0 

85.0 

100.0 

46.0 

54.0 

100.0 

44.0 

56.0 

100.0 

55.0 

45.0 

100.0 

55.0 

45.0 

100.0 

45.0 

No 128 67.7 73 82.0 55 55.0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

* Indicates statistical significance @<.05) 

Conceivably, the more extensive criminal histories associated with the felony drug 

defendants choosing X-PLEA suggested a greater experience with the justice system than 

defendants choosing drug court. This more extensive experience may reflect different attitudes 

toward the criminal process and confinement-with the X-PLEA defendants showing less of a 

concern for another conviction than drug court participants who wished to avoid the conviction 

and have charges dismissed. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

22 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

We employed logistic regression to model choice of the X-PLEA path by defendants 

(combining the two samples). The multivariate analysis (see Table 20) identified participant 

attributes that, when taken together, predicted the X-PLEA versus drug court choice reasonably 

well. These mainly included measures of prior involvement with criminal justice, starting with 

pretrial detention in the instant case (increased the probability of choosing X-PLEA), and 

including prior felony theft arrests (increased the-probabili& of XlPLEA), and recent prior 

faishres to appear (increased the probability of X-PLEA). Felony drug defendants were more 

likely to choose X-PLEA rather than the drug court option if they had experienced pretrial 

detention, had prior felony theft arrests, and recent prior FTAs." In short, using these criminal 

justice measures, we were able to develop a satisfactory model of program choice that fit the data 

well. 

Table 20 Predicting Group Assignment (X-PLEA or STOP) among Multnomah County 

Drug Court and X-PLEA Participants, July-December 1997 I 

- 

Risk Variables Parameter (Sig) 

Detained Pretrial: Current Case 1.899 (.OOO) 

Prior Theft Arrest 

Recent Prior FTAs 

Constant 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Simificance 

Model Statistics 

.931 (.052) 

.935 (.020) 

,].I79 (.OOO) 

203.936 

3.771 

.438 

55.921 L 3 

- .ooo 

N 188 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

The criminal justice-related measures identified in the prediction of the X-PLEA versus 

drug court choice are reminiscent of those found in the prediction of rearrest in Section I11 of this 

On the bivariate level, 64 percent of X-PLEA participants have prior convictions, compared to 54 percent of drug 

court participants. Nevertheless, in our predictive model, having prior convictions is negatively associated with 

choosing X-PLEA, indicating that having prior convictions is associated with choosing drug court. Given the 

bivariate results, we believe there is an interaction effect that is complicating the relationship between group 

membership and prior convictions. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

222 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
report, suggesting that the two groups of felony drug defendants differ mostly in the general 

likelihood that they will reoffend. To illustrate this apparent difference in “risk” attributes 

between the two groups of defendants, we modeled rearrest (measured within one year) among 

the combined samples and constructed a simple risk classification derived from modeling 

rearrest.n We dichotomized the predicted values into lowest- and highest-risk (of rearrest) ), I 

categories. 

classification. Basically, a notably greater proportion of drug court participants were classified 1 

Figure 66 contrasts the risk attributes of each defendant group using this risk 

as posing lowest rearrest risk (79 percent) than X-PLEA defendants (only 50 percent), and a far 

larger proportion of X-PLEA defendants (50 percent) were ranked as highest rearrest fisk than 

drug court participants (2 1 percent). From this analysis of differences between the two groups of 

Multnomah County defendants, we would expect the early plea group to pose a greater 

likelihood of return to the criminal justice system. 

Figure 66 Risk of Rearrest during a One-Year Observation Period among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants and X-PLEA Defendants, July-December 19W, by Risk Level 

lhg Court (n - 89) 

OX-PLEA (n - 100) 

40 

20 

0 

79 

50 

73 The formula derived from the rearrest model is: -1.006 + (.952 x Race) + (1.835 x Recent Prior FTAs) + (1.550 x 

Prior Serious Person Convictions). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

223 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Public Safety Implications of the Drup Court versus Early Plea Option: Reinvolvement in 

Criminal Justice within One Year 

The analysis of the introduction of the X-PLEA program to deal with Multnomah 

County’s felony drug cases in July 1997 has shown that a) the X-PLEA program did not appear 

to involve the same defendants as would be enrolled by the drug court, and b) the X-PLEA 

defendants differed from drug court enrollees principally in the higher risk attributes. Figure 67 

(shows that X-PLEA participants differed greatly also in their rates of rearrest and return to the 

criminal justice system within a one-year period, measured from shortly after their initial arrests. 

More than half (57 percent) of 1997 X-PLEA defendants were rearrested within a year (for any 

, 

’ I/(, 

type of offense), compared to 36 percent of their drug court counterparts. The difference was 

slight whep rearrest for drug offenses are considered: 27 percent of X-PLEA and 20 percent of 

drug court participant^.'^ The difference between the two groups was greater when rearrests for 

non-drug offenses are considered: nearly half (46 percent) of X-PLEA compared to under onethird (30 percent) of drug court participants were rearrested within a year for these offenses. 

I 

! 

Figure 67 also shows that, of those rearrested within one year, drug court participants appeared 

to be rearrested sooner (in a median of 35 days or about one month from first court date) than XPLEA defendants (in a median of 77 days or more than two months). The X-PLEA defendants 

also experienced more days in confmement during the follow-up year (with a median of 18 days 

in jail) than drug court participants (with a median of three days in jail), mostly as a consequence 

of their higher rate of rearrest. 

The marked difference in rearrest rates between the two groups of felony drug defendants 

could be explained by the different constraints of their respective programs or by their a priori 

risk attributes independent from the two dispositional paths. If the explanation lies in the method 

This difference was not significant at the p<.05 level. 74 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

224 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
l 

a of supervision, one might conclude that drug court produces better results because participants 

are more closely monitored; they are required to attend treatment daily, are tested for drugs 

weekly, and attend court usually twice per month. When drug court participants fail, they are 

likely to do so early in the process. Conversely, among X-PLEA defendants the higher rearrest 

rates may have been a consequence of the, less intensive monitoring by probation, particularly in 

the first few months after their pleas were entered. 

I 

Figure 67 Selected Criminal Justice Outcomes among Multnomah County Drug Court and X-PLEA Participants, 

July 1 - December 31,1997, during a One-Year Observation Period 'IO I 

loo Anv Rearrest 

loo I 

'D 2 801 

i: 

100 Drues Rearrest Non-Drue Rearrest 

Drug courc X-PIEA 

(n- 100) 

" x-PLEA 

(n,. loo) in - 90) 

Drug (n - coun 

90) 

x-PLEA 

(n- 100) 

Drug 

(n - - 90) 

100 

80 

% 4" 60 

G 40 

s 

c 

20 

0 

Time to First Rearrest Number of Davs Confined 

Drug cacrc X-PLEA Drug court x-PLEA 

(n - 32) (n - 571 (n - 89) (n - 100) 

*L)Iffcrrncs npfiunt at p < 05 using Kcndsll'r mu-b 

.?-Test ofgoup mpu IS ngnificu~tly different at p < 05 

Crme ond Jumce Rescorch l~ltlulc 

The findings from logit modeling of rearrest in Table 21 suggest that X-PLEA 

participants did worse during follow-up because the X-PLEA option disproportionately attracted 

higher risk felony drug defendants. The non-significance of indicator of defendant group (drug 

court versus X-PLEA) and the significance of risk attributes in the three analyses of rearrest 

suggest that the risk attributes of the defendants accounted for the difference in reoffending. 

e Having been screened selectively from the pool of felony drug cases entering Circuit Court in 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

225 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

Multnomah County, the higher risk X-PLEA defendants then, on the whole, proceeded to e. 

perform as their risk attributes would have predicted: notably worse. 

Table 21 Predicting Rearrest within One Year among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants and X-PLEA Defendants, July-December 1997, Controlling for Group 

Differences and Risk Attributes 

Rearrest Drugs Rearrest Drug Free Rearrest 

Parameter (Sig) Parameter (Sig) Parameter (Sig) 

Detained Pretrial: Current Case .346 (.367) .423 (.309) .309 (.421) 

Race (African-American) .992 (.032) .972 (.020) .624 (.147) 

Prior Serious Person Conviction 1.424 (.040) .496 (.340) 1.280 (.029) 

Group (X-PLEA or STOP) .264 (.495) -.053 (.902) .058 (.883) 

Risk Aftributes 

Recent Prior FTAs 1.708 (.OOO) .583 (.141) 1.521 (.OOO) I 

Constant -1.265 (.OOO) -1.889 (.OOO) -1.455 (.OOO) 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 207.739 189.305 209.459 

Goodness of fit 4.73 1 11.814 2.849 

GF significance .693 .066 ’ .899 

Chi square 52.1 18 15.282 40.771 

DF 5 5 5 

Significance .ooo .009 .ooo - N 188 188 188 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Summarv: The Effect of Introducing the X-PLEA ODtion into the Drup Court Target 

PoDulation 

0 

We examined the introduction of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s X-PLEA 

option for felony drug defendants during the second half of 1997 to determine whether it 

undermined the drug court’s ability to enroll participants from the same target population. ‘The 

Multnomah County Drug Court had served as the principal alternative to adjudication for these 

kinds of cases since late 1991. The aggregate level analysis of the flow of eligible felony drug 

cases entering Circuit Court suggested that the X-PLEA program did not drain potential 

candidates away from the drug court, but rather appeared to attract a sizeable portion of the nondrug court-bound drug cases to the immediate plea and probation option. We concluded that the 

X-PLEA program appeared to be successful in realizing its case processing goals because it 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

226 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
‘e moved a distinct share of the felony drug caseload efficiently to prompt disposition-without 

having an adverse effect on the drug court. 

Our analyses also found, however, that defendants choosing X-PLEA were different 

\ 

from those choosing drug court: they were generally higher risk. In processing higher risk I 

defendants by means of‘early pleas (several day$ from arrest), the X-PLEA program placed those 

mWBlcelprreolTt~ii&h-€he communityyith the minimal supervisory constraints of probation 

in lieu of treatment through the drug court. These defendants accepted a conviction in exchange , 

I1 tf 

for the prospect of remaining in the community, even if under the terms of one-year’s probation. 

The high rate of rearrest among X-PLEA participants (and consequent rate of violation of 

probation) led to their more frequent return to the court system with the result that they would 

more frequently be re-processed sooner and would spend,roughly six times the number of days 

in confinement. These findings suggest that the short-term processing gains associated with the 

X-PLEA program may be tempered by the longer term results. Finally, the X-PLEA program 

did not affect the drug court’s enrollments in the negative way that its supporters had feared. 

One might argue instead that, from the perspective of public safety (rearrest and return to the 

system), the X-PLEA path offered a favorable comparison in support of the drug court rec~rd:’~ 

’’ When compared to the two comparison (non-drug court) groups tracked in the larger evaluation, X-PLEA 

participants performed better than Comparison Group A (those never attending drug court) but worse than 

Comparison Group B (those attending but not entering drug court). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

227 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crime and Justice Research Institute 

22 8 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

X. The Importance of Community Context for “Downtown” Drug Courts 

The evaluation research described in this and the Phase I report has emphasized the 

importance of the conteltt or larger environment within which the drug courts have been 

operating in assessing their impact. We explored the potential influence of contextual or external 

factors, for example in the time series analyses of the effects of laws, policies, administrative 

changes, judicial staffing, and competing programsme coiZtSystem (eTg.JGPLEA) OX the 

drug courts in the two sites (see also Goldkamp, White et al., 200la). In this section, we expand 

I 

4 

$1 tf 

- -- .-.--. ----- -- -- __ - 

this theme by considering drug courts and their participants in their community contexts in the 

cities of Las Vegas and Portland. Although this topic requires more in-depth investigation than 

provided in this report, our purpose in this section is to consider a critical featurd’of drug courts 

that has implications for understanding and strengthening their impact. 

The preliminary investigation of the communitjr contexts of the Clark County and 

Multnomah County drug courts addressed two themes: a) the effect of drug courts on the 

0 

neighborhood (the “downtown” drug court as a community justice innovation); b) the effect of 

community context on drug court impact (affecting the participant’s chances of success). 

Drug Court as a Community Justice Innovation 

The first theme is that, de facto, the “downtown” drug courts serve a relatively small 

number of principal neighborhoods in their respective urban areas. (They do not deal with drug 

offenders from all neighborhoods in equal portions.) This simple and perhaps obvious fact-that 

the drug courts are mostIy working with residents of certain areas (and that their crimes take 

place in fairly specific commercial and residential sections)-makes the community contexts of 

the drug courts a potentially important element in their ultimate impact. From their locations 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

229 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

b Drug Court 

Treatment 4 

downtown, these drug courts serve implicitly, like' other forms of community justice, as 

Drug CoIlimunity ' '1 Safety 

i - 

OffendedResident 

Behavior 

significant link$ between the justice system and specific neighborhoods or commercial districts. 

Figure 68 portray,s this first theme simply by depicting the connection between drug 

courts and neighborhoods as one in which the drug court affects community safety (and civility) 

in the neighborhood where participants reside by improving their behavior (reduced drug use, 

I 

t # 

-- reduced criminal behavior, better family ties, employment, etc.). 

Figure 68 The Effect of Drug Courts on Neighborhoods 

[Drug court affects community safety through treating behavior of drug-involved residents.] 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Recognition of this first community context theme, that drug courts serve mainly 

I 

a 

number of sections of the city and therefore have an implicit link with these principal 

neighborhoods, makes it possible to consider strategies to enhance the effectiveness of drug court 

services that build on these links. Such strategies may take into consideration the specific 

community settings involved, build on community resources already in place, and recognize 

difficulties experienced by residents in treatment when resources do not exist in those settings. 

Communitv Context as a Factor in ParticiDant Performance in Drug Court 

The second theme is that, depending on the nature of the different communities in which 

drug court participants reside, community contexts may influence the prospects for success in 

positive and negative ways. What is happening away from the drug courts, at home, in the 

neighborhood or in the workplace plays a part in shaping the obstacles (or providing the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

230 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
t 

P 

Individual 

Attributes ’ 

b 

I 

resources) facing the drug court participant in t~eatment.’~ Participants’ probability of success 

(or, more negatively, “risk” of failure) is affected not only by thCir individual attributes, 

responsibility, and volition, but also by the environment in which they live and work. 

Neighborhood contexts differ considerably among drug court participants within Las Vegas and 

Portland. 

This theme is illustrated in the simple conceptual model shown in Figure 69. According 

to this model drug court impact is delivered both as a direct effect on offender behavior and 

indirectly as mediated through individual attributes (e.g., a priori risk). However, the offenderresident’s behavior (drug- or crime-related) is also affected by neighborhood influences (e.g., a 

-- 

Offender 

Behavior 

nearby drug market) directly and indirectly as mediated by individual attributes. 

Figure 69 Community Context as a Determinant of Drug Court Participant Performance 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

’‘ This point is not at all original. Consider the rationale behind the development of community corrections, 

community policing, community probation, community prosecution, community couTts, etc. 

Crime and Justice Research Insfitute 

23 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, , ,I 

Drugs and Crime in the Neighborhood , 

The importance of community or neighborhood contexts emerged in powerful foh in the 

focus groups we conducted with drug court participants in each site. Las Vegas drug court 

participants, who were diverse in racial and ethnic background, included longtime residents as 

well as recent arrival; from locations as far, flung as Mississippi, California, Seattle, and 

Michigan. A few drug court participants stated that they did not see pronounced drug and crime 

problems in the areas where they lived (that they and others purchased and used drugs away fkom , 

I 

\ 

I 

, 

I1 4’ 

where they lived). Most others in the focus groups, however, commonly saw a great deal of drug I 

activity and serious crime in their neighborhoods-“drugs, violence, gangs . . . you name it”- 

and were able tg describe the kinds of drug and crime activities associated with locations in 

various parts of town. 

. . . In mine a lot of dealing dope, meth and a lot of ganking other people sh.. for no reason-you 

know everybody gets all whacked out and starts stealing everybody’s sh ... Me personally I just 

get high and do my own thing, sleep around the house you know. 

. . . Well, all the crime boil down to drugs because I used to try to sell drugs to support my drug 

habit and then I got caught, so then I changed over and then a lot of my friends that lives in the 

neighborhood that were drug addicts, they taught me how to become a professional booster. 

Most Las Vegas focus group participants saw drugs as both a major problem in their 

neighborhoods and as the core of much of the neighborhood crime. This drug related crime 

included gang activity, and gang-related crime and violence in particular neighborhoods. The 

neighborhood crime also involved less violent forms of crime, such as prostitution and theft. 

. . . Well it’s like gang infested, drugs infested like most of it PCP, marijuana, crack cocaine that’s 

what I see every day. 

. . . I would say, um, crack cocaine . . . Well, people do things so they can buy another rock, you 

know, from prostitution to gripping people up, robbing them. . . 

. . . A lot of drugs. I mean just the selling of them. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

232 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. . . One of the things I don’t like about Vegas, just my opinion, is when you’re walking down the 

street and they think you’re a prostitute, that’s the worst one here I hate . . . It doesn’t matter how 

big or ugly you are or how you are dressed . . . For me, that’s my biggest problem . . . 

Las Vegas participants believed gun violence to be gang-related. They also mentioned 

’ 

\ 

theft, car break-ins, aggressive panhandling, vandalism, and car thefts as being commonly I 

1 observed. I 

I1 

. . . I work downtown everyday, so I see aggressive panhandling that ‘invelves s&e& psople,,a-iot 

of pinching activity going on, a lot of people drinking arid a lot of car burglaries . . . Out where I 

live, you see more homeless, a lot of people drinking and a lot of car burglaries. 

. . . I seen shootings, like in the summertime you are sitting outside and 1 saw a few shootings. 

, 

I 

. . . In my neighborhood there is a lot of domestic violence openly on the street. It is directly 

related to’ drugs and alcohol. They can hardly talk. 0 4 

. . . There is a lot of territorial crime too, over drugs. There’s supposed to be one’ part of the place 

where these people are supposed to be selling and somebody done came in and so they rivaling 

and he’s jealous. . . 

. . . I guess it was on the next block, I don’t think it was on my block . . . I heard this loud banging 

on my door and you know, I looked out the window and there was just somebody covered in 

blood. 1 guess he was stabbed. . . It was drug-related. 

Participants in the Multnomah County Drug Court focus group resided in distinctly 

different parts of Portland, with a few living outside of the city. Most participants reported that 

drugs were a problem in their respective neighborhoods, but acknowledged that drugs were more 

visible in some parts of Portland than in others. 

. . . I live in North Portland and there’s a lot of methamphetamine, a lot of crack cocaine, a lot of 

weed. 

. . . I live in North Portland also and there’s not so much sales going on as where I use to live. I 

use to live on Mississippi and Skidmore, which is right down the middle of everything. But now 

what I see is syringes at the bus stop, I see truck drivers making deals also cocaine and heroin on 

the train. 

. . . Okay, when we lived on Mississippi and Skidmore, there was not one car that had a radio 

antenna on it in the whole neighborhood, they had all been broken off and made into crack pipes. 

. . . We lived on Skidmore and Mississippi. We’d walk half a block and get crack cocaine any 

time of the day or night in any quantity. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

233 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. . . I live in an upper class working neighborhood just this side of Gresham and I would probably 

say I rarely had to go out of my area to get my drugs. I would say basically alcohol and 

methamphetamines. 

. . . I live in Hilltop. I saw a lot of people using cocaine and marijuana. 

. . . I live in Beaverton and we have like nothing out there. I found when I lived in Gresham there 

was an overabundance of cocaine, marijuana and heroin everywhere, every aparthent complex. 

. . . I live in the Southeast end, you know, a fourplex, and in any direction I want to go, there’s 

something there. Mostly amphetamines. 

. . . Well, I live in Summerlin so there isn’t much crime up there, but I’ve been to the West Side, 

you know what I mean, and I don’t know, I think it has to do a lot like with gangs and just 

protecting your territory. 16’ 

Drup Court Neiphborhoods and the Location of Drug Courts and Treatment Providers in 

Clark and Multnomah Counties 

Identifjing the “Drug Court Neighborhoods” 

Las Vegas is generally divided into three unequal sectors by the intersection of the two 

major highways that offer the principal means of vehicle access within the city. Figure 70, a 

map of Las Vegas (Clark County), shows the locations of the downtown drug court, the I 

treatment center, and the principal residential areas for drug court participants. In Las Vegas, the 

courthouse is located in the “old” downtown in the northern section of the city, while the 

treatment provider’s main location (changed since this study) is situated several miles to the 

southwest, slightly east of the famous Las Vegas “strip” where the large casinos are located. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

234 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 70 Clusters of Residences of Drug Court Participants Relative to Drug Court and 

Treatment Locations in Las Vegas (1993-1997) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

235 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

The principal residential areas or clusters'' of drug court participants, indicated by the 

encircled areas on the map shown in Figure 70, were not distributdd evenly throughout all 

sections of the city. Many of the drug court participants lived in the old downtown area of the 

city, near Fremont Street, a well known street of gambling establishments, residential hotels, 

restaurants, and drinking establishments. The old downtown area of Las Vegas is home to the 

original casinos and hotels of the city, and is easily accessed by all the major highways and 

transportation routes, which all meet in the same area, proximate to the old downtown. The drug 

court is only a few blocks away from Fremont Street, therefore within easy walking distance of 

the residential hotels and the casinos and bars. As the distance from the old downtown increases, 

the density of offender residence decreases, especially to the west. 

African-American drug court participants lived predominately in the north of the city, 

northwest of the old downtown. (See Figure 71.) This area of the city (North) is the farthest 

away from the treatment provider (also visible on the map), located on East Flamingo. Road, 

towards the southwest of Las Vegas. Residences of white participants were more widely spread 

CrimeStat (Ned Levine & Associates, 1999) was used to calculate the clusters of drug sales crime. CrimeStat 

offers three different ways to determine clusters of points (or hot spots as they are sometimes called). See Block 

(1 979); Green (1995; 1996); Nasar and Fisher (1993); Ratcliffe and McCullagh (1998); Sherman (1997); Sherman, 

Gartin, and Buerger (1 989); Weisburd and Green (1 995). This research uses the Nearest Neighbor Hierarchical 

Spatial Clustering (NNH) to find clusters in arrest and residences locations. NNH is not as subject to user definition 

as are K-means, and because this research relies on points of data for analysis, not zones, the Local Moran statistic is 

not appropriate. A strength of NNH for this research, however, is the ability to identify clusters of points in small 

environments (Ned Levine & Associates, 1999). A disadvantage associated with this technique is the inability of 

NNH to help explain why the hot spots cluster where they do. NNH groups points together on the basis of spatial 

proximity (Ned Levine & Associates, 1999). The researcher can define both the threshold distance where pairs of 

points that are farther apart than the threshold are not included in the cluster, and the minimum number of points per 

cluster (Ned Levine & Associates, 1999). To locate clusters of drug offender residences, for example, the threshold 

distance between residences should be long enough to allow a whole neighborhood to be included, but not so long 

so as to "cover-up" and obscure smaller concentrations. 

In order to attain the appropriate distance between residence and arrest for drug possession locations using 

NNH, a very low likelihood value (p value) of the clusters being obtained by chance was used (at least pc.05). 

NNH also requires the user to select a minimum number of events (in this case arrests) that will be used to define a 

cluster. While there is little previous research to guide this decision, this analysis selected a minimum of 25 

residences or arrests to qualify as a significant cluster. The lower confidence interval for the random expected 

nearest neighbor is the criteria that is used for the clustering of points in NNH (Ned Levine & Associates, 1999). 

The equation for the calculation of the mean random distance and the confidence interval that surrounds is shown in 

Levine et al. (1 999: 168). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

236 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
throughout Las Vegas; they were more predominant than any other racial group of drug court 

participants in the western part of the city, which was closest to the treatment provider for the 

drug court. Except for a, slight concentration of residences in the old downtown section of the 

city, Hispanic drug court participants did not seem to be so residentially clustered, bpt were 

living in areas throughout Las Vegas. Participants living near the Fremont Street area were 

racially/ethnically diverse. 

I 

t , 

I1 8' 

Multnomah County and Portland itself are split'by the Willamette River, with the main I 

business district and the downtown located on the western side of the river. (See Figure 72.) 

The Multnomah County drug court is located downtown in an historic courthouse. The 

treatment provider is also located downtown, about ten blocks away fiom 'the courthouse. 

Several large residential areas are located to the east and northeast of the river. In addition, a 

relatively new and large commercial center (the Lloyd District) is also located on the east side of 

the Willamette River, directly across from the central business district. A comprehensive bus 

system fans out from the downtown throughout the city, making the downtown fairly accessible 

to all residents of Portland. 

In Multnomah County, residences of drug court participants clustered in the northeast 

area of the city, the eastern section and the western section near the downtown. AfiicanAmerican, Hispanic, and white drug court participants lived in neighborhoods relatively 

homogeneous in race/ethnicity. African-American residences have been historically 

concentrated in the northeastern sections of the city since the 1940s. These same areas of the 

city are the most economically depressed with the highest rates of high school dropouts. (See 

Figure 73.) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

23 7 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 71 Clusters of Residences of Drug Court Participants Relative to Drug Court and 

Treatment Locations in Las Vegas (1993-1997), by Race/Ethnicity of Participants 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

23 8 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 72 Clusters of Residences of Drug Court Participants Relative to Drug Court and Treatment Locations in Multnomah 

County (1991-1997) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

239 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 73 Clusters of Residences of Drug Court Participants Relative to Drug Court and T%eatment Locations in Multnomah 

County (1991-1997), by Race/Ethnicity of Participants 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

240 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

In both jurisdictions, drug court neighborhoods differed considerably in their proximity to 

the downtown drug court and to the treatment center. Th&, for some, depending on available 

transportation, traveling to the court or the treatment provider might be fairly convenient. 

However, for many others in both cities, especially Las Vegas, the distance from neighborhood 

of residence to court or treatment could be’ substantial. 

Residential Neighborhoods and Crime Location 

,,\, From the perspective of drug court participants, as reflected in the focus group 

discussions held in each location, an important dimension of their neighborhoods (“community 

contexts”) involved the type and prevalence of crime and drug use. Communities within each of 

the cities differ in their proximity to principal drug markets or areas known for high rates of drug 

crime. For drug offenders (substance abusers), the level and proximity of drug crime-including 

purchase, sale, and property crimes to purchase drugs-certainly represent an environmental 

influence contributing to or impeding a participant’s chances of success in the drug court. (A 

participant living in a neighborhood or housing tenement with gang activity, open drug dealing, 

and peers who are addicted would have a more difficult time maintaining abstinence, for 

example, than a participant living in a quiet neighborhood, where crime is absent or hidden, 

drugs are scarce, etc., and most residents are employed.) 

For the purposes of illustration (and perhaps argument), we employ the locations of the 

arrests of drug court participants as indicators of geographic centers of drug crime, drug sources, 

drug use, or active crime areas. Figure 74 identifies 11 clusters of arrest locations (where drug 

court participants were arrested) in Las Vegas. These centers of arresthime activity are not 

spread evenly throughout Las Vegas and they are also characterized by raciayethnicity patterns 

(not shown here). Figure 75 juxtaposes the principal clusters of drug court participant residences 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

24 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
with the principal clusters of drug arrest locations. ‘The degree of overlap between residence 

clusters and drug arrest clusters indicates the proximity of centers of drug crime activity (or drug 

markets) to residential neighborhoods. In some instances, arrest concentrations overlap heavily 

with clusters of residences as, for example, in the predominantly African-American areas near 

the old downtown, the drug court, and the treatment provider. In other instances, arrests cluster 

in a non-residential area, such as near the airport, along the highway, and slightly south of the 

I 

I1 

“strip.” Arguably, drug crime, crime by drug offenders, and drug sales may more or less affect I 

living areas depending on the proximity of drug markets andor the travel paths offenders employ 

to reach their sources of drugs. 

Similarly, Figure 76 identifies the principal arrest locations (clusttrs) of the drug court 

participants in the Multnomah County study, which appear fairly straightforward: they were 

located mainly in the west and in the downtown district of the city. In short, they are far from 

diffuse throughout Portland or Multnomah County. When these arrest location clusters are 

juxtaposed in Figure 77 to the clusters of drug court participants’ residences, the proximity of 

centers of drug crime to principal drug court neighborhoods varies remarkably-and shows a 

strikingly different pattern from that found in Las Vegas. Several residence clusters in the west 

and downtown area are close to or overlap with the two clusters of arrests. All other principal 

residential areas of drug court participants are located away from the arrest locations, sometimes 

very far away. One potential explanation for this is that the transportation system in Portland 

permits easy access to the downtown area where much of the drug crime occurs. Thus, in 

contrast to Las Vegas, there is little overlap between residence clusters and arrest clusters, 

suggesting that drug offenders generally traveled away from their neighborhoods to purchase 

their drugs (and to be arrested). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

242 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

I 

Figure 74 Clusters of Initial Arrest Locations of Clark County Drug Court Participants 

(1993-1997) 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

243 

Treatment Provider and Drug COUI 

Cluster of Initial Arrests 

+ Location 

Cl"*., 

.i 

I 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
'1,' , 

I 

Figure 75 Overlap of Drug Court Participant Residences and Initial Arrest Locations 

among Clark County Drug Court Participants (1993-1997) 

Treatment Pron'der and Drug Court 

+ Louiion 

Clusters of Drug Court Participants' Residences 

Cil&*r 

Clusters of Drug Court Participants'heots 

Cll&*, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

244 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 76 Cluster of Initial Arrest Locations of Multnomah County Drug Court Participants (1991-1997) 

_- 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

245 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
e 

Figure 77 Overlap of Drug Court Participant Residences and Initial Arrest Locations among Multnomah County Drug Court 

Participants (1993-1997) 

- Crime and Justice Research Institute 

246 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Summary: Drug Court Neighborhoods 

The relative location of drug offender residences and arrests (centers of drug crime) 

illustrate the first theme concerning community context and the two downtown drug courts. The 

felony drug defendants enrolled in the drug court reside disproportionately in a number of 

principal neighborhood locations within the two cities. These principal residential locations 

differ in important ways, including in convenient access to the drug courts and treatment centers, 

,in the raciayethnic make-up (offenders lived in areas that are fairly homogeneous), and in their 

proximity to centers of drug crime (as measured roughly by the locations of the participants’ 

felony drug possession arrests). As different as they may be, they are the areas mostly served by 

the drugs courts; they are implicitly the “drug court neighborhoods.” The question raised by this 

geographic illustration of the relationship of downtown drug courts to particular city 

neighborhoods is how the implicit linkage could be made explicit, how the drug courts could 

connect to local resources to strengthen their effectiveness and assist participants in progressing 

forward through treatment while recognizing the challenges that they may face at home. 

The Effect of Community Context on ParticiDant Performance in Drug Court 

, 

One could speculate that a wide variety of features of the neighborhoods in which drug 

court participants resided may influence their prospects for success in the drug court treatment 

process. These could include housing, family structure, social cohesion, economic status of 

residents, employment, etc. There is a large literature on the influence of community contexts 

that provides ample evidence relating to factors in the larger environment that are associated with 

crime (see, e.g., Taylor, 2001). Our purpose in this section of the evaluation research is not to 

reinvent the criminological research dealing with these questions outside of drug courts. Rather, 

the aim of this section is to examine the possible relationships between neighborhood attributes 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

247 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

, , I1 

# 

and the performance of participants in drug court in a selective and exploratory way, beginning 

with consideration of neighborhood l~cation.~' 

I 

4 

GeograDhic Location of Drug Court Neiphborhoods and Outcomes 

In addition to differing in a variety of potentially crime-relevant attributes, drug court 

neighborhoods differed in their location within the two cities (and counties) studied. As a' way of I 

1 

testing the premise that contextual factors play a'part in detkrmining the likelihood of success in I1 

-_ - -- A 

drug court, we chose to examine the potential significance of three "distance" meas~es. The 

measures-distance to drug court, distance to treatment, and distance to site of original arrest- 

, 

, I 

reflected the relative proximity of the residences of drug participants to the drug court 

(downtown), the treatment provider, and the original arrest location in predicting dlLg court 

outcomes. These measures had the advantage that they could be calculated similarly for each 

,I I1 

drug court site. 

I 

Two of the measures, distance to the drug court and distance to the provider, were 

intended as measures of accessibility. In other words, given the different neighborhoods of 

residence and their locations within the cities, the analysis sought to determine whether the 

downtown drug courts and their treatment providers were equally or sufficiently accessible to all 

participants, or whether, because of neighborhood of residence, some suffered disadvantages that 

translated into lower probabilities of success. Accessibility can be affected by a number of 

factors, such as access to and location of public transportation (and the routes traveled), the 

location of highways, access to autos, the ability to pay for transportation, etc. 

~~~~~ 

Given the exploratory purposes of this analysis, we set aside for now consideration of Multnomah County's 

special geographically designed enforcement strategy, the drug free zones (see the Phase I report for a fill 

description). However, these zones that exclude drug offenders from reentering specific sections of the City of 

Portland, are examples of a potentially important influence of a contextual or environmental variable on the behavior 

of the drug offenders who were in the drug court. For an in-depth investigation of the impact of drug free zones in 

Portland on drug crime, see Robinson (2001). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

248 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

, I ,I 

, I 

The third measure, distance from a drug court participant’s address to the location of the 

original arrest (that led to drug court), was intended to reflect the participant’s proximity to the 

location of crime activity. We are assuming, for the purposes of illustration, that the locations of 

I 

arrests (in these predominantly felony drug possession cases) are surrogate measures of 

criminogenic locations, such as drug markets. Thus, the distance fiom residence to an‘est site I 

+ 1 

can serve a) as a rough measure of the crime’ exposure’of the neighborhoods, or b) as an I1 4, 

indication of the travel paths drug offenders took to purchase their drugs. One might suppose , 

then that, when the location of drug crime is very close to residences, the chances (opportunity) ’ 

for repeating the drug offenses (and drug use) increase, particularly in relation to the more distant 

locations of the drug court and the treatment center. Participants who find the court and provider 

fairly accessible but access to criminogenic areas more difficult (they are farther away and harder 

,I ,I 

to get to), in contrast, might have better chances of success. 

Construction of the Distance Measures: A Note on the Data ! 

To construct the three distance measures just described, we collected and geocoded 

location data for participant’s address, the location of their arrests, and used the fixed addresses 

of the treatment provider and drug court. With these data we calculated distance measures from 

the address of participants’ iesidence. In both cities, addresses of drug court participants’ homes 

were located in the treatment providers’ files. The addresses of arrest were located in police 

reports, copies of which were most often placed in the district attorney’s case files. 

The location data suffered from some missing information in each location. Of the 499 

drug court participants in the Las Vegas sample, 308 valid distances could be calculated between 

their home and arrest locations; 436 distances could be calculated fiom the participants’ 

residences to the drug court and the treatment provider. In Portland, the problem of missing 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

249 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
address data was more extensive. Of the 792 potential drug court individuals included in the 

analysis, only 231 had both a correct home and arrest address, and therefore could have a 

distance calculated for their home to arrest location. For 513 of the drug court participants, a 

distance could be calculated between their home and the drug court. The effect of the missing 

data was examined and a correction (for the resulting selection bias) was introduced when 

appropriate in the multivariate ana lyse^.^' A selection bias correction-“predicted missing” 

,variables for both home to arrest” distance and home to court’’ distance-was included in 

multivariate models when appropriate. 

Bivariate Analvsis: Distance Measures and Drug Court Outcomes 

, 

Each of the three distance measures-residence to court, residence to treatment provider, 

residence to arrest-was first calculated from the address of the participants’ residences in miles. 

79 The number of drug court participants in both cities that could be included in the distance analysis was reduced in 

size from the original samples due to missing address data, either for residence or for arrest location. Although it is 

unusual for this type of information to be absent in the agency files at least at some stage of criminal justice 

processing, there are valid reasons for why this type of individual information could be missing or unusable for 

research purposes. The explanation for missing home addresses is usually straightforward; drug court participants 

are sometimes homeless or do not have a permanent address, so they do not have a home address to give to the 

treatment provider or any other criminal justice official upon entry to the drug court program. 

It is the responsibility of the arresting police officer to record the address of arrest. Common practice of 

police officers is to record the closest street comer to the arrest, or to allocate the arrest an address rounded to the 

nearest “100 block.” While this practice is suitable for the needs of the police, and is the only option for types of 

arrests that occur along a street with no exact address, it does not necessarily permit accurate geocoding of the data. 

Spatial data like addresses are more labor intensive and detailed to record than other types of information, and as a 

result, are associated with more recorded errors. Simple numeric or spelling errors, for example, can render an 

address unusable. 

Because the number of cases missing some data was not inconsequential, analyses were performed to 

determine the extent of the problematic nature posed by the missing data. In Las Vegas, the missing address data 

could not be predicted using a large number of individual-level variables; we therefore assumed that the missing 

data were randomly distributed throughout the sample and did not present a selection bias. 

In Portland, however, the missing address data (for both missing arrest and home addresses) could be 

modeled successhlly and were not assumed to be randomly distributed in the sample. The significant predictors of 

missing home addresses in Portland included not having prior convictions in the three years before the current case 

arrest; the drug court participant is of Hispanic origin; the drug court participant is non-white; and if the drug court 

participant did not start drug court in 1991 or 1992. The significant predictors of cases missing a home/arrest 

distance included having an alias and starting drug court in the years 1991, 1992, 1993, or 1994. 

8o Based on the logistic regression model predicting missing home to arrest distance, the equation to compute this 

control variable is ardiscl = -.310 + (.524 x alias) + (.793 x syr9192) + (.660 x syr9394). 

” Based on the logistic regression model predicting missing home address, the equation to compute this control 

variable is hmdiscl = -.122 + (-.717 x prcv3ab) + (1.269 x hispanic) + (-.737 x racedi) + (-.574 x syr9192). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

250 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Three versions of each distance measure were considered in bivariate and multivariate analysis: 

an interval level measure (in miles) and two ordinal measures (an eight-category measure and a 

three-category measure) collapsed from the interval measure. The three-category measure could 

be roughly interpreted as indicating relatively short, middle, and longer distances from residence 

(and is used primarily in the analysis we present here). Table 22 summarizes the’distribution of 

cases and mean values associated with each measure for the drug court participants in Clark 

,County and Multnomah County. 

I, I Table 22 Distances from Residence to Initial Arrest Site, Drug Court, and Treatment 

Provider Locations among Clark County (1993-1997) and Multnomah County (1991-1997) 

Drug Court Participants: Frequency Distributions for All Participants by RaceEthnicity 

[Note: Distances are calculated in miles.] 

Clark Countv 

All Participants African-American White Hispanic 

Distance Measure n Percent n Percent n Percent n Percent 

Residence to Arrest 

Interval 

3-Part 

Total 

~2.7 miles 

(310) (5.26) (67) (4.12) (207) (5.68) (36) (4.98) 

(310) 100.0 (67) 10010 (207) 100.0 (36) 100.0 

30.3 (25) 37.3 (57) 27.5 (12) 33.3 (94) 

I 2.7 to 7.0 miles (1 16) 37.4 (27) 40.3 (74) 35.7 (15) 41.7 

>7.0 miles ( 100) 32.3 (15) 22.4 (70). 36.7 (9) 25.0 

Residence to Court 

Interval (440) (4.68) (99) (291) (297) (5.34) (44) (4.20) 

3-Part 

Total (440) 100.0 (99) 100.0 (297) 100.0 (44) 100.0 

c3.14 miles (145) 100.0 (99) 100.0 (297) 100.0 (44) 100.0 

3.14 to 5.01 miles (145) 33.0 (61) 61.6 (67) 22.6 (17) 38.6 

34.1 (12) 12.1 (125) 42.1 (13) 29.5 >5.01 miles (150) 

Residence to Treatment 

Interval (440) (6.17) 99) (5.96) (297) (6.28) (44) (5.94) 

3-Part 

Total (440) 100.0 (99) 100.0 (297) 100.0 (44) 100.0 

33.0 (17) 17.2 (113) 38.0 (15) 34.1 <4.75 miles (145) 

4.75 to 6.97 miles (146) 33.2 (55) 55.6 (77) 25.9 (14) 31.8 

>6.97 miles (149) 33.9 (27) 27.3 (107) 36.0 (15) 34.1 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

25 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 22 Distances from Residence to Initial Arrest Site, Drug Court, and Treatment 

Provider Locations among Clark County (1993-1997) and Multnomah County (1991-1997) 

Drug Court Participants: Frequency Distributions for All Participants by Racemthnicity 

(Cont.) 

,I 

, 

Mulfnomah CounQ 

I All Participants White Non-White 

Dktance Measure n Percent n Percent n Percent 

Residence to Arrest 6 

3-Part 

Interval 4 (231) (83) (3.64) ( 148) (4.44) 

100.0 t, I Total (231) 100.0 (83)' 100.0 (148) 

4.76 miles (77) 29.7 (331 39.8 (44) 29.7 

>4.57 miles (77) 36.5 (23) 27.7 (54) 36.5 

Residence to Court I 

Interval (5 13) (4.15) (195) (3.81) (3 18) (4.58) 

3-Part 

1.76 to 4.57 miles (77) 33.8 (27) 32.5 (50) 33.8 

Total (5 13) 100.0 (195) 100.0 (3 18) 100.0 

<1.84 miles (1 17) 22.8 (45) 23.1 (45) 23.1 

1.84 to 4.66 miles (209) 40.7 (98) 50.3 (98) ', 50.3 

>4.66 miles (1 87) 36.5 (52) 26.7 (52) 26.7 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 4 

For the purposes of this analysis, three dependent variables were selected to represent 

drug court outcomes: whether a participant was rearrested within one year of entering drug 

court, whether the participant was terminated (unfavorably) from drug court within one year, and 

whether the participant missed five or more required treatment appointments. These dependent 

measures included one public safety outcome (rearrest) and two drug court treatment 

(termination, missed appointments) outcomes. The bivariate relationships between each vefsion 

of the three distance measures and the three drug court outcomes were examined for drug court 

participants in each site. To reflect the diversity of neighborhoods and their locations in the 

respective cities (because location is related to distance from the reference points in the cities), 

we also examined bivariate relationships by race/ethnicity of participants and by region of each 

city.82 This analysis produced six significant relationships among Clark County participants and 

82 In Clark County, the Las Vegas area was divided into four quadrants (North, South, East, West). In Multnomah 

County, Portland was divided into the downtown area, North, WestlSouthwest, Southwest, Inner Southeast, Outer 

Southeast, East, and Northeast. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

252 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

three significant relationships among Multnomah County participants at the bivariate level. (See 

Table 23.) 

Table 23 Significant Bivariate relationship^^^ between Distance Measuresa4 and Drug 

Court Outcomes8’ among Drug Court Participants in Clark County (1993-1997) and 

Multnomah County (1991-1997) 

Distance from Residence to: Drug Court Outcome Sample Interpretation 

Clark County 

Arrest Rearrest (-) A1 1 Shorter distance, higher probability 

Arrest Rearrest (-) Whites Shorter distance, higher probability 

Arrest Termination (-) All Greater distance, lower probability 

,Drug Court Missed Treatment (+) African-Americans Greater distance, higher probability 

Treatment Missed Treatment (+) All Greater distance, higher probability 

Tieatment Missed Treatment (+) North Greater distance, higher probability 

Multnomah County 

Arrest Rearrest (-) African-Americans Shorter distance, higher probability 

Drug Court Termination (-) All Shorter distance, higher probability 

Drug Court Termination (-) Whites Shorter distance, higher probability 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Clark Countv 

The distance from the Clark County participants’ residences to their original arrest 

locations was significantly related to subsequent rearrest and termination from drug court. When 

all drug court participants are considered, the shorter the distance from residence to arrest site, 

! 

the higher the probability of rearrest within one year. However, the longer the distance from 

residence to initial arrest site, the lower the probability of rearrest. Among white participants 

alone, the shorter the distance from residence to initial arrest site, the greater the chances of later 

rearrest. 

The distance from residence to the drug court was significantly related to poor treatment 

attendance (missing five or more appointments) among African-American participants. The 

83 Chi square significant at p=.05 or less. 

Each of three distance measures (residence to initial arrest site, residence to drug court, and residence to 

treatment) was examined in three forms (interval level, 3-part ordinal, 8-part ordinal). Distance was measured in 

miles. 

85 Drug court outcomes were dichotomous: rearrested in 1 year (no/yes), terminated in 1 year (no/yes), missed 5 or 

more appointments in 1 year (no/yes). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

253 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
longer the distance from their residences to the drug court, the greater the chances of poor 

treatment attendance. 

The distance from residence to treatment center was related to poor treatment attendance 

for participants overall as well as when participants in the North were examined alone. In both 

relationships, the longer the distance to the treatment location, the greater the likelihood of poor 

performance. 

Multnomah Countv 

.. 

167, , Three distance measures were significantly related to drug court outcomes among 

Multnomah County participants at the bivariate level. The distance from residence to the drug 

court downtown was related to termination from drug court within one year for all participants 

examined and for white participants when examined alone. 'The closer participants lived to the 

drug court (the downtown district on the west side of the Willamette River), the greater the 

chances of unfavorable termination in one year. Distance from residence to initial arrest site was 

related to rearrest in one year when African-American participants were considered alone. 

, 

Relationshius between Distance Measures and Drug Court Outcomes Controlline; for Participant 

A Priori Risk 

Clark Countv 

Each of the significant bivariate relationships between distance measures and drug court 

outcomes was examined in multivariate analysis (logistic regression) controlling for a priori risk 

attributes identified as predictive of subsequent rearrest in earlier analyses, Table 24 displays the 

results of these analyses for each of the outcomes associated with Clark County Drug Court 

participants. When these outcomes are modeled using risk attributes as controls, distance 

measures remain significant predictors in two instances: a) the distance from residence to arrest 

adds significantly to prediction of rearrest within one year (longer distances are associated with a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

254 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

,I 

lower probability of rearrest); nd b) the di: ance from residence to treatment center adds 

significantly to prediction of poor treatment perfonkance (longer distances to treatment are 

associated with a greater probability of missing more than five appointments, controlling for 

risk). 

Table 24 Significance of Distance Measures in Multivariate Models of Drug Court 

Outcomes among Clark County Drug Court participants (1993-1997), Controlling for 

, 

Participant Risk ' I, 4 

Predictors Rearrest Termination Missed Appointments 

Model 1: Home to Arrest 

Prior Arrests, 3 Years 397 (.002) 

Prior Drug Arrests .682 (.019) 

Prior FTAs .I26 (.660) 

G.6 miles (reference) 

To Arrest (447) 

2.6-6.8 miles -.746 (.014) 

>6.8 miles -.489 (.I 19) 

Constant -.279 (.324) 

Log Likelihood 385.109 

Goodness of Fit 6.526 

GF Significance .730 

Chi Square 42.459 

DF 5 

Significance .ooo 

N 3 08 

Model 2: Home to Court 

Prior Arrests, 3 Years .844 (.OOO) 

Prior FTAs .238 (.298) 

To Court 

c3.1 miles (reference) 

Prior Drug Arrests .739 (.001) 

3.1-5.0 miles -.212 (.401) 

>5.0 -.247 (.324) 

Constant 

Log Likelihood 501.160 

Goodness of Fit 1 1.787 

GF Significance .I61 

Chi Square 101.199 

DF 8 

N 436 

Significance .ooo 

l.479 (. 146) 

,219 (.464) 

,527 (.073) 

(.054) 

(reference) 

.399 (. 193) 

-1.55 (.OOO) 

-.359 (.289) 

356.852 

4.17 

.76 

19.73 1 

5 

.001 

305 

.237 (.428) 

.055 (.850) 

NS (. 172) 

(reference) 

301 (.930)'$ 

.449 (. 146) 

.449 (. 105) 

399.1 I 

7.12 

.523 

5.56 

5 

.35 1 

307 

I 

-.392 (.169) 

.266 (.362) .253 (.328) 

.389 (.161) -.IO3 (.687) 

.I76 (S16) -.I57 (528) 

(reference) (reference) 

.162 (S81) .lo9 (.670) 

.201 (.485) .319 (.212) 

447.499 535.633 

9.768 6.338 

.282 .609 

70.450 29.781 

8 8 

.ooo .ooo 

432 435 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

25 5 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 24 Significance of Distance Measures in Multivariate Models of Drug Court 

Outcomes among Clark County Drug Court participants (1993-1997), Controlling for 

Participant Risk (Cont.) 

Predictors Rearrest Termination Missed Appointments 

Model 3: Home to Treatment 

Prior Arrests, 3 Years 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior FTAs 

To Treatment 

~4.7 miles 

4.6-6.9 miles 

>6.9 miles 

Constant 

Log Likelihood 

'Goodness of Fit 

OF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

.759 (.001) 

,705 (.003) 

,306 (.195) 

NS 

(reference) 

.069 (.784) 

.069 (.781) 

-.739 (.001) 

555.88 

6.387 

.604 

51.037 

5 

.ooo 

.389 (.148) 

.377 (.137) 

.199 (.419) 

NS(.237) 

(reference) 

.3 16 (.240) 

.447 (.097) 

1.673 (.188) 

507.13 

9.29 

.232 

14.66 

5 

.012 

.281 (.253) 

-.025 (.918) 

-. 128 (.592) 

(-048) 

(reference) 

-.012 (.959) 

.538 (.033) 

.317 (.140) 

562.764 

3.796 

.803 

7.669 

5 

.175 

N 439 435 438 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

For white participants, the relationship between distance from residence to arrest site and 

rearrest within one year survives controls for risk. When black participants are considered 

separately, the bivariate relationship between distance from residence to drug court becomes , 

non-significant when controls for risk are entered. When the relationship between the residence 

to treatment center measure for white participants is considered with controls for risk, it becomes 

non-significant . 

Multnomah Countv 

Using multivariate analysis and controlling for participant risk attributes, Table 25 

examines bivariate relationships between distance measures and drug court outcomes among 

Multnomah County Drug Court participants. When controls for risk of reoffending are entered 

in the multivariate models of rearrest, termination from drug court, and poor treatment 

attendance, the residence to arrest measure is not significant when all drug court participants are 

examined. The distance from residence to drug court remained a significant predictor of 

termination from drug court (with participants living closer to drug court having a greater 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

256 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
probability of termination than those living farther away). The residence to drug court measure 

remained a significant predictor of drug court termination only for whites, when a priori risk is 

taken into account. Among African-American participants, the distance from residence to initial 

arrest location remained a significant predictor of rearrest within one year from drug court 

admission (those living close to the sites of their initial arrests had a higher probability of being 

rearrested). 

Table 25 Significance of Distance Measures in Multivariate Models of Drug Court Outcomes 

' among Multnomah County Drug Court Participants (1991-1997), Controlling for Participant Risk ' 

'UhI 

Predictors Rearrest, 1 Year Termination, 1 Year Missed Appointments 

Model 1: Home to Arrest 

Race (WhiteMon-White) .401 (.192) .318 (.325) .252 (.501) 

Alias -1.169 (.OOO) 1.295 (.001) .531 (.182) 

Prior Pending Arrests .905 (.081) .886 (.IO]) .403 (.559) 

Prior Drug Arrests .63 1 (.140) .262 (.579) .052 (.920) 

Prior Convictions for Drug Possession -.619 (.210) -.923 (.099) .I46 (.807) 

To Arrest I 

Control for Missing* -.I45 (.726) -2.944 (.OOO) -.232 (.650) 

<I .83 miles .023 (.950) .052 (.890) .572 (.183) 

1.83-4.66miles -.043 (.907) -.566 (.142) .I93 (.634) 

>4.66 miles (reference) (reference) (reference) 

Log Likelihood 276.151 253.306 2 13.709 

Goodness of Fit 8.292 12.970 9.673 

GF Significance .405 .113 .289 

Chi Square 33.188 53.589 4.578 

DF 8 8 8 

Significance .ooo .ooo .802 

N 229 229 205 

Model 2: Home to Court 

Race (White/Non-White) .303 (.183) .021 (.922) .334 (.287) 

Alias -1.056 (.OOO) .202 (.265) .057 (.814) 

Prior Pending Arrests .817 (.018) .363 (.248) .252 (.606) 

Prior Drug Arrests .627 (.025) .800 (.003) .246 (.502) 

Prior Convictions for Drug Possession -.282 (.375) -.618 (.041) .461 (.285) 

To Court 

Control for Missing -.436 (.025) .043 (.815) .359 (.194) 

<I .765 miles .I84 (.487) .493 (.045) -.I82 (.595) 

I .765-4.5729 miles .I 19 (.607) .368 (.083) -.251 (.377) 

>4.5729 miles (reference) (reference) (reference) 

Log Likelihood 599.608 676.449 404.295 

Goodness of Fit 5.953 12.872 1 I .285 

GF Significance .653 .I 16 .I86 

Chi Square 84.597 17.830 5.640 

DF 8 8 8 

Significance .ooo .023 .688 

N 503 503 3 92 

*Missing address information was controlled for by using a predicted value of missing for each case included in the analysis. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

257 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Summary: Communitv Context as a Predictor of Drug: Court Outcomes 

To examine the premise that where drug court participants lived-relative to their initial 

arrest locations (a.k.a., crime activity locations) and to the drug court and treatment locationwas related to participant performance in the two drug courts, we developed distance measures 

for bivariate and multivariate analysis. We found that in Clark County and in Mulknomah 

County, net of controls for risk, some versions of distance measures contributed to the prediction 

4 

of rearrest, termination fiom drug court, and poor treatment attendance. In Clark County, at least , 

l 

one of the distance measures was found to be a significant predictor of each of the drug court 

outcomes considered. In Multnomah County, some form of two of the measures, distance fiom 

residence to initial arrest location and distance from residence to drug court, added sigdificantly 

to the prediction of subsequent rearrest and termination from the drug court. 

,I ,I 

At this stage of the research, our purpose is to offer an, albeit exploratory, test of the 

notion that aspects of community contexts may exert some influence on the chances of success in 

the respective drug courts. Future analyses and research will explore the nature of these 

relationships between neighborhood attributes and drug court outcomes in more depth. We are 

aware that in each of our sites, interpretation of the findings is complex and requires fiuther 

investigation and explication. For example, the interpretation of linear measures of distances 

from residence to other locations is not straightforward. Drug court participants do tend to move 

from one location to another “as the crow flies.” In fact, between some residences and 

destinations, man-made or natural obstacles (e.g., the Willamette River in Multnomah County 

and the major expressways in Clark County) lie in the path of straight point-to-point travel and 

may have an important role in shaping routes that offenders might travel to drugs, crime, court, 

or treatment. A dramatic example of this is the concentration of crime around the downtown 

I, I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

258 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I , ,I 

I 

district in Portland shaped by the public transportation system or the high drug arrest 

concentration near the airport in Clark County. In addition, distance measures and other 

attributes of neighborhoods interact with race and ethnicity, given the tendency of the ,drug 

offenders we studied to come from relatively homogeneous residential settings. 

These aspects of the findings raise a variety of issues for further investigation. Hdwever, $ 

+ 

in their current form as findings from this preliminary and exploratory analysis, they provide 4( 

evidence supporting both the notions that implicitly, drug courts serve principal neighborhoods , 

and therefore could benefit from consideration of these contexts and linkages, and that these ' 

contexts influence the prospects for success of participants in the drug court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

259 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I( 

I I I1 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

260 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
XI. Drug Courts as Catalysts for Change: Rural and Juvenile Drug Court Innovation in 

Clark County 

At the end of the 1980s, many local jurisdictions were being overwhelmed by the’strains 

placed on their justice systems by the drug caseload generated by the War Against Drugs. When 

the Miami officials crafted the nation’s first drug court as a “homemade” strategy to deal with 

extreme system strain (and severely overcrowded correctional facilities), they were not thinking 

about setting an agenda for court innovation in the United States (Goldkamp, 1999a, 2000). 

’ Instead, they were trying to address caseload problems in a new way. Given the pressures 

building for major change in the justice system, the timing of the Miami Drug Court was, in an 

,,? , 

historical sense, just right. It introduced a new perspective, a new role for the judiciary, and 

alternative methods of disposition that focused on the problems of citizens who found 

themselves in the criminal caseload. 

The Miami Drug Court “broke the mold” of the traditional criminal court apparatus, 

extending far beyond the caseflow management reforms underway in the 1980s and 1990s. The 

ripple effect for change in American courts set in motion by the drug court model reverberated 

widely and was irrevocable (Goldkamp, 2000). The footprints on the path to change could not 

be erased or retraced; the ideas and methods simply could not be called back. The ripple effect 

not only stimulated the development of drug courts across the nation (and later in many settings 

abroad), but also unleashed a creative movement for change that extended beyond just drug 

courts. The drug court response piloted in Miami not only contributed to related “problemsolving” court innovations, such as community courts, domestic violence courts, mental health 

courts, but also changed the landscape of criminal courts and notions of “doing justice” more 

broadly. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

26 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

,. , 

I 

, I 

In Multnomah County and Clark County, the drug courts not only brought about change 

in their specific targeted areas, i.e. the felony drug caseload, they were also catalysts for other 

I 

judicially focused change efforts. In Multnomah County, the development of the drug court was 

part of a larger change’ effort that included the creation of the nation’s first community 

prosecution program (the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Neighborhood DA) (Boland, I 

4 

1998; Goldkamp, Irons-Guynn, & Weiland, 200i). In turn: the establishment of the drug court I1 6) 

contributed to further change in the Multnomah County judicial system-as the emphasis on , 

I 

substance abuse and on community safety and livability merged-in the development of 

community courts in two Portland neighborhoods and paved the way for the design of a soon-tobe implemented mental health court. In Clark County, the adult drug court stimuihted the 

development of a’ first-appearance drug court in Municipal Court (with a focus on misdemeanor 

,I ,I 

cases), both a juvenile drug court and a dependency drug court in family court, and a rural drug 

court initiative. Although the drug courts in both jurisdictions represented important forces for 

change in the.judicia1 system, in this section we briefly illustrate this “impact” of the drug court 

innovation by describing two related or “spin-off’ innovations in Clark County, the rural drug 

court and the juvenile drug court initiatives. 

The Rural Drug Court Initiative in Clark County 

Since its inception in 1992, the Clark County Drug Court has handled a large volume of 

felony drug defendants, most of whom resided in the Las Vegas area. However, the District 

Court serves all of Clark County. With the principal population in Las Vegas, Clark County 

covers a very large geographic area, most of which is desert, rural, sparsely populated, and 

marked by great distances between towns. In its early years, the adult drug court discovered that 

a minority of cases were from the rural areas of Clark County and that, when defendants from the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

262 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
rural areas chose to participate in the Las Vegas-centered drug court, they encountered 

challenging obstacles of distance and transportation. Moreover, they seemed to be involved in 

different forms of substance abuse, more often involving alcohol, the drug of choice in Nevada’s 

rural parts. The idea behind the establishment of Clark County’s rural drug court initiative was 

to develop a working relationship with the outlying, “feeder” Municipal Courts to extend a drug 

court approach to the rural felony drug court participants that would eliminate the need for them 

to travel up to 50 miles per day each way to meet the Las Vegas-oriented program requirements. 

The challenge was to bring treatment services and drug court-like accountability to the targeted 

- I, j--- _. - - -_. , - - _. - - - - - 7- ~ -1-7 -_ 

, 

rural locations, where the population was scattered and resources for treatment were largely 

absent. 

The Rural Drug Court Program was initiated by the District Court, the Clark County 

Public Defender, the Clark County District Attorney, and the director of Choices Unlimited, the 

treatment provider for the adult and family drug courts. The initiative was based on the premise , 

I that no one rural location had enough resources or large enough case volume to support its own, 

self-sufficient drug court. Instead, the rural approach would be conceived as a network or a 

“circuit” drug court to make the drug court mechanism and treatment resources available in key 

rural satellite locations. The Mesquite Valley area (including the towns of Moapa and Mesquite) 

and Laughlin, Nevada, were selected as target locations. Laughlin, located about 90 miles south 

of Las Vegas, is a small casino border town near the Davis Dam and Lake Mohave, across the 

Colorado River from Bullhead City, Arizona, and not far from the California border in a 

spectacularly remote desert location in southern Nevada. The Mesquite Valley lies about 80 

miles to the northeast of Las Vegas and is in an area known for its magnificent landscapes and 

archeological sites. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

263 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Once in operation, beginning in 1998, a district attorney, a public defender, and 

representatives of Choices Unlimited, traveled to Laughlin and the Mesquite Valley (rotating 

weeks between Moapa and Mesquite) to staff drug court calendars on alternating weeks before 

local Municipal Court judges, who served as the drug court judges in special sessions. These 

judges had to be given special authority to serve as District Court (felony4evel)Judges to have 

jurisdiction over the felony defendants and probationers in the drug court. The treatment 

provider rented offices in Laughlin and the Mesquite Valley (trying to rotate service locations 

getween Moapa and Mesquite) to provide services, including drug testing, group and individual 

counseling, and acupuncture to the rural drug court participants on a daily or weekly basis. The 

rural drug court programs in Laughlin and the Mesquite Valley continued operation for 

approximately two years, until funding and resources ran out: During the period of the initiative, 

however, the Las Vegas-based drug court team piloted an approach that sought to translate the 

drug court model to the rural justice context and to meet the challenges of geography and scarce 

resources. Without additional funding, it was difficult to sustain the treatment services in those 

jurisdictions. 

Descriptive Studv of the (Rural) Lauphlin Drug Court 

For the purposes of descriptive analysis-and to take advantage of the opportunity to 

observe a pilot effort to translate the basically urban drug court model to a rural justice settingwe collected detailed demographic, criminal justice, and treatment information for a random 

sample of 100 participants in the Laughlin Drug Court from 1998 and 1999.86 This descriptive 

analysis of the Laughlin Drug Court is included as an illustration of the Clark County “spin-off’ 

~ ~~ - - 

86 We contrast the attributes of Laughlin Drug Court participants with those of the Las Vegas participants to 

highlight their differences, not for the purposes of comparing treatment performance and criminal justice outcomes. 

As we have argued in earlier discussions of our drug court typology, the Laughlin Drug Court differed considerably 

from the urban Las Vegas-based court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

264 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
,I 

effort to bring drug treatment to the rural court population in southern Nevada. The study is not 

intended to assess outcomes-no comparison or control group was sampled-but rather sought 

to characterize the initial operation of this rural drug court experiment. 

DemograDhic Attributes \ 

In contrast with their urban counterparts, nearly all of the Laughlin Drug Court I 

4 

participants were white (93 percent). (See Figure 78.) Thiee-quarters of Laughlin participants I, 44 

were male, about half had a known alias, and two-thirds spent some time in pretrial detention , 

before entering the drug court. Ninety-two percent of participants had a drug charge in the case ' 

that put them in the rural program, the vast majority involving either possession only (67 

percent) or sale and possession charges (21 percent). During the period that the Lapghlin court 

was beginning operation, the Clark County Drug Court was increasingly enrolling participants 

, 

who were convicted of charges other than drug offenses. (Non-drug cases accounted for onethird of the Las Vegas cases by 1997.) Like the Clark County Drug Court, however, most 

Laughlin participants were convicted offenders sentenced to the drug court as a condition of 

probation or as part of a guilty plea; only 14 percent were admitted as part of diversion. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

265 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 78 Selected Demographic and Current Case Attributes among Laughlin Drug Court ParticiDantr. 

80 8a 

8 60 60 

0 40 40 4 

i 

20 20 

n n " 

White African- Hispanic 

American 

(0 - 100) 

80 

60 

40 

20 

51 

Mnle Femnk Yes No 

(n- 100) (n - 100) 

IOE 

80 80 

Drue Chnrees in Current Case Pretrinl Release 

80 ' lL!I , 

- No Possession Sale Saleand " Not Released Released st Reless& " 

Only Only Possession Pretrial BailHearing from 

(" - ] 00) Detention (n - 100) 

Crime ondJvrrice Research ImIiwIe 

Prior Criminal History 

Drue Court Entry 

Diversion Condition of Pled 

Probation Guilty (n- 100) 

In their prior criminal histories, the Laughlin Drug Court participants were nearly as 

experienced in the criminal justice system as their Las Vegas counterparts. Figure 79 shows that 

two-thirds of Laughlin participants had prior arrests and 59 percent had arrests within three years 

of their participation in the program. Only eight percent have prior arrests for serious person 

offenses (compared to 27 percent for the Clark County court), and 12 percent had prior arrests 

for serious property offenses. Again, like the Clark County Drug Court participants, nearly half 

had prior arrests for drug charges and more than half had at least one prior felony arrest. In 

contrast to their fairly extensive history of prior arrests, only 15 percent of the Laughlin Drug 

Court participants had a prior conviction of any sort. (This compared to about 50 percent of the 

Las Vegas participants.) Like other drug offenders, they had extensive records of failing to 

appear in court (40 percent). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

266 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
' I,,, , 

Figure 79 Selected Prior Criminal History Attributes among Laughlin Drug Court Participants, 1998 - 1999 

100 

80 

61 

60 

0 52 a 

E 

Lt 

40 

20 

0 

Prior Arrests Prior Arrests Prior Arrests: Prior Arrests: Prior Arrests: Prim Amsts: Prior Ria 

w/in 3 Yeam Serious Person Serious Drugs , Felony Convictions FTAs 

Property 

(n - 100) 

Crmc and Jvrnce Research INrmnr 

Assessment Information 

I Nearly two-thirds of participants in the rural drug court program were not residents of the 

state of Nevada. (See Figure 80.) The fact that most (58 percent) came from Arizona is not 

surprising given that Bullhead City is separated from Laughlin only by a river and that many 

Arizona residents come to Laughlin to work in casinos and related businesses. Most of the 

Laughlin participants had graduated from high school (63 percent) and were gainhlly employed 

at the time of their assessment (54 percent full-time, 1 1 percent part-time) for the drug court. 

Marijuana and methamphetamines were the preferred drugs of choice indicated by the 

drug court participants at the treatment assessment stage, often in combination. Use of cocaine 

or crack cocaine was rarely mentioned and there was no self-reporting of heroin use. Our 

findings from the Clark County Drug Court showed that the type of substance abused by 

participants differed by race/ethnicity, with methamphetamine and marijuana use more common 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

267 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
among the white participants. Laughlin participants, mostly white, seemed to share those 

preferences. Less than half of the Laughlin participants tested positively for drugs at assessment. 

This is not surprising in a population that is primarily at the probation or post-conviction stage 

(with arrest occurring weeks or months earlier). 

100 

80 

20 

0 

Figure 80 Selected Assessment Attributes among Laughlin Drug Court Participants, 1998 - 1999 

EmDlovmeat \ 

ao 

Educrtiog 

80 

Residence 

Ne~da Arizona Other - Did Not H.S. Diploma/ Some - Unemployed Employed Employef Part- 

(n - 100) Graduate GED College Full-lhc Timelother 

High School @-99;, 

(n - 88) 

Indications of Drue Use Positive UA at Assessment 

100 

80 

58 

Marijuana/ 

Alcohol 

Meth.1 

40 

Alcohol 

Cccamd 

Alcohol 20 ' 

n 

0 20 40 60 80 100 Cocaine/ Marijuana Mah. Yes No 

Percentage Crack (n- 100) 

(n - 98) (n-100) 

Crime ond Justice Rcrcarch Inrtiturr 

Participant Performance and Early Treatment Outcomes 

Figure 81 summarizes selected treatment performance and outcome measures one year 

after entry into drug court. (Like the Clark County court, the Laughlin Drug Court required a 

minimum of 12 months in the program in good standing before permitting graduation.) More 

than three-quarters of participants recorded at least one positive drug test (the median number of 

positive tests was four) while in the drug court. Nearly all missed at least one treatment 

appointment. However, many missed quite a few treatment sessions (with a median of 19 

, 

,, t' 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

268 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
missed appointments). Roughly one-third of the Laughlin participants received at least one 

100 Graduate 

Phase IV 

Phase 111 

Phase 11 

DidNot .. Advance 8 

100 100 

86 

80 

8 60 

80 80 

2 60 

E $60 

1 

sanction by the drug court judge. 

Non-compliance among the Laughlin Drug Court participants occurred fairly early when 

41 

it did occur. They recorded their first positive drug test in about a (median) day or two from 

orientation and on average (median) recorded the first missed appointment in jus’t over a week. 

The median time to first sanction by the drug court judge, however, was 153 days. These 

findings demonstrate tolerance on the part of the rural drug court judge, as participants clearly 

sthggled through the early part of the treatment regimen. 

, 

100 

80 

8 60 s 

I r g 40 

20 

0 

Figure 81 Selected Treatment Performance and Outcome Measures among Laughlin Drug Court 

Participants, 1998 - 1999, during a One-Year Observation Period 

Percentaee with Anv Misconduct Median Numbers of Misconduct Time to First Misconduct 

25 I80 

20 19 

160 153 

140 

c 15 

5 40 

20 8 I 

Sanctions Positive UAs Missed Sanctions Positive UAs Missed Sanctions Positive UAs Missed 

Appointments (n = 100) 

Appointments 

(n = 100) 

Appointments 

(n - 31/80/98) 

1 I1 III IV 

(n - 100) 

Active, 

Released (n = 100) 

The Laughlin Drug Court participants spent, on average, just under one month in Phase I 

of the treatment program, more than two months in Phase 11, and nearly three months in Phase 

111. Less than half of the participants advanced to Phase IV (47 percent) within the first 12 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

269 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
months. By the 12-month mark, about one-third of participants did not advance into later phases 

of treatment (I11 or IV), 30 percent were in Phase IV, and 20 percent grad~ated.'~ At one year, 41 

percent of the rural participants were still active and in good standing, about one-fourth were 

, 

fugitives, and 15 percent had been terminated from the program. 

Rearrest within Six Months 

We were able to employ only a six-month follow-up period from the time of admission to 

,drug court to determine the extent to which Laughlin participants found themselves rearrested on 

new charges. '* (See Figure 82.) Slightly more than one-fourth (26 percent of participants) were 

, 

' IOI , 

rearrested for some criminal offense (excluding bench warrants) within the first six-months. 

Twelve percent of participants were rearrested for drug offenses; few (only 4 percent or less) 

involved serious person, serious property, felony theft, or wkapons offenses. About 12 percent 

of the Laughlin participants were rearrested on drug court bench warrants in the first six months. 

a In the first six months, nearly half of the Laughlin participants had failed to appear in , 

I 

court at least once, and one-third was confined at least once during the follow-up period. 

Participants who were rearrested took, on average, 102 days to their first new offense, or slightly 

longer than 3 months, with a median of 69 days to first failure to appear in drug court and a 

median of 100 days to first jailing after entry into the drug court. 

'' Differences between median times in each treatment phase and the most advanced treatment phase, particularly 

with regard to Phase IV and graduation, are a result of some participants graduating directly from Phase 111. 

" Because of resource and time constraints, we were not able to extend the criminal justice follow-up beyond six 

months. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

270 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

1 02 100 7 100 

6 

85 

=4 

3 

4 s3 

.I 60 

2 

1 

n n 

f 40 

20 

" 

Ams FTAS Confinements Bench Serious Serious TheW Drugs Weapons 

(Excluding BWs) Wanant Penon Property RSP 

(n * 100) 

Times to First Misconduct 

(n * 100) 

Daw Confined 81 

7 

, 0 

Figure 82 Selected Criminal Justice Outcrmes among Laughlin Drug Court Participants, 1998 - 1999, 

during a Six-Month Obsenftion Period 

J'vocs of Follow-UD Arrest 

I percentare with Misconduct loo I I I 

First Arrest First First Days Confined Days Confined (Only 

(Non-BW) FTA Confinement (AI1 Participants) Participants w/ Confinements) 

(n * 26/47/31) (n- IW31) 

Crrmc and Julie Rescorch lnrriarr 

0 Summary: The Rural Drug Court Initiative in Lauahlin 

The drug court team from the pioneering Clark County (Las Vegas) Drug Court planned 

and implemented an effort to translate the basically urban drug court concept to geographically 

far-flung rural jurisdictions within Clark County. The Moapa and Mesquite rural drug courts 

operated from March 1998 through January 2000, when they were discontinued due to lack of 

resources to support treatment. The Laughlin Drug Court, located in a larger population center, 

operated for about two years, discontinuing its services in June 2000. The Laughlin description 

focused on a new court in the early stages of operation. 

Relative to its population base, the Laughlin Drug Court was successful in enrolling a 

large number of felony defendants and convicted offenders who had serious substance abuse 

problems, mostly with methamphetamines and marijuana, and fairly extensive arrest histones. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

27 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

t 

I 

I , ,I I 

I 

In its brief history, our random sample of 100 study participants missed a large number of 

treatment appointments-apparently starting shortly after entering the program and a substantial 

, 

number recorded positive drug tests. About one-third were sanctioned, with sanctions coming a I 

good while after the nod-compliant episodes. At year's end, about one-fourth of the initial 

participants were fugitives from the drug court and about 15 percent had been terminated for I 

, 

non-compliance with the program requirements. In the first six months, one-fourth of I1 0' 

-- - - ~- -_ 

participants were rearrested for new criminal offenses, mostly drug offenses with few involving 

I 

serious (felony-level) crimes against the person or against property. These preliminary and early 

stage results suggest that the Laughlin Drug Court had indeed enrolled challenging substanceabusing offenders who had a need for close supervision and effective treatment. 

, 

,I ,I 

The Clark Countv Juvenile Drug Court8' 

By 1995, it had become clear to Clark County officials that the number of cases being 

filed in the Juvenile Division of the Family Court of the Eighth Judicial District was increasing 

I 

notably, and that an increasing percentage of those youth were drug-involved. Also clear was 

the absence of a mechanism to guarantee substance abuse treatment for adjudicated delinquents 

seeking such services. The Clark County Juvenile Drug Court officially began operation in 

March 1995 as a spin-off of the pioneering adult Drug Court, making it one of the first such 

specialized courts for juveniles in the nation. The main rationale for developing the Juvenile 

Drug Court was to devote special attention to a core group of juvenile offenders for whom 

substance abuse is a key part of their involvement in delinquency. The focus on juveniles and 

their families led Clark County officials to develop a dependency drug court as well, to deal with 

matters of custody and support. 

89 We are particularly grateful to Chuck Short, Court Administrator for the Eighth Judicial District of Nevada, 

Kendis Stake, Drug Court Manager for Clark County, and Judge Robert Gaston for their support and assistance in 

our descriptive research studying the Clark County Juvenile Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

272 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Although the main focus of our evaluation research in Clark County was the adult drug 

court in Las Vegas, we observed Juvenile Drug Court sessions as it operated before changes in 

January 1999 and conducted a preliminary, descriptive study of the Juvenile Drug Court during 

that year as the newly appointed presiding judge of the juvenile court sought to re-examine and 

revamp its approach in some depth. 

Clark Countv’s Juvenile Drup Court: Preliminarv Observations 

The description of the Juvenile Drug Court covered the period, Fall 1999 and is intended 

as a summary of preliminary observations carried out in advance of its planned modification. 

, 

,,I , 

These observations were provided to the presiding judge for his consideration in the planning 

proce~s.’~ We emphasize both the “informal” and “preliminary” nature of these observations. 

Our comments are based on interviews and discussions with court officials, in-person 

observation of juvenile court hearings, and review of three tapes of approximately three days 

worth of hearings for each of the three masters. We organize our discussion into a description of I 

the drug court model as applied to the juvenile court setting, summary of key features of the 

juvenile drug court as we see it (at least based on our preliminary observations), and critical 

review of some of the features of the Court when considered in light of the tenets of the drug 

court model. 

Adauting the Drug Court Model to Juvenile Court 

The diffusion of the drug court model to many adult court systems around the country 

rests on a variety of assumptions, including the following: 

0 A large part of the (recurring) criminal caseload of the courts is substance-abuse involved 

and, for that part, substance abuse plays a major role in explaining involvement in the 

criminal justice system and crime. 

We provided these observations to the Honorable Robert Gaston at his request. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

273 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I , I1 

, I 

0 The traditional “refer-out” relationship between the criminal courts and treatment 

providers (via diversion, probation, parole) has been ineffective in reducing substance 

abuse and related criminality within the criminal justice population. 

Drug courts are based on a new (but not exactly equal) working relationship betkeen the 

courts and treatment providers that brings treatment more centrally into the court pracess 

under “hands-on” judicial supervision, giving a new role to the judge, other courtroom 

actors, and the coh-troom itself. 

Judicially supervised treatment, when combined with ancillary services, will provide 

accountability that increases the effectiveness of treatment, enhances the productivity of 

the lives of participants as citizens, and reduces drug;related crime. 

0 

0 I 

I 

I1 I 

Other assumptions of the drug court model have to do with the power of the role of the judge in a 

treatment court setting, the importance of accountability,’ including the selective use of incentives 1 

and sanctions (Janet Reno’s “carrot and stick”), and the importance of the drug court “team” 

(including defense, prosecution, probation, pretrial services, treatment providers, health, various 

courtroom staff, jail, etc.). (8 ,I 

Application of this model to the juvenile court knot straightforward and raises several 

hndamental issues in devising a “juvenile drug court model.” To oversimplify somewhat, they 

include: 

0 how the tenets of the adult drug court model apply to the special philosophy and purpose 

of the juvenile court, which, at least at its origin, was based on parens patriae and 

making decisions “in the best interests” of the child; 

how the treatment approach from the adult model can be adapted to address the special 

problems of youths involved with drugs (including families and schools in particular); 

and 

how the judge, the courtroom and the drug court team can be adapted to carry out the 

aims of the Juvenile Drug Court (assuming the prior issues are resolved) most effectively. 

0 

0 

The Drug Court Model and Juvenile Court Mission: This first question, really asking 

how a ‘‘juvenile drug court” differs in concept from a ‘‘juvenile court,” has had two kinds of 

responses in court systems planning for juvenile drug courts around the country. The first 

response says that the juvenile court has now changed so much from its original mission-that it 

increasingly resembles an adult court, or at least serves as a feeder court to the adult systemCrime and Justice Research Institute 

274 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I 

I 

t I 

that a juvenile drug court can serve as a means for restoring some of the original values to the 

juvenile system based on treatment and assistance, rather than punishment. The second response 

I 

finds that juvenile court, because of its different philosophy, serves as a better vehicle for the 

treatment-oriented drug cburt model than the adult court does. This argument finds the values 

and practices of juvenile court to be much more compatible with the operating assumptions of 4 

the treatment court model. 

Adapting the Treatment Approach to Address the Problems qf Juveniles: Once the 

conceptual questions about applying (translating) the drug court concept to juvenile court have 

been addressed, the next set of questions relate to the nature of the services that would be 

provided to juveniles in the drug court setting. The nature of services to be provided Iogically I 

,# ,I 

would be determined by an analysis of the problems associated with juvenile substance abusers 

in the justice system. Thus, in differentiating the juvenile drug court approach from the adult 

model, courts dealing with these planning issues have emphasized the following: 

, 

0 

0 

The different nature of substance abuse among youths (including alcohol, inhalants, other 

drug use) 

The importance of family (the role of parents and siblings) and the home 

The role of peers (positive and negative) 

The importance of the school and of linkage with the school system 

The importance of linkage with other social services dealing with children and families 

(human services, welfare, health) 

Beyond providing these kinds of services, adaptation of the drug court model to the 

juvenile setting would also require some thinking about coordination and presentation of these 

services, and how the equivalent of the “new working relationship’’ described under the adult 

model above would be integrated into the operation of the juvenile drug court courtroom. 

The Dnra Court Courtroom “Team”: Adult drug courts have changed the courtroom 

setting by eliminating (or greatly reducing) formal, adversarial procedures and, in some of the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

275 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
best sites, making use of the setting and the courtroom actors in a way that maximizes the impact 

of treatment. (Some judges have seen drug courts as an example of “therapeutic jurisprudence.”) 

Thus, the questions for the juvenile drug court in this area are, a) “Who makes up the courtroom 

team?” and, b) “How should their roles differ from normal juvenile court proceedings?’’ In 

short, the questions would center on how the juvenile courtroom and the roles of the juvenile 

court officials would be adapted to serve the special purposes of the Juvenile Drug Court and 

enhance the treatment process. 

//, , 

This summary of some of the tenets of the adult drug court model and the questions 

raised by the model when translated to the juvenile court setting is provided to illustrate how we 

would begin to look at the Juvenile Drug Court, both preliminarily as we do here, and in more 

depth in a more formal evaluation at later stages of developmknt. 

Description of the Court 

-4s we suggest in our introduction, we do not attempt to provide a full description and 

history of the Clark County Juvenile Drug Court in this report. Nevertheless, to ground our 

, 

! 

discussion of preliminary observations, it is useful to highlight (as a frame of reference) what we 

believe were some of the most salient operational elements of the Court prior to 1999: 

0 The Juvenile Drug Court then operated in three sessions each month; each session 

supervised by an individual master. The cases were assigned to each master 

alphabetically, with caseloads averaging about 30 juveniles each. 

Juveniles were identified at the @re-) disposition stage, after having been adjudicated 

delinquent (Le., this is not a pre-adjudication diversion-type option). They were on 

probation while in the Drug Court. 

Participation was voluntary on the part of the candidate juveniles, once juveniles had 

been assessed (to be in need of substance abuse treatment by the provider, and not to be a 

danger by probation), were found to have three referrals for drug-related matters 

(including the current referral, not including drug sales), and parents agreed to 

participation. 

Juveniles (with parental consent) were provisionally admitted for three to four weeks 

until formally admitted at a Drug Court session. 

Juveniles could not repeat the Drug Court experience (they were permitted one chance). 

0 

0 

0 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

276 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

0 

- 

0 

Juveniles entering the court may or may not have been facing the likelihood of secure 

confinement as a disposition, but the Drug Court operated in a setting that had limited 

local capacity for secure detention. 

The four-phase treatment program was designed for a 12-month period, with some earlier 

graduation in successhl cases. This included two to three group sessions per week, 

supplemented by individual sessions. Acupuncture was mandatory during the first phase 

(detoxification). Urinalysis was required three times per week during Phases I and 11, 

two times per week thereafter. 

0 The juvenile attended a monthly Drug Court session, accompanied by a parent. t 

Application of the Drug Court Model to the Juvenile Court in Clark County: The Target I, 

Population Rationale 

We have not discussed the origins of the Juvenile Drug Court in Clark County with local 

officials in sufficient depth to feel confident about our observations concerning the rationale for 

its separate existence. We would like to begin even preliminary assessment of the Juvenile Drug 

Court by asking, “Why do you need a drug court for juveniles?’’ and “What is fit that the drug 

court would do that juvenile court cannot do itself?” Depending on the answers to those 

questions, we would know how to assess the development and operation of the Drug Court in 

light of its special mission. 

The Juvenile Drug Court “handbook” did not appear to address the special mission of the 

Drug Court beyond stating that “The Juvenile Drug Court is a twelve-month program aimed at 

intervening in drug-using and criminal behavior through intense supervision and participatioh in 

recovery services.” It is our impression from interviews we conducted that the main rationale for 

the Juvenile Drug Court was that the Court wished to devote special attention to a core group of 

juvenile offenders for whom substance abuse appeared to play a key part of their involvement in 

delinquency. In our discussions, officials emphasized the increasingly serious role that substance 

abuse appeared to play in the behaviors of youths processed in juvenile court. Thus, at least the 

implicit rationale for the Juvenile Drug Court was one based on the need to deal with a 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

277 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
“ *I m.1, 

I 

significant target population differently. Hence, the need for a special court devoted to 

substance-involved youths. 

Access to that significant target population was narrowed by the structure of the Juvenile 

Drug Court because it focused only on adjudicated youths who reached the disposition stage of 

the process. Although there may be many practical reasons for that focus (such as the issues and 

rights associated with juveniles at the pre-adjudication stages of processing), the Court’s target 

was made more restrictive than the available target population by including only those reaching 

the disposition stage. In addition, provision of treatment and the intensive supervision provided 

by the Juvenile Drug Court was delayed until the disposition stage, making the impact of the 

Court less “immediate” than its adult counterparts in Las Vegas and elsewhere where they 

focused on diversion at the post-arrest stage. 

AdaDtinn the Drug Court Treatment Amroach to the Problems of Juveniles 

In the area of translating the adult treatment model to a juvenile court setting, we can 

identify questions worth investigating in greater depth as the court continues to develop and 

, 

grow. 

Dealing with Different Substance Abuse Patterns and Treatment Needs: One of the 

implications of translating the drug court model from the adult to the juvenile setting is that the 

problems and needs for services associated with juveniles will be quite different from those dealt 

with in adult court. Although some juvenile substance abusers have “habits” as serious as adults, 

many have different sorts of abuse problems, perhaps focusing more on alcohol, inhalants of 

various types, or precursor drugs that suggest more serious problems ahead. A question we are 

not able to answer at this point is how the treatment approach employed by the Clark County 

Juvenile Drug Court addressed the sometimes special and different nature of substance abuse 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

278 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
among the young. (The manual describes the phases and requirements of outpatient treatment, 

but does not explicitly address the special issues that might be presented by juvenile drug use.) 

Dificultv in Addressina the Role of Parents in Changina the Behavior of Youths: The 

Juvenile Drug Court and the treatment program have recognized the central role of the parents in 

dealing with substance abuse and delinquency problems. Hours of observation of the Drug 

Court video-recorded sessions revealed that each master emphasized the role of parents, 

routinely speaking with them about the youth’s progress at home during court status reviews. 

The treatment program gave incentives for participation of parents and even held parent groups 

to address the special problems parents may face. Interviews with the treatment provider and at 

least one of the masters indicated that encouraging active participation on the part of parents 

represented one of the greatest challenges of the Juvenile Drug Court process. 

Absence of a Central Role for the School System: The treatment program incorporated a 

role for school attendance in a juvenile’s progress through treatment. However, preliminarily at , 

I least, it appeared that meaningful involvement of the school system in the work of the Juvenile 

Drug Court had been absent. Development of a partnership with the school system was a major 

element that was subsequently added by Judge Gaston-a former school principal-to the Court 

to enhance the effectiveness of its treatment approach. 

Addressing the Role of Peers: We are not able to identify specific ways in which the 

Juvenile Drug Court had sought to deal with the positive and negative influences of peers on 

juveniles who were involved in drugs and delinquency. This may be because we were simply 

unaware of the Court’s approaches in this area. However, the role of peers is likely to be 

important in a drug court approach adapted to handle the behaviors of juveniles. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

279 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
4 

,I 

The Role of the Judge. the Courtroom and the Drug: Court Team 

The Use of the Dm2 Court Courtroom: Two of the three hearing masters whose sessions 

we observed proceeded on a case by case basis with one juvenile (and parent) at a time being 

ushered into the courtroom to appear before the judge. This approach more resembled traditional 

, juvenile court proceedings in which the full attention of the judge (and use of the courtroom) is 

+ 

focused on the matter of the juvenile before him or her. The advantage of this approach is the t( 3 

individual attention given to each juvenile’s case. In the Drug Court setting, it represented a 

rather private hearing and, often, personal conversation among the court actors and between the I 

judge, the juvenile, and hisher parent(s). 

This single-case-in-the-courtroom-at-a-time approach in the Juvenile Drug Court did not 

resemble the metliod usually taken by adult drug courts. Rather, on the theory that the courtroom 

, 

and its actors were to be employed to maximum “therapeutic effect,” most adult drug courts fill 

the courtroom with the day’s participants before beginning to address each individual’s progress 

and status. This approach has been taken because of the belief that participants gain important 

insights observing court proceedings as other cases are dealt with. In short, under this adult drug 

court model, the courtroom has been viewed as an important tool for educating individuals about 

the treatment process-in fact, some courts organize courtroom proceedings in a certain order to 

obtain maximum educational impact. So, for example, new participants might go last, so that 

they can observe all the other kinds of situations in which drug court participants might be found. 

Persons about to be terminated or being held on bench warrants might go first, as part of an 

object lesson about how failure to follow the requirements of the program is dealt with. Next, a 

particular judge might hold status or progress-review hearings in which the individual progress 

of each enrolled participant is discussed. The positive and negative developments involving 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

280 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

*a,, I*( 

I I 

other individuals as they progress through treatment and the responses of the judge and other 

actors in the courtroom can serve as important information for the new participant about what to 

expect in the program. 

In contrast, one of the three hearing masters did gather all of the day’s participants and 

parents into the courtroom before the beginning of proceedings. All watched as juvenile 

participants had their appointment before the judge: some graduated and were commended, 

some were involved in long and difficult discussions about their progress in the program, and 

some were sent into temporary secure detention or terminated from the program and sent to other 

facilities. This approach had two effects: a) it treated the courtroom as a classroom where all 

were observing and, hopefully, learning; and b) it dealt-at least indirectly-with the role of 

peers. When appearing before this hearing master, each juvenile had his or her business dealt 

with in front of peers and family members. Thus, this hearing master used the courtroom to 

great advantage in “spreading the word” about Drug Court to a large number of people, 

providing dramatic examples of its expectations and consequences. t 

The Drua Court Team: From our observation and review of the tapes of hearings of the 

three masters, the Juvenile Drug Court team included the judge, a probation officer (sometimes 

alternating in different cases), a prosecutor, a representative of the treatment provider, a clerk, 

and a bailiff (court officer). The three hearing masters differed in their approaches with 

individual cases (ie., they differed in their “routines”). Nevertheless, they shared in common the 

central role they gave to the probation officer. The probation officer usually started off each case 

by summarizing the progress of the juvenile in treatment to date, including a statement about the 

positive achievements or the problems associated with each case. The probation officer usually 

concluded with a recommendation either advancing the juvenile in the program or calling for 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

28 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
certain action by the judge, including termination and, sometimes, confinement. The prosecutor 

was infrequently consulted; however, when he was consulted, it usuaily had to do with a new 

arrest or a request to terminate a non-compliant participant. The treatment provider 

representative was called upon differently by different masters, playing a more central role (as 

the up-to-date information provider on treatment progress and attitude) for one master and a 

more marginal role for the others. 

The custom of opening the court with the probation officer’s report seemed “nomal” 

fi-om some perspectives. First, this role is compatible with the traditional and special role of the 

, 

probation officer in juvenile court proceedings. Second, because the Clark County Juvenile 

Drug Court involves juveniles who are also placed on probation, it follows that the Juvenile Drug 

Court emphasizes probation, and seems, at least in this I respect, to resemble a juvenile 

“probation” court. Thus, a real difference in the roles between the adult drug court model and 

the juvenile drug court is that the probation officer has become the spokesperson for the , 

I treatment experience and the progress of the youth. This version of the “new working 

relationship’’ between the judiciary and the drug treatment that shaped the original adult drug 

courts appeared to place the probation officer at the center of the process and leave a more 

marginal, informational role for the representative of the treatment provider. In fact, that 

relationship remained fairly close to the traditional “referred out’’ arrangement between the court, 

probation, and treatment. 

Other Observations 

Our review of the tapes of each of the hearing master’s sessions raises a variety of 

questions that may be worth considering as the Juvenile Drug Court continues to develop and 

change. We highlight these briefly here. 

Crime and Justice Research Znstitute 

282 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Multiule Judaes (Hearina Masters): A number of drug courts in the country have 

thought about whether it is possible to create a drug court caseload that is distributed over several 

judges on a part-time basis to be worked into their other overall responsibilities. In some 

settings, this approach has some real benefits, including sharing of the workload, resource 

I 

efficiency, and the availability of back-up judges to cover when necessary. For the overall drug 

+ 

court program to be coherent, however, this model presumes a great deal of mutual consultation I, 

and coordination among the different judges as well as between the team of judges and'the other , 

courtroom actors. Perhaps the most important disadvantage associated with the multiple judge 

approach is inconsistency in program presentation (participants in the different courts may feel 

that they are in different drug court programs) and lack of close coordination between the several 

judges and the agencies that serve the drug court. 

The tapes of the different masters showed different styles, as one would expect, but each 

master appeared committed, interested in the youths, and genuinely engaged in the treatment 

process and in discussions with the youths and their parents. The masters had slightly different 

0 

ways of proceeding. (An important exception, as we noted above, was in their use of the 

courtroom, with one master bringing all participants in for the whole session.) They had 

different ways of preparing for each individual hearing, they differed in how they relied on the 

courtroom actors, and employed different responses to positive and negative developments in 

particular cases. It appeared from the cases we were able to observe that the masters differed as 

well in their use of confinement. 

Given the relatively small drug court caseloads supervised by each master, a question for 

the hture development of the court is whether program consistency could be improved and 

resources better coordinated with a single caseload to be supervised under a single judge. This 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

283 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

a approach might enhance the prospects of developing useful relationships with the school system 

and other important service organizations as well. Our discussions with participants in adult 

drug courts (including in Las Vegas) suggest that the single-judge approach may prove more 

effective and help hold participants fully accountable for their behaviors. Earlier in this report, 

we examined empirically the effect of judicial staffing changes on drug court outcome-and 

found them to be significant. 

I Tarnetinn and Caseload: We were simply unaware of the rationale for the focus on the 

population targeted by the Juvenile Drug Court, consisting of drug-involved youths with two 

prior involvements who were at the disposition stage in a current case. Our observations and 

interviews raised two questions that may, nevertheless, be worth exploring in the future: Are 

there other target populations (including other categories of youths at other stages of processing) 

that could be addressed by the Juvenile Drug Court? If not, is the court fully reaching and 

“enr~lling’~ the current population? In our discussions with masters, we were given the 

impression that the caseloads were “self-limited.” We are uncertain why this policy was 

followed, but the policy itself suggested that greater numbers of youths might have benefited 

from the court even if then-current targeting procedures were not to change. 

, 

! 

Resuonses to Progress in Treatment (Sanctions and Incentives): We note that in the 

“handbook” rewards and sanctions were outlined to guide the juvenile’s progress through the 

treatment program. That appears to reflect a balanced and thoughtful approach to treatment 

allowing for encouragement for positive progress (incentives) and penalties for failure to perform 

at an acceptable level. In court, we saw variation among the masters in how incentives and 

sanctions were distributed. Without unfairly pointing to one style over another, it is fair to say 

that less attention was given to positive progress in some instances and more attention was given 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

284 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
to negative developments. Perhaps the probation orientation of the court made this somewhat 

predictable, but the apparent ready emphasis on confinement made the “thrust” of proceedings 

seem punitive, and, in fact, risked making the court seem more focused on punishment than on 

treatment. It was certainly a matter of philosophy as to how encouragement to treatment and 

discouragement through punishment might be balanced. Our preliminary impression was that 

there was a heavier emphasis on the threat and use of secure confinement than on other possible 

,responses. Thus, one suggestion for consideration is whether a fuller range of negative and 

positive responses might be developed, reserving confinement for special emphasis. 

Treatment Proarum Lenath: The treatment program for the Juvenile Drug Court was 

described as averaging about 12 months, certainly a fairly long period in the lives of youths. The 

program description explained how excellent progress through the phases of treatment could 

result in reduced obligations (fewer group sessions, less frequent testing, less community service, 

etc.) and a shortening of the overall treatment experience. This flexibility in the treatment 

process appeared to offer an important advantage, given the different needs and problems 

individual juveniles might have. In adult courts, flexible programming has run into questions 

, 

t 

about equal treatment of defendants and offenders. In short, the issue is that persons with very 

serious substance abuse problems will have a more difficult time in treatment, may need more 

resources, and may take considerably longer to achieve a successful treatment outcome than 

those who have more minor substance abuse problems. This issue may not be as critical in the 

juvenile court setting, but it still raises questions of whether persons with “real” problems find 

themselves disproportionately disadvantaged in a system that may be designed to expect less 

serious cases. This question becomes more significant to the extent that secure confinement is 

used as a response to poor performance. When this is so, one can predict in advance that 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

285 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
juveniles with serious problems of addiction will be spending notably more time in confinement 'a 

during the Juvenile Drug Court process. If this is so, perhaps alternatives or intensive services 

could be devised that anticipate these results and address the special challenges associated with 

the more difficult part of the treatment population. 

Conclusion: Observations of the Clark County Juvenile Drug Court 

+ 

The observations we have reported capde the operation of and issues presented by the 

Clark County Juvenile Drug Court in the Juvenile Division of Family Court. They ' are, in a 

I 

sense, observations of one of the first juvenile drug courts in the United States camed out shortly 

in advance of a fairly major restructuring and enhancement of its program by Judge Gaston, who 

assumed responsibility for the Juvenile Division and for the Juvenile Drug Court begihning in 

1999. 

Descriptive Studv of the Clark Countv Juvenile Drug Court during 1999 

Because Judge Gaston wished to draw on as much information and critical feedback as 

possible in his re-examination of the Juvenile Drug Court, we were able to carry out a 

descriptive, implementation-oriented study in the year he began to make changes to the program. 

During that year, Judge Gaston took over sole responsibility for the drug court calendar, and 

replaced the three-master, limited calendar approach with a single juvenile drug court judge, 

himself. Other emphases in his year of improving the program's operation included a much 

greater involvement and better working relationship with the schools and after-school programs, 

and an emphasis on parental involvement in their children's treatment proce~s.~' To provide a 

descriptive study of the youth served by the Juvenile Drug Court in its year of change, we 

9' The court agreed to a prospective evaluation of the drug court following the implementation, process-oriented 

study. We were unable to secure funding to carry out the evaluation using a planned experimental design. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

286 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
'0 

80 

, 

80 80 

I 

I 

,' 

I 

collected demographic, assessment, and criminal justice data for all juveniles entering or active 

in the program during 1999 (n=145).92 

4 

60 

Demomaphic Attributes 

55 60 

The demographic and current case attributes of the youth entering the Juvenile Drug 

Court during 1999 are highlighted in Figure 83. Most juvenile participants were white (79 I 

I 

percent), male (81 percent), and between the ages of 15 and i7. Most did not have a known alias I1 (f 

(85 percent), and approximately 60 percent had been adjudicated delinquent on a case involving 

I 

drug charges. About 40 percent of juvenile participants did not have drug charges in the current 

case that precipitated their involvement in the drug court. Nearly all participants entered the 

program as a condition of probation, following delinquency adjudication. 

# 

,# ,I 

Figure 83 Selected Demographic and Current Case Attributes among Clark County Juvenile Drug Court 

Participants, 1998 - 1999 

RIfe Geader - Alias 

100 I 100 I 1001 

85 

80 

60 

40 

20 20 

n n n 

2 60 

15 

c 40 4 

20 

white African- Hispanic Asian Mak Female YCS NO hrican (a- 145) (n - 145) 

(n - 145) 

& Drug Charges in Current Cnse Drue Court Entty 

14or 15 16 17 I8 No Possession Sale Salcand Condition of Divcrsionl Y oungcr "7. ,,,y Possnsioll Robation Othcr 

pJotc: Medun ae is 16.1 

(n - 143) (n - 145) 

C"me d Juh R-mh lmiw 

92 Although we originally intended to study only those youth entering the program after January 1999, when Judge 

Robert Gaston began presiding over the court, we also included 21 youths who entered in 1998 and were active 

under Judge Gaston's supervision during 1999. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture treatment performance 

and outcome data. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

287 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prior Juvenile Histories 

The juveniles enrolled in drug court were seldom first-time offenders; on the whole, they 

had extensive prior involvement in the justice system, particularly given their ages. Nearly all of 

the 1999 participants had prior arrests (94 percent), the vast majority occurring within three years 

of their drug court participation (92 percent). (See Figure 84.) Seventy percent had a prior 

felony arrest: 15 percent for serious person offenses, 17 percent for serious property, 28 percent 

.for felony theft, and 63 percent for drug offenses. Although only 24 percent have a prior failure 

to appear (FTA), nearly three-quarters have prior delinquency adjudications. 

Figure 84 Selected Prior Criminal History Attributes among Clark County Juvenile Drug Court 

Participants, 1998 - 1999 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

YL 

IS 

28 

17 

70 

63 

12 

24 

Prior Prior Arrests Prior Arrests: Prior Arrests: Prior Arrests: Prior Arrests: Prior Arrcsts: Ria Prim 

hers w/in 3 Years Serious Serious Felony Theft DNgs Felony Adjudications WAS 

Person Ropetfy 

(n - 145) 

Crime and Jvrrice Research lmlilule 

School and Family 

Most participants were in the ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade at the time of their arrest, 

though one-quarter was not actively enrolled in school (had dropped out previously). (See 

Figure 85.) Participants’ self-reported relationships with their mothers and fathers differed 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

288 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
4 I 

I 

I , ,I 

, I 

notably. Thirty-seven percent of participants reported having a positive relationship with their 

father, compared to 80 percent reporting a positive relationship with their mother. Thirty-two 

percent reported a negative relationship with their father, compared to only 13 percent with ,their 

mother. Participants were also much more likely to report no relationship with their father than 

I 

with their mother (32 percent versus six percent). Participants with siblings generally rkported 

positive relationships with their brothers and sisters. 

i 

I 

Figure 85 Selec!ed Assessment Attributes among Clark County Juvenile Drug Court Participants, 

1998 - 1999 

' 

Grade Level at Time of Arrest Relationshh with Famill Self-ReDortcd Use I 100 I 

Sthor 9tb loth 11th 12thDropOut Father Mother Siblings Smoking Drinking Using 

Less (Not in ScM) (n = 142) (n - 142) (n - 122) Cigarettes Alcohol Drugs (n = 142) (" - 144) 

Drum of Choice 

Marijuana 

Marijuanal ,9 

Alcohol MdJp18 

Marijuana 

Cocaind 

Mariiuann 

0 20 40 60 80 100 

Indications of DrudAlcohol Use 

100 100 I 01 

80 

60 60 

40 40 

20 

0 

Cocainel Marijuana Mdh. Alcohol 

Percentage Crack 

(n - 145) (n - 145) 

Crime and Jvsricr Ruearch Inrrirule 

Drug and Alcohol Use 

Positive UA at Assessment 

Yes No 

(n - 29) 

Most of the Juvenile Drug Court participants reported smoking cigarettes and drinking 

alcohol (77 percent and 79 percent, respectively), and nearly all (95 percent) admitted drug use at 

assessment. Marijuana was overwhelmingly the primary drug of choice, either alone (46 

percent), or in combination with alcohol (1 9 percent) or methamphetamines (1 8 percent). 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

289 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I , I1 

I 

Overall, 91 percent of the juvenile participants had some indication of marijuana use. Over onequarter of participants had some indication of methamphetamine use, and only eight percent had 

an indication of cracklcocaine use. Sixty-two percent of participants tested negatively for drugs 

, 

at assessment. (This may not be surprising because most were entering the drug court at the 

disposition stage, long after their arrest-when they may well have tested positively.) ' I 

4 8 

Reinvolvement in the Justice System durinp a One-Year Follbw-uD ,I 44 

More than two-thirds (69 percent) of the 1999 participants recorded at least one followup arrest (excluding bench warrants) during a one-year observation period, 15 percent involving ' 

serious person offenses, five percent serious property, 11 percent felony theft, 16 percent drugs, 

and 10 percent weapons offenses. More than three-quarters of the participants were arrested on a 

bench warrant while in drug court, most of which involved drug court failures-to-appear. An 

,, ,I 

extraordinarily high proportion (88 percent) of participants were confined at least once during 

0 the one-year observation period, and 44 percent recorded a failure-to-appear at a scheduled drug 

court appearaqce resulting in a bench warrant. 

Median time to each type of misconduct shows that participants averaged 80 days to their 

first arrest, 71 days to their first failure-to-appear and 38 days to their first confinement. The 

relatively short time to first confinement likely reflects jail sanctions issued by the drug court 

judge as a result of treatment non-compliance, since other types of criminal misconduct likely to 

result in confinement occurred later in time. Juvenile Drug Court participants spent nearly a 

month in jail during the year following their entrance into the Juvenile Drug Court program. 

Crime and Justice Research Znstitute 

290 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 86 Selected Criminal Justice Outcomes among Clark County Juvenile Drug Court Participants, 

1998 - 1999, during a One-Year Observation Period 

TVWS of FolloW-~D Amat 

loo I 

Percentnne with Miscondua 

loo I 88 

80 

5 60 

5 

{ 40 

20 

n 

Amd FTh Confinements Bmch Serious Serious Theft/ hga Wcapau 

my (Excluding BWs) Warrant Pemm 

I Times to First Misconduct 

(n-118) 

Davs Confined 35 I 

30 16' 80 30 

25 24 

80 

B 

860 s" 20 .: 

$ 40 { 15 

10 

5 

n n 

s 

20 

" 

First Arrest First Fmt Days Confined Days Confued (Only 

(NO~-BW) FTA Confinement (All Participants) Participants w/ Confinancnts) (n- 82/52/103) (n-ll8/lM) 

Crime and .'wfice Research Inr*iivrr 

Summary: The Clark Countv Juvenile Drug Court 

The purpose of this study was rather descriptive and intended to capture an evolving 

Juvenile Drug Court during two periods of time. Both periods involved change. We conducted 

interviews, observed the courts in session, and carefully studied hours of videotape of earlier 

drug court sessions (because all sessions are taped). To capture at least the kinds of juveniles 

entering the Drug Court in Clark County during a year of re-examination and planned change 

(under Judge Gaston's tenure), we studied all 145 juveniles entering the court in 1999. Our 

descriptive analyses suggest that the court enrolls seriously drug involved juveniles who have 

surprisingly extensive prior juvenile histories of arrest and adjudication-all in all a very 

challenging target population of juveniles in need of a great deal of supervision and assistance. 

Although we were not able to track down treatment outcomes with sufficient completeness, we 

were able to follow the rearrests of the juveniles during the 12 months following their enrollment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

29 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, I 

I 

I I ,I 

I 

in the drug court. During that time, more than two-thirds of the youths were arrested for new 

offenses. It is clear that the Juvenile Drug Court succeeded in targeting a “core” of juvenile 

, 

offenders with serious difficulties in many areas. 

Conclusion: Drug Courts’ as Catalvsts for Change 

Findings from this brief examination of two spin-off innovations illustrate that Clark I 

\ 8 

County officials successfully applied the drug court model to different court settings and I1 $0 

circumstances. The participants targeted by the rural and juvenile programs were different from , 

those served by the original Clark County Drug Court, with different attributes, backgrounds, ’ 

and experiences. Each innovation, no doubt, was forced to adjust to the different needs and 

problems of its clients, and these descriptive analyses suggest that drug court officials &ere able 

to provide viable substance abuse treatment to rural and juvenile defendants who, under prior 

,I ,I 

circumstances, would not have been able to receive such services. 

achievement alone represents success. 

In many ways, this 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

292 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Part Four 

Producing the Drug Court “Effect”: An Analytic Model 

, I 

, I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

293 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, ' **, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

294 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
XU. Conclusion: Moving Beyond “Whether” Drug Courts Work to “HOW” They Work, 

When They Work 

The evaluation research reported in our first (Phase I) and in the current report represents 

a comprehensive, in-depth and longitudinal study of two of the nation’s pioneering and longestoperating felony drug courts. The examination of the Clark County (Las Vegas) and Multnomah 

County (Portland) Drug Courts was guided by a conceptual framework-a drug court 

typology-that focused on the critical elements of the drug court model. The drug court 

typology, which organized the analyses and findings of the evaluation of these courts, represents 

, 

I,, , 

an effort to translate a working definition of “what a drug court is” into research. Within this 

context, this evaluation research begins with broad brush strokes to illustrate and examine core 

aspects of the drug court model, but then also turns to special investigation of specific elements. 

With the help of this framework, the research was able to investigate common questions asked of 

two different drug courts. As commonalities in findings emerged, the drug court typology 

offered a means for considering the external validity of some of the findings to draw inferences 

, 

that extend beyond the specifics of one drug court in one speciaI setting. 

The Special Opuortunitv Provided bv Examining the Drug Courts over Time 

Another unusual feature of this comprehensive evaluation was its longitudinal nature. 

We examined the development, operation and impact of two major drug courts over time: in 

Clark County from 1993 through 1997 and in Multnomah County from late 1991 through 1997. 

This longitudinal approach-or more properly the retrospective longitudinal evaluation designprovided an opportunity to understand this important justice innovation over time and in the 

larger context of changing circumstances. The luxury provided by the opportunity to examine 

these drug courts over time cannot be overstated. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

295 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
‘a 

Ordinarily, evaluation would focus on a sample of cases from one point in time with 

some follow-up period. The evaluation would draw inferences about the performance of the 

drug court in a time-limited fashion. In contrast, the design of this research sampled cohorts of 

drug court participants and of comparison group defendants from successive time periods 

representing the total study period in each jurisdiction. Our description of the evolution of these 

drug courts in the Phase I report (see also Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a) and the analysis of the 

$ 

,, 44 

effects of outside events and changing policies using time series convincingly illustrated the , 

dynamic nature of the drug court in action and the importance of its larger context. The 

longitudinal approach allowed the research to observe how the drug courts grew and Changed, 

faced and overcame difficult obstacles as part of a larger court system, or, in short, saw better 

times and worse times. The one-time or cross-section evaluation approach and its findings, 

therefore, about drug court operation and impact are inexorably tied to the historical moment 

when the research was conducted. The inferences these findings generate may reflect the drug 

court’s impact at a high or low point, a “good” year or a “bad” year-at random. 

Another critical benefit of the study of the two drug courts over time is that, as we 

document high points and low points of impact, the investigation can turn from, “Do drug courts 

work?” to consideration of how drug courts work, when they work or, “Why do they sometimes 

work better than at other times?’’ This allows examination of the elements of the drug court 

model and testing of assumptions and conventional wisdoms accepted on faith by practitioners of 

the drug court vocation. Changes in drug court outcomes may be explained simply by the 

performance of a particular group of participants. However, it is also reasonable to suppose that 

some external or internal factor may have accounted for the changes. When the longitudinal 

study of the Clark County and Multnomah County Drug Courts shows that their relative impact 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

296 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

f 

fluctuated over time, the research can begin to ask why and to attempt to identify the moving 

parts (the critical elements) of the drug court model that contribute to these changes in impact. 

This research has examined changes in the target population, changes in judicial staffing, aspects 

of treatment provided, changes in law and policies, and changes in the legal status of enrollees 

over time. 

Toward a (Causal) Model of Drup Court Impact 

- ___ -. - - - - 

4 

I In the introduction to this report, we decomposed the simple evaluation question driving 

this research, “Do (these two) drug courts work?” into two related research components. The 

first component involved a definition of “drug court,” what the “they” means in the question, 

“Do they work?” We have addressed this in developing and applying the drug court typology. 

The typology provides a workable understanding of what drug courts “are” and what their 

working ingredients include. The second part of the question involved the notion of drug courts 

“working.” Working was understandable in two different ways. The first version of working 

involved an assessment of whether, compared to not having drug courts, drug courts produced 

more favorable results (drug use, crime, confinement, cost, etc.). Quite simply, in a comparative 

sense, to “work,” drug courts should produce better results than non-drug courts. The second 

version of “working” was important if the first effect was found. If drug courts “work” in the 

sense that they produce better results, then, how do they produce those positive results? With 

these questions, the research shifts from whether they work to how they work, and to what 

accounts for their working better or worse at times. In this concluding section, we try to develop 

a model of drug court impact using the data from the two drug courts to test assumptions of the 

drug court model. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

297 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
To infer that an effect may have been produced by a cause, one should find three 

conditions: a) an association between the putative cause and the effect, b) the cause logically 

precedes the effect, and c) the relationship in question is not spurious (explained by other 

factors). Figure 87 depicts the simple causal relationship implicit in the drug court model (Drug 

Court Causal Model 1). A (drug court treatment) causes B (improved offender behavior). Using 

some reasonable comparative framework, one would test this model of drug court impact by 

a,sking whether drug court participants reoffend less than their (similar) counterparts who do not 

go through drug court. The researcher has merely to compare reoffending rates-usually ’ 

rearrests-for the two (or more) groups of potentially eligible defendants or offenders. If drug 

court participants are rearrested less frequently than their counterparts, the data may be 

interpreted as supporting the argument that drug courts “work,” or that, compared to the 

condition of not having the drug court, drug court participation reduces crime among 

participants. Or do they? 

Figure 87 The Implicit Drug Court Hypothesis: Drug Court Treatment “Causes” (Improved) 

Offender Behavior (Model 1) 

Drug Court Offender 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Consider findings from Multnomah County and Clark County in Figure 88. These 

figures show the weighted estimates contrasting the one-year rearrest rates of drug court 

participants with comparison group defendants in Multnomah County (1991-97) and in Clark 

County (1993-97). These comparative analyses for both jurisdictions suggest that lower 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

298 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

I, 

, 

proportions of drug court participants overall were reafiested during these study periods than of 

their counterparts when the criterion (“effect”) is rearrest for any type of offense and reakest for 

drug offenses. The differences are slight or insignificant in both jurisdictions when the measure 

is rearrest for non-drug offenses (and may be explained by sampling error). Assuming the , 

researcher can be confidknt that the differences arc not an artifact of the design employed93 and 

some agreement on how large an effect must be to be “large,” are these findings enough to 

I, I( 

suggest that drug courts work? Indeed, based on these’data for the seven and five-year study , 

periods employed in the evaluation of the Multnomah County and Clark County Drug Courts, 

officials should feel encouraged to make that claim. 

Figure 88 Rearrest of Drug Court Participants within One Year of Entry in Multnomah County (1991 - 1997) 

and Clark County (1993 - 1997), by Type of Offender 

=Any Offense 

ODrug Offense 

ONon-hug Offense 

Portland 

53 

100 

0 

All Drug Corn Participants 

(cat n - 5.022) 

All Compsrison Group A Defendants 

(cn n - 808) 

AU Comparison Group B Defendants 

(en. n - 683) 

Las Veens 

=Any offense 

aDrug Offense “I 

ONon-Drug Offense 

53 

All Drug Cow Participants 

(est. n - 3.053) 

All Comparison Defendants 

(cn. n - 12205) 

Crime end Justice Reseamh I~rilme 

Figures 89 and 90 display the comparative rates of rearrest for drug court and 

comparison groups in each site over time (rather than aggregating the yearly cohorts for an all8 93 See analysis of rearrest in Section I11 of this report. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

299 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

years weighted total). These findings still show some of the hypothesized positive results, but 

with qualification. First, the size of the differences between drug court participants and 

comparison group defendants varies by the sample periods. In Multnomah County, drug court 

participants always produce lower rearrest rates for “any” offense than drug defendants in one 

comparison group (Comparison Group A, the immediate absconders who never attended the 

drug court process), but during two periods did not differ much from the second comparison 

group (B, those who attended the initial drug court hearing but did not enter treatment).94 

In Clark County, not only did the size of the differences between drug court participants 

and the comparison group members vary, but it also decreased over time. Clark County Drug 

Court participants outperformed their comparison group counterparts in the 1993, 1994, and 

1995 sample cohorts on all measures (except for the non-drug offenses in the 1994 cohort). 

Clark County Drug Court participants produced higher rearrest rates than comparison group 

defendants in 1996 sample cohorts and similar rearrest rates in the 1997 sample cohorts (except 

they showed lower rearrest rates for drug offenses in both the 1996 and 1997 cohorts). In fact, 

the “drug court effect” appears to have disappeared in Clark County by 1996, except for rearrests 

for drug offenses.95 In short, the apparent overall effect of drug court treatment on criminal 

behavior masks variation over time-periods in both locations. If the study were not 

longitudinal-following cohorts of drug defendants in each successive period of the courts’ 

9.1 In Multnomah County, drug court participants recorded higher rearrest rates in the 1991 -92 sample period. These 

r3tes may be explained by interruptions in the drug court in its first year when one treatment provider had to be 

dropped and new arrangements for treatment made. The interruption lasted several months, creating serious 

logistical and operational problems for the drug court during its pilot phase. Improved procedures were developed 

leading to smoother operation by 1993. In the 1997 defendant cohorts, drug court participants showed significantly 

lower rearrest rates only when reamest for drug offenses was the criterion. 

95 The apparent reversal in outcomes is explained principally by the new district attorney’s adoption of a policy 

favoring drug court only for persons pleading guilty in advance. This represented an important departure from the 

primarily diversion-oriented drug court that had mostly treated defendants at the pre-adjudication stage. The change 

in emphasis reduced the incentives felony defendants would have (dismissed charges) in seeking and completing the 

program and had the indirect effect of changing the nature of the drug court population to one that had more 

extensive criminal experience and that posed higher risks of recidivism. See Goldkamp et al. (2000; 2001a). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

300 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

existence-ne might have drawn very different inferences about I drug court effectiveness 

depending on the period studied. 

Figure 89 Rearrest of Drug Court Participants within One Year of Entry in Multnomah County (1991 - 1997), 

by Type of Offense, by Time Period 

=Any mnx 

ODrUg offense 

ONon-Drug Offense 

58' 

Comp. Comp. Comp. 

A B I991 - 1992 , - 246110Z99) 

Dnrg Comp. Comp. Drug Comp. Comp. 

Cwn A B court A B 

1993 - 1994 I995 - I996 (n- I5O/IOYl03) (n- 152/100/98) 

Drug 

coun Dw 

Coun A 

I997 - 143/9l/I 

*Indicates srgufisant differewe up 5 05 when campared lo drug swlt p8mClpUdI 

pole Lch lmc pmod was randomly umpkd Io produsr equal vmplc SYU of 8byt 150 pewm m the dNg coun pup wlth rhc eacspbon of 1991-92 (n - 246) ] 

DMc and Jwlm Reseawch InstUvte 

Figure ~ 90 Rearrest of Drug - Court Participants within One Year of Entry in Clark County (1993 - 1997), by 

Type of Offense, by Time Period 

=Any offense 

ODmg Offense 

ONon-Drug Offense 

73 

59 

Comparison Drug 

Coun 

Comparison Drug Comparison 

coun Drug Comparison Drug Comparison Drug 

COUlt court coun 1993 1994 1995 ("* 59/109) (n- IGW97) (n- Im) 

19% 

(n- loom) 1997 (a - IWI I I) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

30 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

A related measure of drug court impact on offending behavior is not whether participants 

were rearrested (more or less often than comparison groups) but, when arrested, the length of 

time (in median days) that passed between enrollment and rearrest. Using this criterion, the 

Multnomah County and Clark County Drug Court findings also seem powea and positive. 

Figure 91 shows dramatic differences in lengths of time to first rearrest between drug court 

participants and non-participants overall and when yearly cohorts are considered separately in 

' Multnomah I(!, , County and Clark County.96 From 1991 to 1997, Multnomah County Drug Court 

' 

, participants took two to four times as long as comparison group defendants to be rearrested. 

(These ratios fluctuated depending on the sampling period, but the differences were consistently 

large.) In Clark County, drug court participants also took nearly twice as long (median, 94 days) 

as Comparison group defendants (median, 52 days) to be rearrested. This varied by year studied, 

with a diminution of the difference in the 1997 cohort. 

I Taken together, these two measures of drug defendant reoffending provide moderately 

strong evidence to support the hypothesis that drug courts have a crime-reduction effect (when 

the behavior of participating and non-participating defendants are compared roughly one year 

after arrest or program entry). At the same time, these findings also make it difficult to be 

satisfied with the simple causal model (Model 1) suggesting that drug court participation shapes 

offender behavior (reduces criminality). Because the impact of drug courts measured in these 

two basic ways appears to fluctuate over time, one might reasonably question whether drug court 

impact must therefore be conditioned by other factors-external or internal to the operation of 

drug court-not included in the model. We have argued elsewhere (Goldkamp et al., 2000; 

Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a) that the larger context or circumstances surrounding drug 

courts-such as key laws, political environment, drug epidemics, jail overcrowding emergency 

% The medians for all years combined are based on weighted data. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

302 

0 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
0 measures, administrative policies, treatment resource^, etc.-may affect their functioning and, 

ultimately, their productivity. 

Figure 91 Median Days lo First Rearrest among Drug Court Participants and Comparison 

Defeldants in Mullnomah County (1991 - 1997) and Clark County (1993 - 1997) 

I 

Multnomah Coma 

I24 

4 

102 1995-% 

(n-5715448) 

1997 (n-5S/JfJU) 

0 30 60 90 120 150 

Median Days io Rearrest 

Clark County 

1993-97 94 -Drug CourC 

(rrl.60M.915 OComparison 

143 1993 

(n-39m 

86 

The possibility of potentially influential antecedent causal factors-whether internal or 

external in origin-makes it necessary to modify the simple causal model explaining drug court 

impact on offender behavior. In one modified version, the drug court's influence on offender 

behavior is shaped by the prior influence of outside factors, such as changes in law, a drug 

epidemic, jail overcrowding, etc. Model 2 shown in Figure 92 postulates that such contextual 

factors could influence offender behavior directly as well as indirectly through the effect of the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

303 

a 

, 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

drug court. For example, changes in law affixing penalties for drug offenses might affect both 

the offender’s willingness to pursue risky drug-oriented behavior as well as the offender’s 

willingness to enter drug court and follow treatment if apprehended. The offender’s residential 

neighborhood may provide a context that both encourages crime (through availability of drugs or 

opportunities for crime) and discourages access to treatment or supportive services. These 

outside factors could explain the variation in impact shown mthe Mnltnm& County and Clark 

county results when viewed in successive cohorts over time.97 

, 

Figure 92 Outside Factors Shape Offender Behavior Directly and Indirectly through Drug Court 

Treatment (Model 2) 

C 

Outside 

Factors 

A 

Drug Court 

Treatment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Unfortunately, Model 2 also raises the possibility that the apparent relation between drug 

court treatment and offender outcomes may be spurious. (See Model 3 in Figure 93.) 

Conceivably, then, the same explanation of outside factors--e.g., the enactment of three-strikes 

legislation upping the stakes for persons who might be apprehended for drug felonies or 

’’ In a separate analysis we have examined the possible effects of these types of influences on drug court operation 

using time series (Goldkamp et al., 2000; Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a). 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

304 

a 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
neighborhood context-might explain participation inl drug court as well as offender behavior 

during follow-up. Although the lower rate of reoffending may be construed as a result of drug 

court participation, it may instead represent a concomitant or parallel result of a common cause. 

Figure 93 Drug Court Impact on Offender Behavior is Spurious (Model 3) 

\ 

I 

4 

I 

I1 8) 

J, OfieBnder 

Behavior 

I Treatment I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

A compelling argument that antecedents may play a strong role in shaping drug court 

impact can be made when offender attributes are considered. Model 4 (Figure 94) suggests that 

various attributes of offenders, including demographics, family ties, prior criminal history, prior 

substance abuse history, type and frequency of substance abuse prior to drug court candidacy, 

etc., may at least partly explain drug court participation and offender behavior during a follow-up 

period. Neighborhood of residence could be considered an offender attribute or an outside, 

contextual factor. (Our analysis in Section X suggests that community context plays a role in 

shaping participant outcomes.) Seriously substance-abuse involved defendants from 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

305 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
neighborhoods with chronic drug problems, with Vnsuccesshl prior experience with drug 

treatment, and extensive prior contacts with the justice system may a) choose not to eriter drug 

court, and b) be more likely to reoffend without it. In positing this specific form of “antecedent” 

factors, Model 4 at least offers a plausible (indirect effect) explanation for the variation in drug 

i 

I 

court impact over time: ‘the participants may differ in their criminogenic or “risk” attributes from 

year to year. Thus, as the “degree of difficulty” (mix of participant attributes) associated with 

0 

I I 

I1 I I 

each cohort fluctuates over time, so too do the results, or measurable outcomes of drug court 

treatment. Model 4 also offers a plausible explanation for spuriousness-that drug court 

participants differ from comparison group defendants in reoffending because they enroll with 

I 

lower-risk attributes (than their comparison group counterparts) in the first place.,, 

Figure 94 Offender Attributes and Outside Factors Shape Drug Court Outcomes and Offender 

Behavior (Model 4) 

D 

C 

Outside 

Factors 

Treatment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

306 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
A simple test of this (spuriousness) model is to identify differences in the attributes of 

persons entering and not entering drug court and, if found, to enter them as controls in 

comparative analysis of reoffending to determine whether lower rates for drug court participants 

still survive. If the lower rates disappear with controls for a priori participant risk or for 

community context (e.g. distance measures), then lower drug court rearrest rates would appear to 

be explained by differences in sample composition (i.e., in the risk attributes or neighborhood 

c,ontext) between drug court participants and their non-drug court counterpart^.^^ If, after 

controls, significantly lower rates of reoffending among drug court participants do not disappear, 

one could assume that the more favorable outcomes among drug court participants are not 

explained by their less “risky” prior attributes or different neighborhood attributes. Instead, one 

would infer that the relation between drug court participation and a lower rate of subsequent 

reoffending is not spurious. 

I Following this logic, Table 26 shows that, when controls for defendant attributes are 

exercised using the unweighted 1991-97 Multnomah County data,99 the news is not so 

encouraging: when drug court participants for the entire period are compared to defendants in 

Comparison Group A (never attended court) and Comparison Group B (did not enter drug court) 

over that same period no significant differences in rearrests of any type are found. When the 

specific time frames are considered, the drug court participants showed significantly lower 

rearrest rates only in the 1993-94 drug court cohort, when they outperformed Comparison Group 

98 These attributes could be of any type, demographic, risk-related or other that might be related to enrollment in 

drug court and reoffending. 

99 The disproportionate stratified sampling design employed in both sites sought to represent the key time periods 

with equal numbers of cases so that analysis of effects would not be affected disproportionately by one or more high 

volume periods. This worked in a straightforward fashion in the Las Vegas data which included 100 drug court and 

100 comparison group cases sampled from each period (1 993, 1994, 1995, 1996,1997). The balance is not so even 

in the Portland data, which included 246 defendants for the 1991-92 period, and 150 defendants for the 1993-94, 

1995-96 and 1997 periods each for drug court participants. The comparison groups were based on samples of 100 

defendants for each sampling period. Note that these analyses do not reflect estimates of the overall population. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

307 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
6 t 

B defendants for each type of rearrest (any, drug, and non-drug). Table 27 shows that in Clark 

County, after controls for defendant risk attributes, drug court participants from the total study 

period (1993-97) showed significantly lower rates for each type of rearrest measured at the one 

year mark. When the same analysis was conducted for specific years, the difference in rearrests 

\ 

I 

for any offense betwekn drug court participants and comparison group defendants remained 

symificant only- for the'1994 and' 199FcOh35s. ~~g~e~~~-wers~~i~an~y--l

only 

4 

I1 44 

among 1994 defendants. Differences between drug andinon-drug court defendants did not reach , 

significance for non-drug rearrest rates in any of the sample years separately analyzed. 

These results, particularly the Multnomah County findings, suggest that, indeed, some of 

the apparent differences in reoffending (i.e., lower rearrest rates for drug court participants) 

, 

disappear when defendant attributes are controlled in comparative analyses. They suggest that, 

to some extent in some specific time periods, the relationship between drug court treatment and 

later offender behavior may be spurious, partly explained by differences in sample composition, 

or, as the model posits, by the prior defendant risk attributes. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

308 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Table 21 - Testing Le Significance o Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Court articipants and Comparison Groups in Multnoma a 

County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period, by Type of Rearrest 

mote: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameterestimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 

Anv Rearrest Particbunt Year 

Sample Differences 

1991-1992 1993-1994 1995-1996 1997 

D. Ct. v. : D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. 

Comp. B Comp. A Comp. B 

D. Ct. ,991-1TD. Ct. v. 

Comp. A , Comp. B Comp. A Comp. B Comp. A Comp. B Comp. A 

Demographic I 

Over or Under 25 

Yrs. Old 

Hispanic 

Race (WhiteMonWhite) 

Current Case 

Phone 

Detained at All 

Criminal History 

Pending Arrest 

Prior Drug Arrest 

Prior Drug Possession 

Arrest 

Prior Drug 

Trafficking Arrest 

Serious Person 

Conviction 

Drug Possession 

Conviction 

Drug Trafficking 

Conviction 

Weapon Conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 Yrs. 

TX v. Comp. A 

TX v. Comp. B 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

Significance 

- Pretrial 

Charge 

Sample 

Model Statistics 

- DF 

.127 (.397) .I 

.258 (.157) SO7 (.018) 

I 

I 

.321 (.315) 

.833 (.008) 

.493 (.081) 

-.018 (.959) .610 (.064) 

349 (.001) 

,610 (.073) 

321 (.005) 

-.778 (.048) 

1.147 (.OOO) 

1.668 (.002) 

-.IO8 (.739) 

1.095 (.OOO) 

- 

.559 (.OOO) .310 (.020) 

I 

371 (.000) " .783 (.OOO) 

302 (.OOO) 

.381 (.187) 

.955 (.006j 

.353 (.205) .537 (.069) 

.793 (.011) 1.075 (.001) .906 (.070) 

.350 (S50) 

.194 (.624) 

1.163 (.002) .790 (.021) 

-.581 (.420) .953 (470) 

- .211 (.542) 

1.203 (.oOO) 

I 

1. 

-.I66 (.224) 

1,374.964 

11.261 

.os1 

90.639 

5 

.ooo 

.616 (.198) 

-.320 (.316) .030 (.926) 

-.364 (.189) 

-.190 (.205) .I84 (.522) 

.163 (.546) 

442.136 436.898 

1 .os9 2.069 

.982 .723 

27.673 17.852 

5 4 

.ooo .001 

-.302 (.337) 

-751 (.010) .335 (.283) 

1,362.362 

8.393 

.398 

126.330 

7 

.ooo 

305.497 

5.414 

.368 

22.988 

4 

,000 

3 IO. 141 

.529 

.99 1 

25.738 

5 

.ooo 

253 

313.944 

4.917 

.426 

32.715 

4 

.ooo 

33 1.408 294.148 

4.1 17 6.359 

.249 .498 

9.393 37.963 

3 6 

.024 .ooo 

284.678 

9.626 

.I41 

24.079 

4 

.ooo 

n 1,083 1,073 339 329 252 ~- - 252 249 240 226 

Crime and Justice Research Itistitute 

309 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 26 Testing the Significance of Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Court Participants and Comparison Groups in Multnomah 

County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period, by Type of Rearrest (Cont.) 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweightcd data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit walysis.] 

Drup Rearrest Particbant Year 

Sample Differences D.%t. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. Comp. D. Ct. v. B 

Comp. A Comp. B Comp. A C0mp.B Corn& C0mp.B Comp. A Comp. B Comp. A 

Demographic 

1991-1997 1991-1992 1993-1994 1995-1996 1997 

Over or Under 25 

Yrs. Old .014 (.932) .397 (.la) .253 (.476) 

Hispanic .638 (.001) .928 (.OOO) .479 (.163) 1.050 (.001) .998 (.006) -.292 i.472) 

Race (WhitehionWhite) .691 (.014) 1.157 (.boo) 

Current Case 

Phone -.308 (.410) 

Detained at All 

Criminal History 

Pending Arrest 

Prior Drug Arrest .530 (.001) 

Prior Drug Possession 

Prior Drug 

Serious Person 

Drug Possession 

Drug Trafficking 

Weapon Conviction 569 (.120) 

Prior FTAs in 3 Yn. .643 (.OW) ,492 (.348) 

TX v. Comp. A -.241 (.126) -.066 (.820) -.401 (.272) -.I47 (.662) .152 (-667) 

TX v. Comp. B -.214 (.152) -.060 (333) -.730 (.031) -.231 (.458) .013 (.970) 

Log Likelihood 1,2 17.523 1,181.793 410.119 392.535 249.861 274.100 279.554 245.298 294.052 245.537 

Goodness of Fit 4.778 1.293 5.07 I 5.967 7.!95 1.452 6.071 1.691 14.967 14.646 

Chi Square 93.706 78.328 30.497 26.752 24.156 20.105 25.576 4.269 40.694 16.143 

DF 7 5 5 4 4 5 4 3 6 4 

Significance .OOO 800 .ooo .ooo .coo .oo 1 .ooo .234 .ooo .003 

I n 1,083 . 1:073 339 329 7-52 253 252 249 240 226 

Pretrial .582 (.OOO) .320 (.029) .6b3 (.051) SI5 (.115) 1.132 (.OOI) SO5 (.097) .923 (.006) 1.089 (.001) 

Charge .761 (.OW) .760 (.OOO) .612 (.045) .964 (.002) .994 (.006) 1.464 (.002) .374 (.429) 

Arrest 

Trafficking Arrest .067 (.916) 

Conviction -.434 (.349) 

Conviction 1.010 (.007) .290 (.426) 

Conviction .394 t.589) . I75 (.744) 

Sample 

Model Statistics 

GF Significance .573 .972 .535 201 .I26 .963 .299 .639 .060 .012 

Crime und Justice Rcseurch Institute 

310 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 26 Testing the Significance of Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Court Participants and Comparison Groups in Multnomah 

County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period, by Type of Rearrest (Cont.) 

1 = .- 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 

Non-Drup Rearrest Partkiaant Year 

1991-1997 1991-1992 1993-1994 1995-1996 1997 

Sample Differences D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. D. Ct. v. 

Cornp. B 

Demographic 

Comp. A Comp. B Cornp. A Comp. B Comp. A Comp. B Comp. A Comp. B Cornp. A 

Over or Under 25 

Hispanic 

Race (WhitJNonWhite) 

Current Case 

Phone 

Detained at All 

Criminal History 

Pending Arrest 

Prior Drug Arrest 

Prior Drug Possession 

Arrest 

Prior Drug 

Trafficking Arrest 

Serious Person 

Conviction 

Drug Possession 

Conviction 

Drug Trafficking 

Conviction 

Weapon Conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 Yrs. 

TX v. Comp. A 

TX v. Comp. B 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

Yrs. Old 

Pretrial 

Charge 

Sample 

Model Statistics 

.095 (30) .429 (.146) 

-.380 (.058) -.551 (.025) -.727 (.O46) -.175 (.620) -.085 (.821) 

.974 (.OOO) 

.328 (.023) .226 (.003) .443 (.153) .736 (.018) 

.230 (336) 

1.060 (.OOO) 

-.223 (. 154) 

1,258.595 

16.113 

.024 

81.207 

7 

.ooo 

.740 (.036) 1.061 (.018) 

.712 (.072) 

-.071 (331) 

-1.056 (.018) 

318 (.OOO) 

.008 (.990) 

SO4 (. 104) 

-.I38 (.341) 

1,252.610 402.860 

8.963 1.138 

.176 980 

63.515 18.335 

5 5 

.ooo .003 

.704 (.144) 

-.366 (.285) 

.221 (.450) 

399.756 27 1.698 

3.562 1.479 

.614 .915 

9.214 11.719 

4 4 

.056 .020 

-.544 t.505) 

-.744 (.019) 

280.452 

5.438 

.489 

14.059 

5 

.015 

.840 (.091) 

-.291 (.372) 

-.284 (.334) 

294.40 I 303.874 

1.591 2.105 

.902 .55 I 

14.419 5.722 

3 

.126 

41 

.007 

.758 (.016) 

.368 (.276) 

.929 (.047) 

1.03 1 (.004) 

-.397 (.223) 

279.437 

7.4 14 

.284 

38.1 14 

6 

.om 

1.060 (.002) . 

.I48 (.651) 

264.507 

7.664 - 

.264 

21.314 

4 

.ooo 

n 1,083 1,073 339 329 252 253 252 249 240 226 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

31 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 27 Testing the Significance of Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Court Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants in Clark County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period, by Type of Rearrest 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 

Anv Rearrest Clark CounQ 

Sample Differences 1993-1997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Demographic 

Gender 

Current Case 

Criminal History 

.2398 (.5376) 

Alias -.8448 (.0065) 

Phone -.lo64 (.6102) .3148 (.4988) -.5517 (.2990) .0447 (.9264) .3597 (.4315) 

Most Serious Charge, Current -.8002 (.1618) .1779 (.7688) 

Theft Charge, Current .1400 (.6528) .7436 (.2486) 

Drug Charge, Current -.6170 (.0297) -1.6123 (.0501) -.7724 (.0872) 

Guilty Comparison -.6404 (. 1047) 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior Serious Persons Convictions 

Prior Drug Convictions .6627 (.0003) 

Prior Drug Trafficking Convictions 1.2004 (.0704) .5747 (.3716) 

Prior Felony Convictions 

1 .1460 (.0009) 

1.4002 (.0114) 

.5812 (.11 IO) 

Sample .7 184 (.0009) A601 (.0734) 1.0937 (.0435) .9748 (.0499) -.2447 (.6056) .4380 (.2010) 

Model Statistics 

Prior FTAs .9964 (.OOOO) 1.5954 (.OooO) 

Log Likelihood 1,219.671 255.3 18 222.132 227.688 229.556 267.653 - 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 2.9552 4.9890 4.6416 5.2886 2.4802 5.3727 

GF Significance .8891 .2884 .7036 .5074 .7795 .4970 

Chi Square 103.102 17.529 21.198 24.220 29.042 16.283 

DF 6 4 4 6 5 4 

Significance .oooo .OO 15 .0003 .0005 .oooo .0027 

n 979 198 185 192 192 207 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

312 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 27 Testing the Significance of Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Cogrt-Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants in Clark County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period, by Typd of Rearrest (Cont.) 

1 I .~ 

1.2622 (.0345) 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 

Drug Rearrest Clark Countv 

Sample Differences 1993-1997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Demographic 

Gender .0228 (.9538) 

Alias -.6049 (.0586) 

Current Case 

Criminal History 

Phone .lo68 (S976) 1.1271 (.0183) -.2029 (.6877) .2358 (S988) .2423 (S797) 

Most Serious Charge, Current -.1987 (.7522) -.3152 (.6371) 

Theft Charge, Current .2696 (.3941) .2852 (.6222) 

Drug Charge, Current .6324 (.0454) .4344 (398) 

Prior Drug Arrests 1.0054 (.0028) 

Prior Drug Convictions .6151 (.0003) 

Prior Felony Convictions S786 (.1249) 

Prior FTAs .9999 (.OOOO) 1.6932 (.OOOO) 

Sample 1.0241 (.OOOO) .4915 (.3353) 1.733 1 (.0008) .8428 (.0750) .6812 (.1548) 397 (.1215) 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 1,168.449 238.466 214.723 233.869 230.437 244.307 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 4.7900 10.6926 - 4.8590 7.9545 .7166 5.0228 

GF Significance .6856 .0302 S620 .3366 .9820 S409 

Chi Square 147.171 24.267 40.524 26.942 28.942 19.210 

DF 6 4 4 6 5 4 

Significance .oooo .0001 .oooo .ooo 1 .oooo - .0007 

n 979 198 185 192 192 207 

Guilty Comparison -.3242 (.4124) 

Prior Serious Persons Convictions -. 1879 (.6935) 

Prior Drug Trafficking Convictions 1.4730 (.0073) -.2021 (.7132) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

313 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 27 Testing the Significance of Differences in Rearrest within One Year between Drug Coprt Palitkipants and Comparison Group 

Defendants in Clark County, Controlling for Sample Differences, by Time Period;by Type of Rearrest (Cont.) 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 

Non-Drug Rearrest Clark Countv 

Sample Differences 1993-1 997 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Demographic 

Gender 

Alias 

Current Case 

Phone 

Criminal History 

Most Serious Charge, Current 

Theft Charge, Current 

Drug Charge, Current 

Guilty Comparison 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior Serious Persons Convictions 

Prior Drug Convictions 

Prior Drug Trafficking Convictions 

Prior Felony Convictions 

Prior FTAs 

Sample 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

-.1736 (.3774) 

.0455 (3764) 

-.903 1 (.0008) 

.2773 (.0920) 

A128 (.OOOO) 

.4332 (.0345) 

1,275,572 

7.2856 

.3998 

63.486 

6 

.oooo 

-.lo08 (3232) 

-.3157 (.5805) 

-.3308 (.3870) 

.7947 (.0940) 

261 SO6 

5.1284 

.2744 

6.398 

4 

.1713 

-.0249 (.9564) 

.1317 (.8225) 

1.1424 (.0003) 

-.0382 (.9358) 

238.475 

- 1.6317 

3974 

14.035 

4 

.0072 

-.3370 (.3851) 

-.5444 (.2300) 

-1.4851 (.0381) 

1.7885 (.0005) 

.0418 (.9324) 

.85 13 (.0759) 

240.378 

3.9761 

.6799 

24.769 

6 

.0004 

-.7637 (.0138) 

.2256 (.6017) 

.6436 (.2417) 

-1.1219 (.0118) 

S984 (.2619) 

3978 (.0061) 

-.1370 (.7627) 

249.420 

13.0259 

.023 1 

14.222 

5 

.0143 . 

.4760 (. 1747) 

.0848 (.8080) 

264.376 

12.9209 

.0443 

17.303 

4 

- .0017 

n 979 198 185 192 192 207 

t 

.- 

f I -. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

314 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Gettinp Inside the Drw Court Black Box 

In short, the findings from this evaluation of a) positive impact and b) variation in impact 

over time make it impossible to avoid the question, “If drug courts work, how do they work?” 

(Or, “Why does a drug court work sometimes, in some settings, under some circumstances?”) 

To understand the circumstances of the relative impact of the drug court model, then, research is 

ineluctably forced to look “inside” the drug court to consider how this can be-assuming there is 

a drug court effect independent of outside factors. Here the business of understanding the impact , 

I1 ’ 

of drug courts becomes noticeably more complicated as this question goes to the heart of what a 

drug court “is” and tries to distinguish between what a drug court does and what a drug court 

produces. , 

The “drug court model” represents a coordinated collection of functions, methods, and 

activities that reflect general and specific deterrent as well as rehabilitative aims. For example, 

the drug court model involves frequent appearances before the drug court judge. This can be 

seen to serve two purposes: 1) to coax, persuade, and encourage participants into better behavior 

(treatment), and 2) to reward progress with increased privileges or to threaten sanctions in the 

event of poor performance (specific deterrence). As if drawn directly from Jeremy Bentham’s 

19* century discussion of the principle of utility (1988), central reliance on manipulation of 

rewards (praise, promotion to next treatment stages, awards) and sanctions (additional 

appearances before the judge, days in the jury box, demotion to prior phases of treatment, and 

days in jail) are believed to form an important component of the content of the drug court 

experience. The alternation of encouragement and sanctioning occurs in a public forum-the 

criminal courtroom-much like a classroom with seated participants observing the interactions 

of other participants with the judge. The sanctions and rewards in that setting serve to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

315 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
communicate in the manner of general deterrence the message to all observers that if one does X, 

, 

Y results-with the warnings and lessons to be repeated over and over. Linked to the judge's 

performance in the courtroom, the treatment program itself is a principal rehabilitative 

component. The type, range, and frequency of services, as well as drug testing, its frequency and 

how it is employed, are presumed to be potentially significant elements in producing the drug 

-court effect. Their linkage to the special courtroom experience and direct person-to-person 

exchanges with the judge are thought to interact to produce a therapeutic effect greater than 

traditional treatment or deterrent approaches alone could achieve. 

I ' 

'I,( , 

In sum, the impact of the drug court-the "drug court effect"-is believed to be derived 

from a collection of instrumental elements, the salience of which is likely to vary over time in a 

particular'jurisdiction and to vary from location to location as the elements of the drug court 

model are adapted to different settings. An important challenge for research is to determine the 

relative contributions of the various parts of the drug court model in accounting for its overall 

(presumed) impact and to discuss the implications of findings that some and not all are 

important. A high priority, for example, is testing the assumption that the role of the drug court 

judge is a fundamental and core element of the drug court model in producing positive treatment 

outcomes. (See our discussion of judicial staffing in Section VI of this report.) Other core 

assumptions of the model needing critical examination relate to the use of sanctions, the relative 

value of sanctions and incentives deployed in the courtroom, and whether drug court participants 

are really motivated toward favorable progress by fear of going to jail. 

These questions implicit in assessing the contribution of the ingredients of the drug court 

model are not inconsequential. For example, as we have argued in Section VI, if the belief that 

the judge is the central and most important positive influence on drug court outcomes is not 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

316 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
supporteg through empirical testing, there are major implications, for drug courts and the 

allocation of judicial resources. Setting aside the potentially significant effects of outside ‘factors 

and participant attributes, these questions begin to sort through the contributions of the internal 

elements of the drug court model assumed by their designers to be instrumental to the drug 

court’s operation. 

Modeling the 43@ectsef Drug Ceurt Functions onQutcomes - 

4 The task of sorting out the effects of the various ingredients of the drug court model is 

complicated by the need to distinguish between the instrumental functions (such as those just 

- ’ (((I , 

listed) and their results or outcomes. The appearances before the judge, the appointments for 

treatment, drug tests, and other activities form part of the delivery of the treatment effect. The 

results they produce-drug court success or failure-are overall drug court outcomes. Figure 95 

illustrates this distinction, moving analysis of the impact of drug court “inside” the drug court 

model, by a) breaking the drug court operation into these two parts-its operating elements 

delivering treatment and its outcomes; and b) specifying more clearly the variables measuring 

these different aspects of the drug court model. 

‘ 

By saying on a general level that a drug court should reduce an offender’s criminal 

behavior, Figure 95 specifies that numerous contacts with the judge, a regular program of drug 

testing, attendance in appropriate treatment services, positive incentives, and acupuncture all 

serve as instrumental functions that translate into favorable drug court outcomes.’00 Favorable 

drug court outcomes among participants include not dropping out at an early stage, producing 

favorable interim progress reports, attending court as required and graduating with all tasks 

satisfactorily completed. In fact, longer and more treatment is hypothesized to produce positive 

loo A more advanced analysis would also posit the type of services (“level of care”) that should figure importantly in 

treatment effectiveness. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

317 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

drug court outcomes. According to the causal drug court model shown in Figure 95, favorable 

drug court achievements, then, bring about favorable subsequent behavior in the fom'of fewer 

rearrests, lower hgitive rates from the justice process, reduced substance abuse, and other 

measures of productive, law-abiding citizenship. Participants who have not progressed hlly 

through drug court treatment and have had less exposure to treatment (insufficient "dosage") 

should reoffend more frequently. 

I 

,I I 

Figure 96 displays data from the two study site? to test presumed relationships between 1 

two key instrumental drug court variables, length of treatment and number of jail sanctions 

ordered, and graduation, one of the key drug court outcome measures. In both of the drug court 

study sites, the expected positive relationship between longer times in treqtment, dukg the first 

year and drug court graduation (measured at two years) is found. In Multnomah County, less 

than 20 percent of drug court participants in treatment for less than 90 days in the first year 

graduated within two years, compared to 54 percent of those receiving treatment more than 90 

days in the first year."' In Clark County, 0 percent of drug court participants in treatment for 90 

days or less graduated within two years of entry, compared to 41 percent of those with more than 

90 days in treatment. 

The use of jail sanctions also appears related to graduation in the direction hypothesized 

by the drug court model. Among Multnomah County Drug Court participants, 27 percent of 

participants who had jail assigned as a sanction at least once during year one graduated within 

two years of entry, compared to 65 percent of those not having a jail sanction. Among Clark 

County participants, 12 percent of those sanctioned with jail in their first year later graduated, 

compared to 44 percent of those who were not. (Note that a portion of those receiving jail 

lo' It may seem implausible that the participants with less than 90 days of treatment in the first year could later 

graduate successfblly within two years of program entry. In fact, some participants who started poorly and who may 

have been fbgitives for some period, were allowed to return and complete the program. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

318 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Drug Court Elements 

Judge Contact 

Drug Testing 

Treatment Attendance 

Other Services 

Sanctions 

Acupuncture 

Length of Treatment 

I 

Drug Court Outcomes 

Early Drop-out 

Favorable Interim Status 

Bench Warrants 

Graduation 

Unfavorable Termination 

$ I1 , I 

sanctions in both sites did ultimately graduate.) Ceflainly other instrumental measures of the 

delivery of the drug court treatment could have been selected for this illustration with 'the same 

result: bivariate relationships from two different drug court data sets supporting the plausibility 

\ 

of the model of the drug court being discussed (Model 5 in Figure 95). 

Figure 95 Measurink Offender Attributes, Drug Court Treatment Elements and Drug Court 

Outcomes in a Model Explaining Offender'Behavior (Model 5) __a_ --_>,- ._ - 

Offender Attributes 

RaceEthnicity 

Family Status 

Employment History 

Residence History 

1 Drug Abuse (Type, Frequency) 

Mental Health History 

Drug Treatment History I Geographic Location 

r Age 

Offender Behavior 

Type of Rearrest 

Time to Rearrest 

Drug Use 

Fugitivity 

/ 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

319 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Figure 96 Relationship between Instrumental Drug Court Treatment Functions of Drug Court Outcomer 

among Drug Participants in Multnomah County (1991 - 1996) and Clark County (1993 - 1997) 

loo 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

loo 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Multnomah Countv Drug Court 

65 

54 

27 

30 Days 30 - 90 Days 91 - 365 Days Nom some 

Length of TmmKnC Jail Sanctions 

Drug Court Treatment in Year I 

Clark Countv Drun Court 

dl 44 

0 

30 - 90 Days 91 - 365 Days None some 

Jail Sanctions 

30 Days 

Length of TmmrmI Drug Court Treatmenf in Year I 

Model 6 shown in Figure 97 maintains the distinction between instrumental variables 

reflecting the delivery of treatment to drug court participants and drug court outcomes, but 

' 

! 

simplifies the causal model by interpreting drug court outcomes as measures of offender 

behavior like reoffending. From this perspective, drug court graduation and unfavorable 

termination are possible products of the drug court experience in the same way reoffending and 

substance abuse may be. h this model, drug court treatment outcomes do not themselves 

"cause" reoffending or its absence, they are concomitants. This version of the 'drug court model 

suggests that offender attributes (antecedent variables) affect drug court treatment delivery (as 

higher and lower risk participants tax services differently) directly and the offender behavior 

criteria (drug court outcomes, reoffending, and substance abuse) directly as well as indirectly 

through drug court treatment delivery. Model 6 also posits that drug court treatment delivery has 

a direct effect on offender behavior. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

320 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 97 Measuring Offender Attributes, Drug Cou,rt Treatment Elements and Drug Court 

Outcomes with Overall Outcomes in a Model Explaining Offender Behavior (Model 6) 

, I 

b 

I 

I I 

Offender Behavior 

Rearrest 

Type of Rearrest, 

Time to Rearrest 

Fugitivity 

Early Drop-opt 

Bench Warrants 

Graduation 

Unfavorable Termination 

Drug Use 

Offender Attributes 

RaceEthnicity 

Family Status 

Employment Histbry 

Residence History 

Drug Abuse (Type, Frequency) 

Mental Health Histpry 

Drug Treatment History 

Geographic Location 

Criminal History 

\ Age 

I '\ / I 

Drug Court Elements 

Judge Contact ' 

Drug Testing 

Treatment Attendance 

Other Services 

Sanctions 

Acupuncture 

Length of Treatment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

TestinP the Model: The Impact of the Drw Court on Offender Behavior 

Under Model 6, the researcher would expect to find-and be able to assess-the 

hypothesized relationships between the instrumental drug court treatment functions and offender 

behavior. For the drug court to be viewed as effective, its treatment functions should deliver an 

effect on reoffending (i.e., lower it), net of effects on reoffending contributed by antecedent 

variables relating to offender attributes (or other outside factors, unmeasurable for this analysis). 

Table 28 summarizes bivariate relationships between selected drug court treatment measures and 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

32 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

rearrest (over a one year period) among participants in the Multnomah County and Clark County 

Drug Courts during the study periods. 

In both sites, expected relationships are found. The number of sanctions ordered in court 

and the number of jail sanctions are positively related to rearrest prospects: participants with 

sanctions are more likely to be rearrested in the first year. In both sites, attendance in treatment 

and-length of time in treatment are negatively related to reoffending: participants who completed 

more than 50 percent of the expected treatment regimen,and participants who attended more than 

30 treatment appointments showed much lower rates of rearrest during the first year in each 

\ 

I 

1 

, I 

I1 

t 

I 

location. In Multnomah County, the number of appearances made before the drug court judge 

was related to later rearrest (those with more than 8 appointments in the, first, year were less 

8 

likely to be rearrested than those with fewer). In Clark County, the bivariate relationship was 

non-significant and did not appear to apply. I 

Table 29 tests this model (Model 6) of drug court treatment on subsequent offender 

behavior more fblly using multivariate analysis with rearrest within one year of drug court entry 

and graduation within two years as the dependent measures. In separate analyses, “risk” 

attributes of drug court participants related to rearrest were identified for each site. In Clark 

County, these included prior arrests (within three years), prior drug arrests, and prior failures-toappear in court (FTAs). In Multnomah County, participant attributes predicting rearrest in one 

year included race (whitehon-white), having an alias, having prior arrests (within three years), 

and having a pending (unadjudicated) charge already in the courts at the time of drug court entry. 

These offender attributes were entered as controls in logistic regression modeling offender 

behavior to represent the possibly independent role of risk attributes in producing offender 

behavior. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

322 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
f Table 28 Relationships "etween Instrumental Drug Court Treatment Variables and Rearrest among Drug Court P-rti ipants in A. 

Multnomah County (1991-1997) and Clark County (1993-€997) 

Multnomah County Clark Countv 

Drug Court Treatment (Measured Total Any Rearrest Drug Non- Total Any Drug Nonin Year ZJ Rearrest Drug Rearrest Rearrest Rearrest Drug Rearrest 

(n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent (n) Percent 

Number of Court Appearances 

Total 

8 or less 

>8 

Total 

<30 days 

>30 days 

Total 

None 

One or more 

Total 

30 or less 

>30 

Length of Phase I 

Number of Positive Tests 

Number of Treatment Appointments 

Length of Time in Treatment 

Total 

Less than 50% of expected 

50% or more 

Median Days in Treatment in I 

Year 

Total 

Median Days 

Total 

None 

One or more 

Total 

None 

Number of Sanctions 

Number of Jail Sanctions 

586 

143 

443 

588 

125 

464 

573 

169 

405 

576 

225 

352 

576 

306 

27 1 

555 

23 1 

586 

457 

129 

588 

234 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

213 36.4 

68 47.6 

145 32.8 

214 36.4 

45 36.0 

169 36.5 

206 36.0 

56 33.3 

150 37.0 

209 36.3 

112 49.8 

97 27.6 

209 36.3 

145 47.4 

64 23.7 

204 

137.5 

213 36.4 

156 34.2 

57 44.2 

214 36.4 

29 12.4 

126 

33 

93 

127 

27 

100 

123 

28 

95 

125 

63 

62 

125 

85 

40 

121 

139 

126 

92 

34 

127 

13 

21.5 

23.1 

21.0 

21.6 

21.6 

21.6 

21.5 

16.7 

23.5 

21.7 

28.0 

17.7 

21.7 

27.8 

14.8 

21.5 

20.2 

26.4 

21.6 

5.6 

154 26.3 

51 35.7 

103 23.3 

155 26.4 

32 25.6 

123 26.6 

148 25.8 

45 26.8 

103 25.4 

151 26.2 

85 37.8 

66 18.8 

151 26.2 

106 34.6 

45 16.7 

148 

137.5 

155 26.5 

115 25.2 

40 31.0 

155 26.4 

22 9.4 

409 

98 

311 

487 

203 

284 

485 

49 

436 

494 

123 

371 

494 

181 

313 

44 1 

358 

499 

131 

368 

496 

338 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

100 

216 

54 

162 

255 

84 

171 

256 

20 

236 

260 

85 

175 

260 

119 

141 

227 

330 

26 1 

29 

232 

26 1 

150 

52.8 

55.1 

52.1 

52.4 

41.4 

60.2 

52.8 

40.8 

54.1 

52.6 

69. I 

47.2 

52.6 

65.7 

45.0 

52.3 

22.1 

63.0 

52.6 

44.4 

110 

31 

79 

124 

39 

85 

128 

5 

123 

129 

50 

79 

129 

71 

58 

111 

287 

129 

12 

-117 

129 

70 

26.9 

31.6 

25.4 

25.5 

19.2 

29.9 

26.4 

10.2 

28.2 

26.1 

40.7 

21.3 

26.1 

39.2 

18.5 

25.9 

9.2 

31.8 

26.0 

20.7 

37.3 

168 

39 

129 

20 1 

67 

134 

200 

17 

183 

203 

66 

137 

203 

93 

110 

174 

349 

204 

24 

180 

204 

116 

88 

41.1 

39.8 

41.5 

41.3 

33.0 

47.2 

41.2 

34.7 

42.0 

41.1 

53.7 

36.9 

41.1 

51.4 

35.1 

40.9 

18.3 

48.9 

41.1 

34.3 

One or more 355 100 185 52.1 114 32.1 133 37.5 158 100 111 70.3 59 ~ ~ 55.7 

Crime and Justice-Research Institute 

323 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 29 Modeling the Effects of Drug Court Treatment Variables on Later Offender Behavior (Rearrest within One Year; Graduation 

within Two Years) among Drug Court Participants in Multnomah County (1991-1997) and dark County (1993-1997) 

'I 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit analysis.] 9 

Multnomah Counq 1 Clark Counw 

Any Rearrest Drug Non-Drug Graduation w/in Any Rearrest Drug Rearrest Non-Drug Graduation w/in 

Rearrest Rearrest 2 Years 1 Rearrest 2 Years 

Risk Variables Risk Variables - 1 

Prior Arrests I in Last 3 

Race (WhiteiNon-White) .324 (.138) .706 (.002) .113 (.622) -.428 (.120) Years .7278 (.0087) j .7517 (.0200) .7310 (.0084) .2026 (S743) 

Prior Arrest in Last 3 

Alias -.943 (.OOO) -.784 (.OOl) -.527 (.018) .I45 (.553) Prior Drug Arrests .6276 (.0227) .3129 (.2745) .6080 (.021 I) -.3627 (.3072) 

Years .603 (.007) -.022 (.929) 1.075(.000) -.078 (.790) Prior FTAs .0758 (.7767) S395 (.OSOS) -.0656 (.7979) -.4406 (. 1986) 

- 

Pending Arrest Charge .I64 (.652) .I94 (S89) .221 (5.23) -.856 (.120) 

'i Treatment Variables Treatment Variables 

Time in TX (<50%, 50% Time in TX (<50%, 50% I 

-1.1790 '1 

or more) -.209 (.515) -.286 (.411) .032 (.927) 1.187 (.002) or more) -.4122 (.2928) I -.9256 (.0171) -.2850 (.4477) 3.2540 (.0020) 

or less, 30>) -.248 (.429) -.012 (.973) -.543 (.loo) .491 (.242) or less, 30>) (.0078) -.2304 (.5652) -.9692 (.0189) 461 (.7647) 

No. of TX Contacts (30 No. of TX Contacts (30 

Any Sanctions .637 (.203) .449 (.524) .894 (.101) -.937 (.048) Any Sanctions 1.2867 (.OOOO) ' .9898 (.0131) .8947 (.0036) -1.5957 (.OOOO) 

Any Jail Sanctions 1.026 (-025) (.024) .491 (.315) -.476 (.298) Any Jail Sanctions .7029 (.0059) .4279 (.0955) .4830 (.0445) -1.4584 (.OOOO) 

I .430 

No. of Court No. of Court 

Appearances (8 or less, Appearances (8 or less, 1.0288 

8') -.I47 (.588) .345 (.239) -.I38 (.618) 3.515 (.OOl) 8>) l.Q547 (.0096) I .4866 (.1703) (.0049) - 2.0081 (.0318) 

Log Likelihood 148.59 488.071 526.122 363.299 Log Likelihood 45 - 1.972 1 404.029 476. I09 294.912 

Goodness of Fit 4.405 3.945 3.089 7.107 Goodness of Fit (H&L) 18.4032 - 9.7041 4.7604 8.8744 

GF Significance .819 .786 .929 .525 GF Significance .0184 I .2864 .7828 .3530 

Chi Square 148.59 92.539 108.574 183.421 - Chi Square 110.714 ' 70.963 75.663 220.978 

DF 9 9 9 9 DF 81 8 8 8 

n 547 547 547 405* n 407 I. 407 407 407 

Model Statistics Model Statistics 

Significance .ooo .ooo .ooo .OOO Significance .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo 

*Includes 1991-96 defendants only in Multnomah County. I 

! 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

324 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

4 I 

I 

, I1 

, I 

We then entered five drug court treatment variables to represent the effects of the 

These 

I 

instrumental treatment functions delivered by the drug court on offender behavior, 

included two measures of treatment: number of treatment sessions attended during year one (30 

or less, more than 30) and percent of expected treatment sessions attended (less than 50 percent, 

50 percent or more). Fxposure to the drug court courtroom experience was measured as the 

number of court appearances attended during the first year (8 or fewer, more than 8). The 

I 

, ! I 

I1 

delivery of sanctions was represented as the number of any sanctions assigned (none, some) and 

number ofjail sanctions assigned (none, some) during the initial year.lo2 

' 

I 

I 

Using logistic regression, the logic of this analysis is to identifL the impact of any or all 

of the five instrumental ingredients of drug court treatment on subsequent offender behavior, net I, ,I 

of prior risk-related participant attributes, when their effects are considered together. 

Reoffending 

Clark Countv: Participant reoffending was measured three ways in the analysis: being 

rearrested within one year of entry for any offense, for a drug offense, or for a non-drug offense. 

Analysis of the Clark County 1993-97 data suggests that two risk attributes (prior arrests and 

prior drug arrests) contribute independently to the probability of any rearrest during the first,year 

and that, four of the drug court treatment functions also demonstrate a relationship with 

reoffending, net of controls for risk attributes. The number of treatment sessions attended, 

assignment of any sanctions, assignment of jail sanctions, and the number of appearances in drug 

court all contribute the effects suggested by the drug court model. (Note that the number of court 

appearances was not related to being rearrested at the bivariate level.) That is, the more 

treatment sessions and drug court sessions attended, the lower the probability of being rearrested; 

lo* Note that we do not have a good measure of the use of incentives, which would also be an important instrumental 

drug court treatment variable to consider. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

325 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
the more sanctions generally and the more jail sanctions specifically assigned, the greater the 

probability of being rearrested. 

With drug arrests as the outcome measure, the results change somewhat. Among 

offender risk attributes, only prior arrests and prior FTAs contribute independently to the 

prospects of rearrest and, net of these controls, only two drug court treatment variables account 

for subsequent rearrest prospects: percent of expected treatment attended and any sanctions 

'assigned during the first year. When non-drug arrest is employed as the criterion, the results are 

similar to the results from the analysis of any rearrest: prior arrests and prior drug arrests remain 

I,, , 

significant predictors of reoffending, while four of five drug court measures also contribute 

indepcndent effects to the likelihood of reoffending. 

Multnomah Countv: The analysis of the 1991-97 'Multnomah County data showed 

different results. With the dependent measure defined as any type of rearrest within one year of 

a drug court entry, two risk attributes showed significant relationships with reoffending: having an ' 

alias Cnersons with aliases had a lower pr~bability''~) and having prior arrests within three years 

(persons with arrests had a higher probability). Only one of the five measures of instrumental 

drug court functions-the assignment of jail sanctions-showed a significant relation with 

rearrest for any of'fense, net of controls for offender risk. The analysis with drug rearrest as the 

criterion produced similar results: two risk attributes (race and alias) showed significant 

relationships, while only one dnig court variable (jail sanctions) did. When the outcome measure 

for the logistic regression was non-drug rearrest, two risk attributes were significant (alias and 

prior arrests), but 110 drug court variables affected the probability of rearrest for non-drug 

offenses in the first year after entry. 

Officials in Portland have suggested that one explanation for this surprising (counterintuitive) relationship is that 

some participants were illegal aliens who either disappeared for fear of being deported or were deported, hence 

lowering the chances that they would later be rearrested in the same area. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

326 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
These findings show mixed results that are site, dependent. In Clark County, the 1993-97 

data suggest that participant attributes at entry into the drug court do consistently play a role in 

the probability of offending behavior one year after program entry, independent of the effects of 

the drug court experience. The Clark County analyses also strongly suggest that drug court I 

functions contribute sihificantly to reducing the prospects of subsequent offending behavior, 

though just how depends on the measure of interest. The Multnomah County 1991-97 data also 

I1 I 

suggest a consistent role for offender attributes in shaping the likelihood of later offending, , 

regardless of the type of measure examined. Little support overall is found for significant effects 

of drug court functions on later offending, with one exception: the use of jail sanctions. When 

any rearrest or drug rearrests were the outcome criteria, only the use of jailtiwas related to 

rean-est, net of controls for participant risk. No drug court hction showed a significant effect 

when rearrest for non-drug offenses was the outcome of concern. , 

Graduation within Two Years of Drug Court Entrv 

Clark Countv: Model 6 hypothesizes that a number of drug court outcomes should be 

included in measures of offender behavior produced by the drug court model, the most obvious 

being whether or not a participant graduates from the program. Logistic regression analyses 

were employed to consider the relative effects of instrumental drug court fimctions on 

graduation, net of the independent effects of offender risk attributes as Model 6 would posit. 

Among Clark County Drug Court participants, no offender risk attributes showed a significant or 

independent relation to the prospects of graduation (within two years). Four of the five measures 

of drug court treatment did play important roles: percent of expected treatment attended in the 

first year (more than 50 percent was associated with greater odds of graduation), any sanctions or 

jail sanctions assigned (having sanctions decreased the likelihood of graduation), and the number 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

327 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

of court appearances (the greater the number the better the chances of graduation). Thus, in 

Clark County, while offender attributes partly determined the likelihopd of rearrest, above and 

beyond the effects of drug court functions, they did not play a role in determining graduationonly the instrumental treatment functions did. 

Multnornah Counhr: In Multnomah County also, offender attributes were not related to 

the likelihood of graduation within two years of entry into the drug court. Three of the five 

‘instrumental drug court functions were predictive, net of the effects of controls: percent of 

expected treatment attended, any sanctions ordered, and number of court appearances before the 

lh, , 

drug court judge. The assignment of jail sanctions by the drug court judge within the first year 

was not related to the prospects of graduation, when the effects of the other variables were taken 

into account. 

lnteractions between Drug. Court Functions in Producing. Outcomes (Rearrest and Graduation) , 

The analysis of drug court impact so far has sought to consider the relative effects of drug 

court functions as a group and individually, net of the effects of prior offender attributes, on 

outcomes (rearrest and graduation). Conceivably, given the mix of rehabilitative and deterrent 

aims and methods represented by the drug court model, particular drug court fimctions could 

interact to produce an impact on outcomes above and beyond their specific contributions. Tables 

30 and 31 summarize logit analyses for both sites considering possible first-order interaction 

effects of treatment attended (either actual number or percentage of expected number) and court 

appearances, and treatment attended and jail sanctions, while controlling for offender attributes. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

328 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 30 Modeling the Effects of Drug Court Treatment Variables of Interactions on Later Offending Behavior (Rearrest within One Year; 

Graduation within Two Years) among Drug Court Participants in Clark County (1993-1997) 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from logit analysis.] 

Treatment Time and Jail Treatment Time and Court ADDeat'anCeS 

Non-Drug Graduation w/in Non-Drug Graduation w/in 

Predictors Any Rearrest Drug Rearrest Rearrest 2 Years Any Rearrest Drug Rearrest Rearrest 2 Years 

Risk Variables 

Years 

Prior Arrests in Last 3 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior WAS 

Treatment Variables 

Time in TX (<50%, 

SOY*) 

No. of TX Contacts (30 or less, >30) 

Any Sanctions 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No.of Court 

Appearances 

Interactions 

TX Time and Jail 

(1) <31 TX, No 

Jail 

(2) <31 TX, Jail 

(3) >30 TX, Jail 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

n 

.7519 (.0067) 

.5957 (.0302) 

.0884 (.7409) 

-.4137 (.2839) 

-- 1.3167 (.OOOO) 

-- 

.900 I (.03 IO) 

(.0039) 

.6750 (.1618) 

2.9327 (.0004) 

.3975 (.1596) 

445.462 

23.3975 

.0029 

1 17.223 

9 

.oooo 

407 

.7635 (.0186) .7457 (.0074) 

.3017 (.2935) .5908 (.0253) 

.5459 (.0484) -.OS64 (.8258) 

-.9377 (.0156) -.3003 (.4210) 

-- -- 1.0020 (.0121) .9141 (.0030) 

_- -- 

.4537 (.2058) .9581 (.0098) 

(.3349) (.O 197) 

.0607 (.8988) .6922 (.1419) 

.7208 (.1501) 1.6423 (.0019) 

.3111 (.3211) .3136(.2627) 

403.604 474.709 

9.8475 6.4526 

.2159 S967 

71.387 77.063 

9 9 

.oooo .oooo 

407 407 

,1998 (.5793) 

-.3616 (.3079) 

-.4400 (.1985) 

3.2492 (.0020) 

-- -1.5962 (.OOOO) 

-- 

2.0588 (.0289) 

(.0005) 

-.2587 (.8638) 

-5.4067 (.7194) 

-1.4423 (.OOOO) 

291.596 

10.4737 

.2333 

22 I .294 

9 

.oooo 

407 

Risk Variables - 

Prior Arrests in Last 3 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior FTAs 

Treatment Variables 

Time in TX (<50%, 

No. of TX Contacts (30 or less, >30) 

Any Sanctions 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No. of Court 

Appearances 

Years 

SOY&-) 

Inferacfions 

TX Time and Court 

Appearances 

(I) 30 or less TX, 8 

or less crt apps 

(2) 30 or less TX, 

>8 crt apps 

(3) >30 TX, 8 or 

less crt apps 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chisquare 

DF 

Significance 

n 

.7282 (.0087) 

,6250 (.0234) 

,0743 (.7810) 

-.3930 (.3359) , 

.7453 (.0212) .7312 (.0084) 

.3259 (.2562) .6076 (.0214) 

5495 (.0472) - -.0658 (.7973) 

-1.0365 (.0121) -.2814 (.4743) 

-- - 

1.2831 (.OOOO) 1.0116 (.0115) 

.6999 (.0062) .4349 (.0907) 

(.O 199) (.4837) 

.nil 67820) i -.m8 (.5225) 

1.2573 (.0571) -.0255 (.9601) 

-.9941 (.0721) -.8855 (.1527) 

I 

451.945 j 403.357 

16.1240 . 9.4245 

.0406 I .3078 

110.740 1 7 1.634 

9 9 

.oooo I .oooo 

- 3941 (.0037) 

.4826 (-0450) 

(.0177) 

-.0583 (.8973) 

.9797 (.068 I) 

(.0759) 

-1.0154 

476.109 

4.7546 

,7835 

75.664 

9 

.oooo 

.2139 (.5539) 

-.3698 (.2995) 

-.4212 (.2209) 

3.2105 (.0023) 

-- 

-1.5947 (.OOOO) 

-1.4581 (.OOOO) 

-- 

(.1098) 

-I .7784 (.2254) 

- 

-5.3722 (.7342) 

-2.6091 (.0276) 

290.178 

6.1652 

.6287 

222.7 I3 

9 

.oooo _. _. 407 1 407 407 407 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

329 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table 31 Modeling the Effects of Drug Court Treatment Variables with - f = Interactions on Later Offendidg Behavior (Rearrest within One 

Year, Graduation within Two Years) among Drug Court Participants in Multnomah County (1991-1997) 

mote: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from logit analysis.] 

Treatment Time and Jail X'reatment Time and Court Avuearances 

Non-Drug Graduation w/in I Non-Drug Graduation wlin 

Predictors Any Rearrest Drug Rearrest Rearrest 2 Years Any Rearrest :, Drug Rearrest Rearrest 2 Years 

Risk Variables 

Race (whitelnonwhite) 

Alias 

Prior Arrest in Last 3 

Pending Arrest Charges 

Time in TX (<50%, 50% 

or more) 

No. of TX contacts (30 

or less, 30>) 

Any Sanctions 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No.of Court 

Appearances 

YearS 

Treatment Variables 

Interactions 

TX Time and Jail 

(I) <50% and No 

Jail 

(2) >50% and No 

Jail 

(3) Jail and <50% 

Model Statistics 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

.340 (.121) 

.981 (.OOO) 

.589 (.008) 

.182 (.617) 

- 

-.286 (.351) 

.E59 (.104) 

-.154 (.561) 

1 1.940 (.008) 

-.388 (.512) 

-1.645 (.002) 

-.157 (648) 

566.387 

5.394 

.715 

156.204 

IO 

.ooo 

.716 (.002) 

-.799 (.OOl) 

-.026 (.917) 

.208 (.562) 

-- 

-.054 (.871) 

.678 (.353) -- 

.331 (.252) 

8.736 (.033) 

-.581 (.446) 

-2.020 (.006) 

.038 (.918) 

483.828 

4.827 

.776 

96.782 

IO 

.ooo 

.I37 (.551) 

-.560 (.014) 

1.060 (.OOO) 

.226 (.515) 

-- 

-.567 (.081) 

1.157 (.048) -- 

-.I44 (S97) 

7.131 (.068) 

-.028 (.965) 

-1.184 (.044) 

-.373 (.309) 

519. I81 

9.550 

.298 

115.516 

IO 

.ooo 

-.425 (.124) 

.I46 (.550) 

-.079 (.786) 

-.851 (.123) 

-- 

.490 (.246) 

-.924 (.052) 

-_ 

3.529 (.OOl) 

11.361 (.010) 

-.681 (.270) 

,444 (.360) 

-1.233 (.055) 

363.259 

6.807 

.449 

183.461 

IO 

.ooo 

Risk Variables 

Race (whitehonwhite) 

Alias 

Prior Arrest in Last 3 

Pending Arrest Charges 

Time in TX (<50%, 

So%>) 

No. of TX contacts (30 or less, >30) 

Any Sanctions 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No.of Court 

Appearances 

Years 

Treatment Variables 

Interactions 

TX Time and Court 

Appearances 

(I) <50% and <8 

aPPs. 

(2) >50% and <8 

aPPs. 

(3) <50% and >8 

aPPs. 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

Model Statistics 

I 

.331 (.128) I 

-.964 (.OW) 1 

I 

.600(.007) i 

.I62 (.657) 'I 

'i 

1 

-_ $1 

1 

-.247 (.432) y 

.657(.190) ' 

1.025 (.025) 1 

I -- ! 

'I 

1.190 (.755) '1 

.I 

1 .341 (.368) i 

.915(.502) 4 

.216(.500) 

, 

b 

575.618 , 3.879 ' 

.E68 

150.81 2 

IO 

.ooo 

.725 (.002) 

-.794 (.OOl) 

.003 (.991) 

.I71 (.633) 

-- 

.001 (.998) 

.443 (.529) 

I .a5 (.023) 

-- 

I .584 (.663) 

-.073 (.862) 

-3.855 (.755) 

.248 (.476) 

489.683 

5.341 

.72 1 

94.926 

IO 

.QOO 

.123 (.587) 

-.553 (.014) 

1.073 (.OOO) 

.213 (S36) 

-- 

-.548 (.097) 

.924 (.091) 

.490 (.316) 

-- 

.798 (.850) 

.076 (.850) 

1.114(.419) 

-.028 (.935) 

521.862 

3.627 

.889 

110.718 

IO 

.ooo 

-.399 (. 147) 

.I28 (.599) 

-.045 (.878) 

-.E98 (.103) 

-- 

.502 (.231) 

-.940 (.047) 

-.469 (.305) 

-- 

24.207 (.OOO) 

-4.688 (.OOO) 

-8.140 (.749) 

-1.220 (.001) 

365.512 

6.814 

.557 

185.292 

IO 

.ooo - n 547 547 547 405* n 550 550 550 - 408 

*Includes 1991-96 defendants only in Multnomah County. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

330 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I #I 

, I 

Treatment and Court Appearances: In Clark County, the interaction between treatment 

attended and court appearances was significant in modeling any rearrest and non-drug rearrest, 

but not graduation or drug rearrest. It appeared that participants with 30 or fewer treatment 

sessions in the first year and fewer than 9 court appearances had a greater chance of rearrest, 

over and above the emcts of these fbnctions ,viewed separately. In Multnomah County, the 

interaction between treatment (as percentage of treatment attended) ahd court appearances did 

not contribute to the modeling of any form of rearrest, but did add to the prediction of , 

\ 

l 

8 I 

I1 4+ 

graduation. 

Treatment and Jail Sanctions: In Clark County, the interaction between treatment , 

attendance and jail sanctions played a significant role in modeling any rearrest and non-drug 

rearrest, as well as graduation. In Multnomah County, the interaction between treatment and jail 

sanctions also proved a significant contributor to the models of rearrest (of each type). This 

interaction also appeared to affect the probability of graduation in the Multnomah County Drug 

Court data. 

Reoffending Causinp Drug Court Outcomes: The DeDendent Variable as IndeDendent Variable 

I 

To this point, we have examined the logic implicit in assessing the impact of the drug 

court model, using data from the Multnomah County and Clark County studies to illustrate 

conceptualizations of a causal drug court model in which it is hypothesized that drug courts 

reduce criminal offending. The analytic framework we have suggested divides the question into 

two parts, one (“does it work?”) that draws on a comparative analysis of reoffending of drug 

court participants and similar non-participants, and a second (“if it works, how does it work?”), 

that considers how the drug court produces its advertised results. Analyses testing models that 

distinguish between instrumental drug court functions (the delivery of the drug court treatment 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

33 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

experience) and drug court outcomes (how participants fare in the drug court process) have 

shown that all of the tested drug court treatment fbnctions did nat appear to make’ equal 

contributions to explaining outcomes, and some, such as treatment and court appearances before 

the drug court judge and treatment and jail sanctions, interact to produce effeqts on offender 

outcomes above and beyond their single contributions. 

- Inshort, and this is positive news for proponents of drug courts, we have presented 

evidence supporting a crime reduction effect of drug courts in the two locations-but with 

variation in impact over time. These variations led us to consider sources of that variation as 

external (or prior) to the drug court itself. Hence, we identified the potential importance of 

outside factors and offender attributes in producing drug court impact. In addition, we have 

tested the’ relative contributions of some of the key elements of the drug court treatment 

mechanism, showing effects for court appearance, treatment, and sanctions-and interactionsthat varied by site (and quite likely would vary over time as well). 

, ’ 

I(‘ I 

One more major difficulty still confronts the attempt to draw inferences about the impact 

of drug courts: the causal order we have postulated in the theoretical models thus far in part may 

be inaccurate. In fact, the presumptive criterion or outcome variable to be affected by the drug 

court innovation-later offender behavior (reoffending andor graduationhmay to some extent 

precede (and in fact may ‘ccause’y) drug court treatment measures, rather than the reverse. For 

example, a drug court participant may be arrested for a new offense a few weeks into the drug 

court program. 

Measured one way, we might conclude that due to the few court appearances made and 

the few treatment sessions attended, the participant failed “out” of the program, as might be 

expected, and that resulted in new criminal behavior and rearrest. Yet, because of the temporal 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

332 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

order, instead the new offense may have in fact caused the participant's poor attendance, 

disqualification, and early termination from the drug court.'04 If this,is so, some or all'of the 

relations depicted in Table 28 between drug court measures and rearrest can also be read in the 

other direction: participants who are rearrested during the one-year follow-up have shorter 

lengths of time in treatment, attend fewer treatment appointments, and attend drug court less 

frequently than those-who are not rearrested-because their-remests preceded and determined 

program outcomes. 

I 

lit' , 

Model 7 in Figure 98 modifies the causal model of drug court impact to suggest that 

offender behavior has an influence on drug court treatment (and therefore indirectly on drug 

court outcomes under offender behavior) as well as being itself shaped by outside factors, the 

drug couh treatment experience and prior offender attributes. This model is tested in 

multivariate modeling of graduation (within two years) among Clark County and Multnomah 

County participants by including measures of rearrest (within year one) as predictor variables. 

If, while controlling for the independent effects of offender attributes on graduation, rearrest 

adds to the likelihood of not graduating within two years, Model 7 would receive support. 

I 

Drug courts differ in the rules they employ to guide continued participation by defendants who are arrested for 

new offenses. Some permit continued participation pending or including conviction on new offenses as long as they 

are eligible for drug court, with other more serious charges resulting in exclusion. Some drug courts automatically 

terminate participants who are rearrested. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

333 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 98 Offender Behavior also Influences Drug Court Treatment and Indirectly Influences 

Drug Court Outcomes (Model 7) 

\ 

D 

Offender 

Attributes I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute ,I tt 

In fact, as Table 32 shows, none of the measures of rearrest make a significant 

contribution to the models of graduation in either site, when offender attributes (which are also 

all non-significant) and instrumental drug court variables are also taken into account. However, 

we did determine that interactions between rearrest and drug court treatment measures can make 

significant contributions, at least in the Clark County data.'05 In short, these findings do not 

provide convincing evidence that rearrest is not only affected by drug court treatment but also 

affects treatment and drug court outcome measures itself, but they do raise an issue that should 

be addressed in other analyses. 

'Os When we tested possible interaction effects between rearrest and drug court treatment variables, they contributed 

significantly to modeling graduation in Clark County but not at all in Multnomah County. In Clark County, 

interaction effects between treatment and rearrest, court appearances and rearrest, and sanctions and rearrest 

contributed significantly to the model of graduation. (Attending more than 30 sessions in year one and being 

rearrested decreased the likelihood of graduation. Having more than eight court appearances and being rearrested 

also contributed to a reduced likelihood of graduation. Having sanctions and being rearrested decreased the 

likelihood of graduation.) In Multnomah County, none of the interactions between rearrest and drug court treatment 

measures were significant in modeling graduation. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

334 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Table 32 Aodeling the Effects o Drug Court Treatment Variables on Graduation, 

Controlling for Rearrest as an Independent Variable, among Drug Court Participants in 

Multnomah County (1991-1996) and Clark County (1993-1997) 

[Note: These analyses are based on unweighted data. Parameter estimates and significance are indicated from Logit 

analysis.] \ 

Multnornah Countv Clark Countv 

Graduation wlin 2 Graduatiog wlin 2 I 

Years Years 

i Risk Variables ’ , Risk Variables 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Alias 

Prior Arrests in Last 3 Years 

Pending Arrest Charge ’ 

Time in TX (<50%, 50% or 

No. of TX Contacts (30 or 

Any Sanctions ’ 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No. of Court Appearances (8 

Treatment Variables 

more) 

less, 30>) 

or less, 0) 

Any Rearrest 

Drugs Rearrest 

Non-Drugs Rearrest 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

n 

Rearrest 

Model Statistics 

-.356 (.203) 

-.075 (.801) 

-321 (.138) 

.08 (.659) 

1.177 (.002) 

.512 (.225) 

-.930 (.050) 

-.372 (.425) 

3.560 (.001) 

.223 (.750) 

-.700 (.195) 

-.I04 (.860) 

360.502 

11.156 

.193 

186.218 

12 

.ooo 

405 

’ Prior Arrdsts in Last 3 Years 

Prior Drug Arrests 

Prior FTAs 

Treatmeht Variables 

Time in TX (<50%, 50% or 

No. of TX Contacts (30 or 

Any Sanctions 

Any Jail Sanctions 

No. of Court Appearances (81 I 

more) 

less, 30>) 

or less, 8>) 

Any Rearrest 

Drugs Rearrest 

Non-LYrugs Reamest 

Log Likelihood 

Goodness of Fit (H&L) 

GF Significance 

Chi Square 

DF 

Significance 

n 

Rearrest 

Model Statistics 

8 

.3600 (.3417) I1 

-.3641 (.3200) 

-.4552 (. 1976) 

3.3144 (.0018) 

.2560 (.8644) 

-1.3339, (.0004) 

-1.4403 (.OOOO) ,I 

2.1712 (.0224) 

-1.3278 (.0650) 

-.0105 (.9836) 

-.5272 (.4152) 

282.377 

9.0635 

.3370 

230.5 13 

11 

.oooo ~~ 407 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

Imdications of Clark Countv and Multnomah Countv Findings for the Model of Drug 

Court ImDact 

These analyses testing the conceptualization of “how drug courts work” represented in 

Model 6 have important implications for assessing the contributions of the ingredients of the 

drug court treatment repertoire. First, the importance of considering the independent effects of 

prior participant attributes on later offender behavior as suggested in several of the hypothesized 

models is strongly supported by analyses of Clark County and Multnomah County data across 

rearrest measures. In fact, one of the most consistent findings across sites was that, even when 

I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

335 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

taking into account the effects of instrumental drug court variables, risk attributes always 

contributed significantly to the likelihood of reoffending among drug court participants. 

Second, by implication, in none of the analyses did we find the opposite, that drug court 

treatment hnctions alone accounted for variation in reoffending. The findiqgs relating to 

examination of the contribution of drug court treatment functions, net of participant risk 

attributes, are mixed and site dependent. In Clark County, four of five instrumental drug court 

treatment measures affected the prospects of later reoffending. The picture was quite different in 

Multnomah County. Once offender risk attributes were controlled, only the use of jail sanctions 

made a significant contribution to prediction of later rearrests-and even then, this was found for 

only two measures of rearrest, any and drug.Io6 No drug court fbnction was related to the 

likelihood of being rearrested within one year for non-drug offenses-at least when measured as 

a main effect. In Multnomah County, then, it appears that the positive drug court results shown 

earlier at the bivariate level (see Figure 88) are partly spurious, explained by offender risk 

attributes unaffected by the drug court experience. 

The analyses presented above represent a first attempt to assess the impact of various 

drug court treatment elements. On their face, the findings suggest an emphasis on treatment and 

deterrence in the Clark County Drug Court and primarily a deterrence emphasis (via jail 

sanctions) in the Multnomah County Drug Analysis in both sites suggest additionally 

that drug court functions wield influence conjointly-as interactions-above and beyond their 

independent contributions to offender outcomes. Thus, while treatment variables alone were not 

significant predictors of rearrest in Multnomah County, net of the effects of defendant risk, 

treatment participation did interact with jail sanctions to make a significant contribution. 

'06 Note that the relationship was positive. 

lo' A deterrence finding, however, would posit a negative relationship between jail sanctions and later offending. 

The positive relationship found raises questions about the interpretation of this finding in both sites. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

336 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

t 

In dealing with the multivariate analyses WG have presented with data combined to 

represent all years in each site (1993-97 in Clark County and 1991-97 in Multnomah County), 

however, there is a danger in drawing inferences that may “on average” make sense, but mask 

effects in particular years. In fact, the longitudinal retrospective design of this study has 

highlighted the special histories of the drug couqs in each site and demonstrated that the year-toyear experience of the courts varied notably (GoMkarnp-et al., 2000). Different factors and 

\ 

I 

, 4 I It e’ 

events influenced the operation of the drug courts in eaGh location as they fimctioned from year , 

to year in a dynamic process. In Multnomah County, the drug court was supervised in 

succession by wo strong drug court judges, who were succeeded by a non-judge referpe and a 

rapid rotation of numerous judges for short stints through the drug caurt. (;These changes 

illustrate the dynamic process of the drug court innovation, and the importance of a time-sensitive 

I 

analysis as well as an aggregate analysis of all years. I 

c 

The masking effect of the all-year, aggregate analyses presented in this report should be 

kept in mind in considering findings, for example the’Multnomah County finding that court 

appearances before the drug court judge did not affect the probability of later rearrest. Given the 

special history of ’judicial supervision of and assignment to Multnomah County’s drug court,, one 

may interpret-with great caution and serious reservations-this finding to mean that the drug 

court practice of person-to-person appearance before the drug court judge is not important. In 

fact, one might argue that the apparent effect of jail sanctions and its interaction with treatment 

in the Multnomah County Drug Court represents an aspect of the judge’s pervasive role. These 

findings, nonetheless, deserve serious consideration as a first attempt to examine the impact of 

drugs courts using a clear conceptual model of drug court impact. The questions raised by the 

findings should be pursued in greater depth in subsequent research. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

337 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, 

, I 

I 

Third, in Model 7 we posit that drug court outcomes-such as early termination and 

graduation-should be viewed as dependent measures of later offender behavior that parallel but 

do not precede or “cause” offending behavior. Thus, Model 7 suggests that the instrumental 

drug court functions should produce a variety of later measures of offender behavior, including 

\ 

I 

satisfactory progress thkough the drug court, reduced dru4 use, and reduced criminal activity. 

The findings in bot& sites Lfaise-gresfimr-aboirt- tfris--mmption.-Strikingly, just as offender 

attributes consistently predicted later rearrests of drug court participants, they consistently did , 

0 

I1 8’ 

not predict graduation in both sites. 

In one sense, this is good news for the respective drug courts because mg court 

graduation appeafs to be determined by success in the drug court, not by individual attributes. In 

another sense, though, the different prediction of graduation suggests that drug court outcomes 

and reoffending are not parallel outcomes and should not be combined under the general rubric 

of offender behavior as the outcome of interest. Rather, some version of Model 5 might warrant 

further analysis. Another inference might be that the skills, achievements, and behavior changes 

required to graduate fi-om the drug court are not co-extensive with those required to avoid 

criminality. This apparent disjuncture between prediction of participant success in the drug court 

and success on the street should be viewed as findamentally disturbing by drug court advocates 

if true. 

Conclusions: The Challenges of Measuriw Drug Court ImDact 

The proliferation of drug courts over the last decade in the United States and abroad has 

been remarkable in its substance and magnitude. The simple approach pioneered in Miami in 

1989 spawned a movement consisting presently of about 600 operating courts in the United 

States, one marked by growing diversity and creativity as the original model has been expanded, 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

338 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

adapted, and has contributed to related innovation in the larger court and justice systems. As this 

rapid growth in the application of the drug court model has taken place, not unusually, research 

examining its basic tenets and impact has lagged behind. Now, when the number of studies of 

drug courts is growing exponentially, little work has provided a theoretical framework for 

organizing the critical questions about drug court impact. 

The issues associated with addressing these research questions were illustrated using data 

fiom IL I the retrospective studies of drug courts in Portland (Multnomah County), Oregon (1 99 1-97) 

and Las Vegas (Clark County), Nevada (1993-97) (Goldkamp et al., 2000) in a conceptual model 

of drug court impact. The analyses demonstrated how such a framework can facilitate 

consideration of principal elements of the drug court model across sites. The findings raise 

questions for further analyses and, rather than being definitive, must be seen in the context of 

othe1 findings from the retrospective evaluation of the two sites, if inferences about drug court 

impact in each location are to be fairly drawn. In asking whether drug courts produced better 

results based on a crime-reduction criterion (measured as rearrests in a follow-up of one year), 

we found that overall positive effects masked variation in cohorts from different periods of time. 

These data show support for the hypothesis that drug court participants fare better than their 

counterparts in terms of rates of rearrest in the first year. However, they are qualified by the 

finding of variation over time. The theoretical model of drug court impact was constructed to 

attempt to explain the sources of this variation, whether they were external, such as changes in 

law and policy, a result of offender attributes, or traced to the internal workings of the drug court. 

We have found plausible support for the hypothesis that drug court impact is influenced 

over time by outside factors in an analysis reported elsewhere (Goldkamp et al., 2000; 

Goldkamp, White et al., 2001a). In this report, analyses supported the hypothesis that offender 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

339 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
attributes (considered an antecedent factor in causal models) accounted for some of the positive 

impact found ip the study of the Multnomah County and Clark County Drug Courts-a greater 

share in Multnomah County and a lesser share in Clark County. After controlling for such 

attributes, the differences in rearrest rates were still significant in Multnomah County mainly 

\ 

I 

only when the 1993-94’defendants groups werq compared. Our review of the milestones in the 

devebpment of that court strggests -that4 993-9 was a pmid-of rela&estabili+y and effmtive 

# 

6 

I1 I 

functioning. These findings conform to earlier analyses (Goldkamp et al., 2000) showing , 

difficulties with a treatment provider during the court’s 1991-92 initial start-up period and later 

adverse effects of two important changes: moving away from the single drug court judge model 

after 1995 to a “referee” , (quasi-judicial officer), and frequent rotation ofljudges into the drug 

I 

, 

court for short periods-a change that advocates would argue was a serious dilution of the drug 

court model. 8 

In Clark County, the favorable findings survived controls when 1993, 1994, and 1995 

cohorts of drug court participants and comparison group defendants were contrasted. They did 

not survive in analysis of the 1997 cohorts. The finding that comparison group defendants did 

better than drug court participants when 1996 cohorts were compared remained significant after 

controls for defendant attributes. These findings too are explained by important changes in the 

Clark County approach over time, principally by the policy of the new district attorney favoring 

admission to the drug court only of persons pleading guilty. This represented a major shift away 

from the diversion philosophy originally shaping the court and removed the incentives of 

dismissal and expungement that attracted unconvicted felony drug candidates until 1996. At the 

same time, the conviction requirement changed the nature of the enrolled population to higher 

risk participants with more extensive criminal histories. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

340 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
, , 

, 

I 

I 

I ,’ 

6 , I1 

4 

Although a consistent and strong drug court effect producing lower rearrest rates in every 

time period across the two sites was not found, attempts to explain the effects by controlling for 

factors external or prior to the influence of the drug court treatment process itself could not 

eliminate the effect systematically. We conclude from this analysis that a) under certain 

circumstances drug courts can deliver the advertised crime-reduction effect, b) “outside” factors 

accottnt -for some-ef &e-vaxiatien.in=tkeip-i.mpact-over tifflei and- c> &ationin the remainder of 

the drug court effect must, then, be explained by factors internal to the drug court. This forces , 

\ 

I 

# 

I, I 

I1 8) 

examination of what it is about drug court treatment that could explain variation in participant 

outcomes over ,time, i.e., getting inside the “black box” of what a drug court is and what it 

delivers. ,I I1 

The original drug court model mixed rehabilitative (treatment) and deterrent aims. In 

testing models of how a drug court works, we employed measures of treatment exposure, 

sanctions, and appearances before the drug court judge. Net of the prior effects of participant 

risk attributes, analyses of Clark County data found that treatment, sanctioning, and attendance at 

drug court sessions all were significant predictors of subsequent offender behavior (reoffending 

and graduationein the expected directions. In Multnomah County, only jail sanctioning 

survived controls to have a significant effect on the likelihood of reoffending; the other 

instrumental drug court treatment variables were not significant. The sanction relationship in 

both sites was in the opposite direction of what would be expected by deterrence theory, in 

which increased penalty would reduce crime. From this finding, one would question the 

deterrent interpretation of jail sanctions and seek some other explanation, such as that sanctions 

beyond a certain level served more as punishment or basically confirmed the failing status of 

drug court participants. Analysis of possible first-order interaction effects found that, beyond the 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

34 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

main effects of the drug court treatment variables, court appearances, treatment attendance, 

treatment, and jail sanctions sometimes played important roles in predicting later reoffending 

behavior. These exploratory findings suggest the need for careful consideration of how 

instrumental drug court functions are measured and more focused examination of their 

interaction to produce the drug court effect. 

Moreover, we found some support for the notion that rearrest is not only affected by drug 

court treatment but also affects treatment measures itself. Analyses in Clark County showed that 

interactions among rearrest and instrumental drug court variables (e.g. court appearances, 

sanctions, treatment attended, etc.) were significant in modeling graduation measured at two 

years after entry in the program. This effect deserves more careful study. Model 7 (pictured 

above in Figure 98), the culmination of substantial, successive model-building, may provide the 

most useful analytic framework for assessing later offender behavior, as it incorporates outside 

factors, of'fender attributes, and instrumental components of drug court treatment. Offender 

attributes and external factors influence drug court treatment measures directly and later offender 

behavior directly and indirectly through drug court treatment. Later offender behavior (reduced 

offending) is influenced by the drug court experience but also, itself, has an influence on 

treatment (which affects offending). More careful consideration of community contexts should 

be incorporated into the model for testing in future research. 

These findings from two different drug courts with two different populations show some 

support for the hypothesis that drug courts can contribute to a crime reduction effect. That effect 

may be conditioned on the influence of outside factors and participant attributes and may change 

over time. Nevertheless, these findings also suggest that variation in drug court outcomes also 

and importantly may be explained by changes in the operation of the drug court and its ability to 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

342 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
deliver the treatment and deterrent effects postulated by the collection of components inside the 

drug court “black box.” The findings raise important questions about the impact of sanctions 

that deserve serious examination. Understanding the conditions under which drug courts operate 

effectively, then, depends on the make-up of the enrolled population, community context, the , 

influence of outside ‘factors (laws, administrative policies, resources) and the effective 

functioning of selective drug court elements.. Of these, appearances before the judge, treatment 

t, I 

participation, and sanctions do appear to wield important effects on offender behavior. I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

343 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. . “I. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

344 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

REFERENCES 

Bentham, J. (1988). The Principals of Morals and Legislation. Buffa1o:mPrometheus Books. 

Block, R. (1979). Community, Environment, and Violent Crime. Criminology, I7( l), 46-57. 

Boland, B. (1 998). Community Prosecution: Portland's Experience, Comrnunify Justice: An 

Emerging Field (pp. 253-277). Lanham, Boulder, New York, and Oxford: Rowman and 

Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 

Bullock, M. L., Culleton, P. D., & Olander, R. T. (1989). Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for 

Severe Recidivist Alcoholism. Lancet, I, 1435-1439. 

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1 995). Detoxification from Alcohol and Other Drugs: 

Treatment Improvement Protocol VIP) (Series 19). Rockville: U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. 

Finigan, M. (1998). An Outcome Program Evaluation of the Multnomah County S.T.O.P. Drug 

Diversion Program. Washington, DC: State Justice Institute. 

Finigan, M. (1999). Assessing Cost Offsets in a Drug Court Setting. National Drug Court 

Institute Review, 2(2), 59-92. 

General Accounting Office. (1995). Drug Courts: Information on a New Approach to Address 

Drug-Related Crime (Briefing Report to the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, 

and the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives). Washington, DC: United 

States General Accounting Office. 

I 

General Accounting Office. (1 997). Drug Courts: An Overview of Growth, Characteristics, and 

Results. Washington, DC: Ofice of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. 

Goldkamp, J. S. (1994, December). Justice and Treatment Innovation: The Drug Court 

Movement. Paper presented at the First National Drug Court Conference, Washington, 

DC . 

Goldkamp, J. S. (1995, March). Overall Evaluation Issues for Drug Courts. Paper presented at 

the Special Conference on Drug Court Evaluation. 

Goldkamp, J. S. (1999a). The Origins of the Treatment Drug Court in Miami. In C. Terry (Ed.), 

The Early Drug Courts: Case Studies in Judicial Innovation. Beverly Hills: Sage 

Publications. 

Goldkamp, J. S. (1999b). When is a Drug Court Not a Drug Court? In C. Terry (Ed.), The Early 

Drug Courts: Case Studies in JudiciaZ Innovation. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. 

Goldkamp, J. S. (2000). The Drug Court Response: Issues and Implications for Justice Change. 

Albany Law Review, 63,923-961. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

345 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
,I 

, 

Goldkamp, J. S., Irons-Guy, C., & Weiland, D. (2001). Community Prosecution Strategies: 

Measuring Impact. Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute. 

Goldkamp, J. S., & Weiland, D. (1993). Assessing the Impact of Dade County's Felony Drug 

Court. Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute. 

\ 

Goldkamp, J. S., Weiland, D., Collins, M., & Moore, J. (1999). The Implementation of the 

Philadelphia Treatment Court: A Descriptive Analysis of Early Stages of 

Implementation.$ Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute. I 

I, 

Goldkamp, J. S., Weiland, D., & Moore, J. (2001). The Philadelphia Treatment Court, Its 

Development and Impact: The Second Phase (1998-2000). Philadelphia: Crime and 

Justice Research Institute. t 

Goldkamp, J. S., White, M. D., & Robinson, J. B. (2000). Retrospective Evaluation of Two 

Pioneering Drug Courts: Phase I Findings from Clark County, Nevada, and Multnomah 

County, Oregon. Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute. 

Goldkamp, J. S., White, M. D., & Robinson, J. B. (2001a). Context and Change: The Evolution 

of Pioneering Drug Courts in Portland and Las Vegas (1991-1998). Law & Policy, 23(2), 

143-170. 

Goldkamp, J. S., White, M. D., & Robinson, J. B. (2001b). 'Yn Honest Chance": Perspectives 

of Drug Court Participants: Findings fiom Focus Groups in Brooklyn. Miami, Seattle, a Lus Vegas, and San Bemardino. Philadelphia: Crime and Justice Research Institute. 

Green, L. (1995). Cleaning Up Drug Hot Spots in Oakland, California: The Displacement and 

Diffusion Effects. Justice Quarterly, 12,737-754. 

Green, L. (1 996). Policing Places with Drug Problems. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. 

Hora, P., Schma, W., & Rosenthal, J. (1999). Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Drug Treatment 

Court Movement: Revolutionizing the Criminal Justice System's Response to Drug 

Abuse and Crime in America. Notre Dame Law Review, 7#(2), 439-538. 

Katims, J. J., Ng, L. K. Y., & Lowinson, J. H. (1992). Acupuncture and Transcutaneous 

Electrical Nerve Stimulation: Afferent Nerve Stimulation (ANS) in the Treatment of 

Addiction. In L. H. Lowenson & P. Ruiz & R. B. Millman & J. G. Langrod (Eds.), 

Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Williams and 

W ilkins. 

Konefal, J. (1997). Paper presented at the National Institute of Health (NIH) Consensus 

Development Conference in Acupuncture. 

Longshore, D., Turner, S., Wenzel, S., Morral, A., Harrell, A., McBride, D., Deschenes, E., & 

Iguchi, M. (2001). Drug Courts: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Drug Issues, 

31(1), 7-26. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

346 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I I 

Margolin, A., Avants, S. K., Holford, T. R., & Kosten, T. R. (2000). A Randomized Controlled 

Trial of Auricular Acupuncture for Cocaine Dependence. Archives of Internal Medicine, 

160,2305-2312. 

Nasar, J., & Fisher, B. (1993). Hot Spots of Fear and Crime: A Multi-Method Investigation. 

Journal of Environmental Psychology, 13, 187-206. 

National Association of Drug Court Professionals. (1997). Defining Drug Cohrfs: The Key 

Components. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 

Drug Courts Program Office. 

---a? -___. . n --= rF ?- 

Ned Levine & Associates. (1999). A Special Statistics Program for the Analysis of Crime 

Incident Locations. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice. ,L4 I 

Pennell, S., & Melton, R. (1 994). Solutions/Soluciones: An Evaluation of an Acupuncture 

Program for Drug Treatment in Sun Diego County. San Diego: Criminal Justice 

Research Division, San Diego Association of Governments. 

Ratcliffe, J., & McCullagh, M. (1998). The Perception of Crime Hot Spots: A Spatial Study in 

Nottingham, U.K. In J. Wartell (Ed.), Crime Mapping Case Studies: Successes in the 

Field. Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum. 

Robinson, J. B. (2001). Drug Free Zones: An Examination of a Situational Crime Prevention 

Measure in Portland, Oregon. Unpublished Dissertation, Temple University, 

Philadelphia. 

Schwartz, M., Saitz, R., Mulvey, K., & Brannigan, P. (1999). The Value of Acupuncture 

Detoxification Programs in a Substance Abuse Treatment System. JournaZ of Substance 

Abuse Treatment, I7(4), 305-3 12. 

Sherman, L. W. (1997). Hot Spots of Crime and Criminal Careers of Places. In D. Weisberd 

(Ed.), Crime and Place. Monsey: Criminal Justice Press. 

Sherman, L. W., Gartin, P. R., & Buerger, M. E. (1989). Hot Spots of Predatory Crime: Routine 

Activities and the Criminology of Place. Criminology, 27(1), 27-55. 

Singer, A. (1992). EfSective Treatment for Drug-Involved Offenders: A Review and Synthesis for 

Judges and Other Court Personnel. Newton: Education Development Center, Inc. 

Taylor, R. B. (200 1). Breaking Away from Broken Windows: Baltimore Neighborhoods and the 

Nationwide Fight Against Crime, Grime, Fear, and Decline. Boulder: Westview Press. 

Washburn, A. M., Fullilove, R. E., Fullilove, M. T., Keenan, P. A., McGee, B., Moms, K. A., 

Sorenson, J. L., & Clark, W. W. (1993). Acupuncture Heroin Detoxification: A SingleBlind Clinical Trial. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, IO, 345-35 1. 

Weisburd, D., & Green, L. (1995). Policing Drug Hot Spots: The Jersey City Drug Market 

Analysis Experiment. Justice Quarterly, 12(4), 71 1-735. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

347 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

348 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
APPENDIX A 

Supplemental Tables 

, 

Crime and Justice Research Xnstitute 

349 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Crime and Justice Research Institute 

350 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-0 e 

Table AI Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark Coulity Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (One Year) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Any 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

.7184 (.0009) 

-.lo64 (.6102) 

.I400 (.6528) 

-.6170 (.0297) 

.6627 (.0003) 

.9964 (.OOOO) 

1,219.671 

2.9552 

3891 

103.102 

6 

.oooo 

3601 (.0734) 

.3148 (.4988) 

-.8002 (.1618) 

-.6404 (. 1047) 

255.318 

4.9890 

.2884 

17.529 

4 

.0015 

1.0937 (.0435) .9748 (.0499) 

.2398 (.5376) 

-.5517 (.2990) .0447 (.9264) 

.1779 (.7688) 

-1.6123 (.0501) 

1.1460 (.0009) 

1.4002 (.0114) 

1.2004 (.0704) 

222. I32 227.688 

4.6416 5.2886 

.7036 .5074 

21.198 24.220 

4 6 

.0003 .0005 

-.2447 (.6056) .4380 (.2010) 

-3448 (.0065) 

.3597 (.4315) 

.7436 (.2486) 

-.7724 (.0872) 

.5747 (.3716) 

1.5954 (.OOOO) 

.5812 (.1110) 

229.556 267.653 

2.4802 5.3727 

.7795 - .4970 

29.042 16.283 

5 4 

.OoOo .0027 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and JustiGe Research Institute 

35 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A1 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 199s 1996 1997 

Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

1.0241 (.OOOO) 

.IO68 (S976) 

.2696 (.3941) 

.6324 (.0454) 

.6151 (.0003) 

.9999 (.OOOO) 

1,168.449 

4.7900 

.6856 

147.17 1 

6 

.oooo 

.4915 (.3353) 

1.1271 (.0183) 

-.1987 (.7522) 

-.3242 (.4124) 

238.466 

10.6926 

.0302 

24.267 

4 

.ooo 1 

1.7331 (.0008) 

-.2029 (.6877) 

-.3152 (.6371) 

1.0054 (.0028) 

214.723 

4.8590 

.5620 

40.524 

4 

.oooo 

.8428 (.0750) 

.0228 (.9538) 

.2358 (S988) 

.4344 (398) 

-. 1879 (.6935) 

1.4730 (.0073) 

233.869 

7.9545 

.3366 

26.942 

6 

.ooo 1 

.6812 (.1548) 

- 

.2423 (S797) 

.2852 (5222) 

-2021 (.7132) 

1.6932 (.OOOO) 

230.437 

.7 166 

.9820 

28.942 

5 

.oooo 

397 (. 12 15) 

-.6049 (.Ossa) 

1.2622 (.0345) 

S786 (.1249) 

244.307 

5.0228 

5409 

19.210 

4 

.0007 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

352 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A1 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Pahipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Non-Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

.4332 (.0345) 

-.1736 (.3774) 

.0455 (.8764) 

-.9031 (.0008) 

.2773 (.0920) 

.8128 (.OOOO) 

1,275.572 

7.2856 

.3998 

63.486 

6 

.oooo 

.7947 (.0940) 

-.lo08 (.8232) 

-.3157 (.5805) 

-.3308 (.3870) 

261.506 

5.1284 

.2744 

6.398 

4 

.I713 

-.0382 (.9358) .8513 (.0759) 

-.3370 (.3851) 

-.0249 (.9564) -.5444 (.2300) 

.I317 (.8225) 

-1.4851 (.0381) 

1.1424 (.0003) 

1.7885 (.Oms) 

.0418 (.9324) 

240.378 

1.6317 3.9761 

.8974 .6799 

14.035 24.769 

4 6 

.0072 .0004 

238.475 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

-.1370 (.7627) .0848 (.8080) 

-.7637 (.0138) 

- 

.2256 (.6017) 

5436 (.2417) 

-1.1219 (.0118) 

.5984 (.2619) 

.4760 (. 1747) 

.8978 (.0061) 

- 249.420 64.376 

13.0259 2.9209 

.023 1 .0443 

14.222 17.303 

5 4 

- .0143 .OO 17 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

.. *Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

353 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A2 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (Two Years) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Any 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Sirmificance 

.7238 (.0017) 

-.0196 (.9310) 

.3010 (.3845) 

-.4585 (.1293) 

.6330 (.0022) 

1.1077 (.OOOO) 

1,113.026 

3.3200 

.8539 

98.388 

6 

.oooo 

1.6883 (.0020) 1.1551 (.0574) .9812 (.0608) 

.I580 (.6943) 

.1503 (.7797) -.5821 (.3297) .2258 (.6641) 

-.I375 (.7973) .0264 (.9675) 

-1.2979 (.1125) 

-.7033 (.1101) 

1.5919 (.0001) 

230.084 192.527 

.4765 .9812 

29.487 21.243 

4 4 

.oooo .oooo 

3.5093 - 1.5312 

.0090 (.0691) 

.2372 (.1138) 

211.182 

1.5819 

.9034 

20.615 

6 

.0022 

-.3719 (.4386) 

.3546 (.4435) 

.6287 (.3710) 

.I646 (.7995) 

1.4922 (.0004) 

217.461 

3.2203 

.7807 

21.037 

5 

.0008 

-.OS19 (.8236) 

-.9203 (.0084) 

-.2477 (.6161) 

A208 (.0560) 

238.308 

9.4404 

.1503 

14.421 

4 

.006 1 I 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

354 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A2 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Predictors 

Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

1.0550 (.OOOO) 1.0739 (.0263) 1.7108 (.0012) 

.1186 (S584) A898 (.OSOS) -.2750 (S976) 

-.OS99 (.9206) -.6043 (.3593) 

.0824 (.7918) 

.7018 (.0200) 

-.1610 (.6875) 

.8655 (.0099) 

S303 (.0021) 

1.0183 (.OOOO) 

1,200.907 237.454 . 2 8.5 I 

3.73 19 7.151 1 4.0932 

.8101 .I281 S361 

153.184 35,738 37.766 

6 4 4 

.oooo .oooo .oooo 

1.1447 (.0156) 

.0716 (.8532) 

.0533 (.9060) 

.6130 (.4033) 

.0468 (.9 194) 

1.1673 (.0344) 

237.618 

4.1855 

.7582 

27.529 

6 

.0001 

.3 148 (S046) 

- - 

S612 (.2031) 

,1043 (.8544) 

73650 (.5266) 

1.5533 (.OOOO) 

236.767 

5.0676 

.4077 

29.068 

5 

.oooo 

.4003 (.2355) 

4851 (.0539) 

.9472 (.0466) 

.4483 (.2087) 

269.437 - 3.2256 

.7801 

15.392 

4 

.0040 

979 198 185 192 ~ 192. 207 .. 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

_- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

355 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
c 

Table A2 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Pdrticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Predictors 1993-97 

Non-Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Model Statistics 

.2455 (.2328) 1.2856 (.0097) -.3645 (.4436) .5160 (.2754) 

-.6311 (.0916) 

-.4979 (.2734) - -.2337 (.5017) 

-.9850 (.0020) -.lo12 (.6109) -.5343 (.2614) 

-.0602 (.9098) 

.2072 (.6497) 

. I965 (.7428) 

-.I 113 (.8056) .3669 (.4003) 

.2709 (.6329) -.0910 (.7628) 

-.9141 (.0014) -1.4863 (.0672) -.7386 (.1181) 

-.4396 (.2492) 

1.2998 (.0001) 

1.4191 (.0081) 

-.2991 (.5418)- 

.4768 (.0051) 

- .7290 (.2104) 

.9440 (.OOSO) 

.8304 (.0277) .8316 (.OOOO) 

1,279.729 264.864 - 238.664 242.328 248.5 87 260.719 

8.8379 10.0557 

.4926 .8965 .8811 .I157 .1223 

9.542 17.362 19.743 15.891 23.218 

Log likelihood - 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 4.2505 3.4039 1.0861 2.3852 - 

GF significance .7505 

Chi square 71.071 

DF 6 4 4 6 5 4 

.0489 .0016 .003 1 .0072 .ooo 1 Significance .oooo 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 *Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

_- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

356 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e e 

1 

I 

Table A3 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (One Year) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA AllTXB AllTXA All TXB 

Any 

Model A (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

old 

Criminal History 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

.014 (.932) 

.638 (.001) 

.582 (.OOO) 

.761 (.OOO) 

.569 (.120) 

.643 (.OOO) 

-.241 (.126) 

.397 (.164) 

.928 (.OOO) .479 (.163) 1.050 (.001) .998 (.006) 

.691 (.014) 

.320 (.029) .663 (.051) 

.760 (.OOO) .612 (.045) .964 (.002) 

.530 (.001) 

-.434 (.349) 

.492 (.348) 

-.066 (.820) -.401 (.272) 

.515 (.115) 

.994 (.006) 

.067 (.916) 

.394 (339) 

.253 (.476) 

-.292 (.472) 

1.157 (.OOO) 

1.132 (.001) SO5 (.097) 

1.464 (.002) 

.175 (.744) 

-.147 (.662) 

-.308 (.410) 

.923 (.006) 1.089 (.001) 

.374 (.429) 

1.010 (.007) .290 (.426) 

.152 (.667) 

*Tx vs. Comp B -.214 (.152) -.060 (.833) -.730 (.031) -.231 (.458) .013 (.970) 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

357 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A3 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Partjcipants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (Ole Year) (Cont.) 

199 1-97 1991 -92 1993-94 199596 1997 

Predictors All TXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA AllTXB AllTXA All TXB 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model A (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

old 

Criminal History 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

1,217.523 

4.778 

.573 

93.706 

7 

.ooo 

1083 

.014 (.932) 

.638 (.001) 

32 (.OOO) 

.761 (.OOO) 

1,181.793 410.1 19 392.535 245.298 

1.293 5.071 5.967 7.195 

.972 .535 .202 .126 

78.328 30.497 26.752 24.156 

5 5 4 4 

.ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo 

1073 339 329 252 

.397 (.164) 

.928 (.OOO) .479 (.163) 1.050 (.001) .998 (.006) 

.691 (.014) 

.320 (.029) .663 (.051) 

.760 (.OOO) .612 (.045) .964 (.002) 

.530 (.001) 

-.434 i.349) 

249.861 

1.452 

.963 

20.105 

5 

.001 

253 

.515 (.115) 

.994 (.006) 

.067 (.916) 

.394 (.589) 

274.100 279.554 

6.071 1.691 

.29Q - .639 

25.576 4.269 - 4 3 

.ooo .234 

252 249 

.. 

-.292 (.472) 

294.052 

14.967 

.060 

40.694 

6 

.ooo 

240 

.253 (.476) 

1.157 (.OOO) - 

,- 

1.132 (.001) SO5 (.097) 

1.464 (.002) 

.175 (.744) 

.923 (.006) 

.374 (.429) 

1.010 (.007) 

245.537 

14.646 

.012 

16.143 

4 

.003 

226 

-.308 (.410) 

1.089 (.001) 

.290 (.426) 

conviction 

'Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

358 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A3 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Parhipants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (&e Year) (Cont.) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1945-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA AllTXB AllTXA All TXB 

Weapon conviction .569 (.120) 

Prio; FTA~ in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Other 

Model Statistics 

Non-Drug 

Model A (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whiteinon-white) 

Current Case 

Phone 

Detained at ail pretrial 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

old 

Criminal History 

arrest 

.643 (.OOO) 

-.241 (.126) 

1,217.523 

4.778 

.573 

93.706 

7 

.ooo 

1083 

-.214 (.152) 

1,181.793 

1.293 

.972 

78.328 

5 

.ooo 

1073 

-.066 (.820) 

410.1 19 

5.071 

.535 

30.497 

5 

.ooo 

339 

.492 (.348) 

-.401 (.272) 

-.060 (.833) 

392.535 245.298 

5.967 7.195 

.202 .126 

26.752 24.156 

4 4 

.ooo .ooo 

329 252 

-.730 (.031) 

249.861 

1.452 

.963 

20.105 

5 

.oo 1 

253 

.095 (30) .429 (.146) 

-.380 (.058) 451 (.025) -.727 (.046) -.175 (.620) -,085 (.821) 

.974 (.OOO) 

.328 (.023) .226 (.003) .443 (.153) .736 (.018) .740 (.036) 

.818 (.OOO) 

= .008 (.990) 

.7i2 (.072) 

-.147 (.662) - 

' -.231 (.458) - I 

274.101) 279.554 

6.071 1.69 1 

.299 .639 

25.576 4.269 

4 3 

.ooo .234 

252 249 

.. 

1.061 (.018) 

.152 (.667) 

294.052 

14.967 

.060 

40.694 

6 

.ooo 

240 

-.071 (.831) 

.013 (.970) 

245.5 3 7 

14.646 

.012 

16.143 

4 

.003 

226 

.758 (.016) 

.368 (.276) 

.929 (.047) 

conviction _- 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

359 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e 

I 

I 

Table A3 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA AllTXB AIITXA All TXB 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

Model Statistics 

.230 (.536) 

1.060 (.OOO) 

-.223 (.154) 

-.138 (.341) 

1,258.595 1,252.610 

16.113 8.963 

.024 .I76 

8 1.207 63.5 15 

7 5 

.ooo .ooo 

1.031 (.004) 1.060 (.002) 

-.544 (.505) .840 (.091) 

.704 (.144) 

SO4 (.104) -.366 (.285) -.291 (.372) -.397 (.223) 

.221 (.450) -.744 (.019) -.284 (.334) .148 (.651) 

402.860 399.756 27 

1.138 3.562 

.980 .614 

5 4 

.003 .056 

18.335 9.214 1 

,698 280.452 294.40 1 303.874 279.437 264.507 

.479 5.438 1.591 2.105 7.414 7.664 

.915 .489 .902 .551 .284 .264 

.719 14.059 14.419 5.722 38.1 14 21.314 

4 5 4 3 6 4 

.020 .015 .007 .126 .ooo .ooo 

N- 1083 1073 339 329 252 253 252 249 240 226 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

360 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-a 

Table A4 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County,Participants and Comparison i 1 -- 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Readrest (Two Years) 

1 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA AllTXB AIITXA AllTXB AIITXA AllTXB All TXA All TXB 

Any 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Detained at all pretrial 

Criminal History 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

Tx versus Comp A 

Tx versus Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Other 

Model Statistics 

-.029 (.863) 

,202 (.314) 

.391 (.009) 

1.093 (.002) 

.184 (.606) 

.574 (.005) 

-.142 (.398) 

1,109.003 

10.055 

.185 

56.717 

7 

.ooo 

842 

Over or under 25 years old -. 1 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

8 - 

33 (.014) 

.003 (.983) 

.982 (.OOO) 

.580 (.OOO) 

-.213 (.170) 

1,09 1.727 

9.060 

.170 

57.504 

5 

.ooo 

830 

.348 (.226) 

.766 (.004) 

-.lo2 (.775) .584 (.086) 

399 (.007) 1.272 (.OOO) 

.264 (.512) 

.204 (.482) 

.358 (. 189) 

44 1.1 53 432.788 

1.752 1.719 

.941 .787 

22.264 20.743 

5 4 

.ooo .ooo 

339 329 

.394 (.235) 

.565 (.045) j349 (.215) 

.922 (.010) 

1471 (;420) 

I 

1.371 (.550) ' 

I 

-.I85 (.616) I 

-. 196 (.507) 

-.537 (.061) 

336.145 331.003 

3.534 3.298 

.739 .654 

10.912 19.409 

4 5 

.028 .002 

252 253 

-339 (.032) 

379 (.005) .I43 (.610) 

1.567 (.007) 

.773 (.161) 

-.332 (.298) 

-.486 (.080) 

323.037 335.370 

3.004 2.467 

.699 .481 

24.250 7.640 

4 3 

.ooo .054 

25 1 248 

502) .214 (.450) 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

36 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A4 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Hispanic 

Race (whiteinon-white) 

Current Case 

Detained at all pretrial 

Criminal History 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

Tx versus Comp A 

Tx versus Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Other 

Model Statistics 

Non-Drug 

Model A (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Digerences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whiteinon-white) 

Current Case 

.716 (.OOO) 

.239 (.130) 

.923 (.OOO) 

.341 (.363) 

.449 (.024) 

-.282 (.loo) 

1,030.349 

15.304 

.032 

62.771 

7 

.ooo 

842 

.013 (.939) 

-.386 (.070) 

1.181 (.OOO) 

-.096 (.553) 

-767 (.OOO) 

.651 (.OOO) 

-.243 (.137) 

985.686 

1.848 

.933 

74.132 

5 

.ooo 

830 

-.419 (.083) 

.a66 (.054) 1.185 (.OOO) .711 

.636 (.019) - 

.683 (.025) 1.032 (.001) 

-.710 (.125) 

-.013 (.965) 

427.007 

4.971 

A19 

31.170 

5 

- .ooo 

339 

.213 (.452) 

405.362 

1 SO8 

325 

30.580 

4 

.ooo 

329 

.227 (.430) 

.732 (.006) 

-.690 (.052) -.I64 (.629) 

.383 (.217) 

.018 (.965) 

-.497 (.125) 

285.556 

3.938 

.558 

15.972 

4 

.003 

252 

-.221 (.536) 

.454 (.138) 

.902 (.010) 

.520 (.368) 

.268 (.687) 

- 

-.436 (.166) 

280.527 

1.846 

.089 

- 15.965 

5 

.007 

253 

.766 (.015) .262 (.361) 

~ 

1.434 (.002) 

.086 (364) 

-.275 (.390) 

456 (.052) 

303.391 3 14.090 

5.776 .331 

.329 .954 - 

20.562 6.041 

4 3 

.ooo .110 

25 1 248 

-1.005 (.017) 

Detained at all pretrial .211 (.176) .OS6 (.714) SO2 (.093) -.OS4 (.853) .393 (.203) .136 (.630) 

*Tx = Drug Court 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

362 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e 

4- 

Table A4 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among MultnomahrTounty Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences: Rearresk (Two Years) (Cont.) 

- 

I 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 ' 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Criminal History 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

Tx versus Comp A 

Tx versus Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

Other 

Model Statistics 

.982 (.OOO) .775 (.OOO) 

SO6 (.002) 

.891 (.003) 1.077 (.OOO) 

.746 (.060) 

.647 (.058) 

-.007 (.990) 

-502 (.471) 

1.363 (.004) 

.907 (.074) 

.030 (.936) 

.337 (.085) -.113 (.774) 

-.006 (.97 1) .363 (.222) -.077 (.806) -.183 (.566) 

-.I88 (.233) .I72 (.540) -.469 (.I 10) -.359 (.201) 

1,052.893 

1.141 

.992 

37.778 

7 

.ooo 

1,056.963 

9.156 

.165 

37.857 

5 

.ooo 

427.786 

1.924 

.927 

19.588 

5 

.oo 1 

418.950 

1.683 

.794 

15.974 

4 

.003 

308.238 

2.896 

.856 

3.596 

4 

.463 

317.757 

6.148 

.407 

9.165 

5 

.lo3 

3 1 1.976 

1.414 

.923 

16.769 

4 

.002 

324.891 

.952 

.813 

7.057 

3 

- .070 

N 842 830 339 329 252 253 25 1 248 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

363 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-a 

Table A5 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (dne Year) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 -1994 1995 j 1996 1997 

Any 

Model B (Sample, Control Sample 

Differences, Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

.7107 (.0020) 1.0620 (.0506) 

.6255 (.0001) .9665 (.0111) 

-.6389 (.OOOO) -.6127 (.0766) 

-.0826 (.7107) -.0329 (.9506) 

-.9951 (.1112) 

.I386 (.6713) 

-.4557 (.1276) 

-.6025 (.1633) 

1.3479 (.0225) 1.1006 (.0525) -.0166 (.9756) 1.021 1 (.0772) 

.8832 (.OW) .6229 (.1068) .6054 (.1084) S934 (.0609) 

.3329 (.4511) , 

-.6202 (.0821) -. 1085 (.7808) -1.3513 (.0003) -.6108 (.0587) 

-.7830 (.1749) .1637 (.7650) .I720 (.7452) -.6389 (.2348) 

.1290 (.8429) 

1.3824 (.0706) 

-1.3132 (.1291) -.7093 (. 1303) 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 1.2169 (.OOOO) .9373 (.0158) 1.4484 (.0005) 1.2851 (.0046) 1.0844 (.0097) .7451 (.0446) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests .8864 (.0341) .OS1 (.9001) .9632 (.0298) 1.0407 (.0238) .4899 (.2267) 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

.8353 (.1588) 

.207 1 (.2962) 

Prior drug traffic convicts -.4077 (.7307) 5.2815 (.7170) .5206 (348) -.6999 (.3391) 

Prior felony convicts -.0150 (.9726) 

Prior FTAs ,5088 (.0047) 1.0892 (.0142) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Log likelihood 1,114.520 218.376 194.339 1 93.5 1 4 191.901 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 7.4356 8.2792 12.4566 8.263 1 8.9385 4.9738 

GF significance .4904 .4067 .0865 482 .3475 . .7604 

Model Statistics 25 1.838 - 

Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug couft versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

364 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A5 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Chi square 208.253 54.472 48.991 58.394 66.696 32.099 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model B (Sample, Control 

Diyerences, Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

9 

.oooo 

979 

Sample 

1.0004 (.OOOO) 

-.4241 (.0047) 

.1429 (.4944) 

.I889 (.5561) 

.7563 (.0170) 

1.0715 (.OOOO) 

-.1284 (.5508) 

.3044 (.0890) 

.6557 LO002) 

9 

.oooo 

198 

.6885 (.2088) 

-.0091 (.9800) 

-.0876 (.9229) 

1.0905 (.0347) 

.I 110 (.9283) 

-.433 1 (.3044) 

.9288 (.0342) 

.2053 (.6092) 

8 

- .oooo 

185 

2.2292 (.0002) 

-.7503 (.0434) 

-.5139 (.3551) 

.4545 (.6329) 

1.2036 (.3680) 

€.4301 (.0016) 

-.0941 (.8262) 

10 

.oooo 

192 

331 1 (.0845) 

-.0026 (.9950) 

-.0125 (.9719) 

.3271 (.4735) 

.7366 (.3310) 

.9036 (.0259) 

-.5374 (.2783) 

1.3486 (.0198) 

9 

.oooo 

192 

- ~ 

.6714 (.1956) 

-.9906 (.0056) 

.1716 (.7192) 

.4274 (.6093) 

;5060 (.5377) 

1.0535 (.006l) - 

-.3562 (.5694) 

.6745 (.3493) 

8 

.ooo 1 

207 

1.2836 (.0344) 

-.5203 (.1264) 

-.7653 (.1834) 

1.3861 (.0222) 

1.2737 (.0176) 

-.6472 (.2057) 

.I958 (5438) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 1.1383 (.0163) .9078 (.0515) .3513 (.3825) .a372 i.2660 j .3779 (.3557) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparisongroup membership. 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

365 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-0 0 

Table AS Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark Cdnty Pdrticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (Onebyear) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Non-Drug 

Model B (Sample, Control Sample 

Diflerences, Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Cornp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

1,123.450 

3.6985 

3832 

192.170 

9 

.oooo 

979 

.4225 (.0534) 

-.6778 (.OOOO) 

-.I733 (.4081) 

-.0552 (.8565) 

-SO70 (.0044) 

1.1746 (.OOOO) 

.7422 (.0001) 

213.255 

8.5009 

.3861 

49.479 

9 

.oooo 

198 

1.0278 (.0461) 

4045 (.0180) 

-.5010 (.3184) 

-.5592 (.3702) 

-.3052 (.4579) 

1.1834 (.0036) 

.3582 (.3904) 

.3458 (.3588) 

188.328 

7.2382 

.4045 

66.919 

8 

.oooo 

185 

-.0038 (.9939) 

-.3392 (.3106) 

-. 1724 (.7207) 

.lo76 (3617) 

1.3505 (.0014) 

.3717 (.3445) 

.6370 (.6216) 

-.3022 (.8109) 

225.231 2 10.426 

6.5264 8.7083 

.5885 ,3675 

35.574 48.952 

9 9 

.oooo .oooo 

192 192 

.7481 (.1500) -.0212 (.9664) 

-.5792 (. 1742) 

-.7459 (.0475) -1.0064 (.0036) 

-.4147 (.3907) .I477 (.7584) 

.5345 (.3911) 

-1.0492 (.1552) 

1.9436 (.OOOO) 1.0170 (.0051) 

-.2087 (.6543) 1.3016 (.0046) 

1.5274 (.0163) 

23 1.750 

6.8248 

.5556 

3 1.767 

8 

.ooo 1 

207 

.0493 (3915) 

-.6231 (.0510) 

-.9740 (.0322) 

.6457 (.1066) 

3025 (.4164) 

.4421 (.2470) 

Y 4480 (.0070) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

366 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-a e 

Table A5 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark Cam& PSrticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 . 1994 1995 1996 1997- 

Prior drug traffic convicts -.5635 (.3044) .0941 (.8701) 

Prior felony convicts -.0924 (.8228) 

Prior FTAs .I796 (.2859) .3993 (.2886) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Log likelihood 1,164.627 230.075 220.685 207.908 220.387 254.4 13 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 6.4057 4.7300 10.7344 7.0953 6.6623 13.5394 

GF significance .60 19 .7860 .2172 S264 s735 .0600 

Chi square 174.431 37.829 3 1.825 57.238 43.255 27.267 

DF 9 8 8 9 8 7 

Significance .oooo .oooo .ooo 1 .oooo .oooo .0003 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

Model Statistics 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Jusgice Research Institute 

367 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e 

Table A6 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark C&nty Pakticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 - 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Any 

Model B (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Comp. .7437 (.0026) 2.2448 (.0004) 1.6136 (.0199) 1.0987 (.0731) -.2132 (.6777) -.0608 (.9227) 

Race (whitehon-white) .6249 (.0002) .6293 (.1324) 1.1070 (.0709) .7535 (.0681) .3917 (.2861) .6892 (.0554) 

Gender .2170 (.6368) 

Alias 4670 (.0003) -.5410 (.1461) -.6685 (.1044) -.4405 (.2753) -.9834 (-0062) -.6525 (.0769) 

Phone .0073 (.9760) -.2705 (.6568) -.9572 (.1577) .3420 (.5695) .2116 (.6704) .0042 (.9942) 

Most serious charge, current -.3272 (.5729) -.0656 (.9289) 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current .3057 (.4071) 1.0099 (.1883) 

Drug charge, current -.2456 (.4461) -.8408 (.3247) .0442 (.9328) 

Guilty comparison -.7371 (.I 173) 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

1.3842 (.OOOO) 1.1753 (.0052) 2.2452 (.OOOO) 1.0395 (.0266) 

1.1076 (.0195) .I201 (.8237) 1.1911 (.0144) 

.4345 (.4832) 

.IO35 (.6462) 

-1.5680 (.1989) 5.0885 (.8308) .3173 (.7256) 

S523 (.0064) 

1,007.949 193.657 154.400 176. I99 

.9418 (.0268) 1.2914 (.0016) 

.3366 (.4778) .2319 (.6263) 

-.5921 (.4079) 

.1455 (.7814) 

1.1029 (.0170) 

- 

198.755 217.870 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 2.7506 11.1152 10.2244 8.5301 5.3888 1 I .2306 

GF significance .9490 .1953 .1762 .3835 .7153 .1890 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

368 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A6 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Chi square 203.465 65.914 65.369 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model B (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug poss. arrests 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

9 

.oooo 

979 

1.0477 (.OOOO) 

4045 (.0006) 

.1439 (.4920) 

.0320 (.9199) 

3369 (.0060) 

,8694 (.OOOO) 

.0532 (.7967) 

.2075 (.2568) 

.6606 (.0002) 

9 8 

198 185 

.oooo - .oooo 

1.3373 (.0103) 2.1887 (.0002) 

.0696 (.8462) -.9980 (.0071) 

.2938 (.7262) .7537 (.4054) 

.7776 (.I 123) -.5495 (.3355) 

.6698 (S717) 2.9576 (.0498) 

-.2490 (S553) 

.8835 (.0396) - 1.3340 (.0026) 

.4009 (-3254) -.1447 (.7367) 

55.598 

10 

.oooo 

192 

1.1555 (.0175) 

.0415 (.9178) 

.I405 (.7618) 

-.0695 (.8425) 

.9515 (.2022) 

.9466 (.0180) 

-.3389 (.4832) 

1.0048 (.0870) 

39.743 34.858 

9 

.oooo 

192 

- - 

.3746 (.4633) 

-1.4560 (.0001) 

.4812 (.3180) 

.7613 (.3685) 

-1.0734 (.2021) 

1.0004 (.0227) 

-.2163 (.6534) 

-.1241 (.8420) 

1.4621 (.0008) 

8 

.oooo 

207 

1.1044 (.0580) 

-.4854 (.1334) 

-.7473 (. 1764) 

1.1032 (.0246) 

1.2074 (.0143) - 

-.4884 (.3036) 

.0094 (.9815) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) .9495 (.0554) .6069 (.2003) .42 15 (.298 1) .4190 (.2882) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

369 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-@ 

_- 

Table A6 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark Codnty Pamticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 - 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Non-Drug 

Model B (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

1,155.4 12 

6.1638 

.6289 

198.678 

9 

.oooo 

979 

.2310 (.2925) 

4873 (.OOOO) 

-.0964 (.6493) 

-.2169 (.4918) 

-3039 (.0077) 

214.047 

7.3469 

.4997 

59.145 

9 

.oooo 

198 

1.6618 (.0022) 

-.6731 (.0446) 

-1.0657 (.0448) 

-.2430 (.6787) 

-.4203 (.3 130) 

191.489 

12.8724 

,0753 

64.840 

8 

.oooo 

185 

-.3484 (S129) 

-.2566 (.4658) 

.0387 (.9390) 

.2025 (.7615) 

227.099 

6.2222 

.6224, 

38.047 

9 

.oooo 

192 

.4348 (.4044) 

-.9454 (.0239) 

-A248 (.0234) 

.0664 (.8927) 

I 

-1.0485 (.2084) 

21 1.709 

2.2852 

.9424 

54.126 

9 

.oooo 

192 

-.3862 (.4273) 

-.7258 (.0258) 

.3401 (.4672) 

255.071 

5.3769 

.7166 

29.758 

8 

.0002 

207 

-.2694 (.4635) 

-3089 (.0155) 

.I447 (.8151) 

-.5192 (.2872) 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 1.1999 (.OOOO) 1.2594 (.0017) 2.1449 (.OOOO) 13999 (.0003) .4930 (.1585) 1.0440 (.0083) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests .2129 (.6255) .I095 (.8006) .6549 (.1783) 1.3758 (.0063) .I335 (.6478) 

Prior drug possession arrests .7336 (.0002) .5973 (.1214) .2502 (.8433) .5412 (.1845) 

Prior drug traffic arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests - 

Prior serious person convicts .5459 (.4106) 

Prior serious property convicts I 

Prior drug arrests -.0974 (.9401) 

Prior drug convicts -.3762 (.0801) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

370 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A6 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Pdrticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) . 

1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Predictors 

Prior drug traffic convicts -.8466 (.1138) .3341 (S899) 

Prior felony convicts I ,0703 (.8768) 

Prior FTAs .I694 (.3318) I .6347 (.0919) Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Model Statistics 

1,169.043 228.765 205.294 213.073 - 230.569 242.408 

.7618 .4594 .8072 .9575 .44&0 .2689 

181.757 45.641 50.733 48.997 33.909 41.528 

4.9604 7.7386 4.5224 2.5875 6.8371 9.9453 

9 8 8 'b 8 7 

.oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo 

979 198 185 1 92 192 207 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

37 1 

.- 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A7 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (One Year) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Any 

Model B (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Diflerences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whiteinon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

arrest 

Serious person 

conviction 

Drug possession 

conviction 

Drug trafficking 

conviction 

Prior FTAs 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. ComD B 

old 

Criminal History 

Other 

.209 (.194) 

-.212 (.351) 

.523 (.002) 

1.005 (.OOO) 

.558 (.OOO) 

.599 (.OOO) 

.376 (.098) 

.555 (.144) 

.136 (.742) 

-.221 (.161) 

.lo4 (.679) 

.473 (.003) 

1.090 (.OOO) 

.202 (.152) 

.366 (.035) 

.390 (.080) 

.250 (.141) 

.542 (.010) 

-.273 (.061) 

.538 (.061) 

.706 (.006) 

.669 (.007) 

. I34 (.574) 

,807 (.002) 

.lo6 (.763) 

.269 (.479) 

.I65 (.568) 

.233 (.544) 

.534 (.050) 

.662 (.009) 

.817 (.002) 

.571 (.I 13) 

-.074 (.858) 

-.059 (.886) . 

.I78 (.532) 

.332 (.482) 

.221 (.581) .585 (.064) 

1.441 (.OOO) 1.701 (.OOO) 

,736 (.023) -.005 (.987) 

.544 (. 140) -.792 (.041) 

.917 (.041) 

.634 (.340) 

-.790 (.308) 

.010 (.994) 

-.237 (.862) .163 (.768) 

-.458 (.183) I 

-1.261 (.OOO) 

I 

-1.144 (.047) 

.440 (.230) .lo6 (.722) 

1.103 (.ON) 1.295 (.OOO) 

1.364 (.OOO) .236 (.453) 

1.084 (.002) - .795 (.016) 

1.032 (.106) - 

I 

-.127 (.763) 

- 

.700 (.235) 

.380 (.325) 

.704 (.080) 

-.364 (.328) 

-.251 (.419) 

.445 (.211) 

.705 (.048) 

1.377 (.OOO) 

.476 (. 160) 

-.111 (.779) 

.824 (.171) 

.223 (.643) 

1.640 (.OOO) 

.052 (.887) 

.953 (.011) 

1.211 (.OOO) 

-.249 (.495) 

.881 (.007) 

.295 (.458) 

- 

.I90 (.757) 

1.070 (.019) 

.193 (.510) 

Time at risk 

*Tx = Drug Court. _- 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

372 

I 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

I= Table A7 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model B (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Differences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior serious person 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

old 

Criminal History 

arrest 

arrest 

1,236.556 

1 1.758 

.162 

212.725 

II 

.ooo 

1,053 

.050 (.765) 

-.027 (.903) 

.801 (.OOO) 

.863 (.OOO) 

.615 (.OOO) 

.524 (.011) 

.019 (.922) 

1,264.820 

.290 

183.83 1 

9 

.ooo 

1,062 

8.508 

.290 (.23 1) 

.711 (.OOO) 

.838 (.OOO) 

.269 (.076) 

.692 (.001) 

.IO1 (.593) 

.464 (.062) 

415.623 

6.653 

.575 

48.999 

8 

.ooo 

335 

.447 (.108) 

.775 (.004) 

.558 (.028) 

.I90 (.436) 

.443 (.164) 

-.408 (.207) 

406.982 

.206 

44.7 17 

8 

.ooo 

327 

9.705 

.585 (.I 15) 

.564 (.048) 

.636 (.014) 

.862 (.007) 

.218 (.514) 

-.625 (. 187) 

258.201 

7.751 

.458 

49.702 

8 

.ooo 

233 

.646 (. 188) 

.326 (.476) 

1.591 (.OOO) 

.552 (.128) 

.665 (.169) 

.513 (.286) 

271.649 

5.724 

.572 

60.383 

9 

.ooo 

250 

.883 (.012) 

1.716 (.OOO) 

-.035 (.924) 

.578 (.142) 

-.I59 (.817) 

262.361 

2.419 

.929 

75.119 

9 

.ooo 

245 

-1.249 (.026) 

.959 (.009) 

.952 (.004) 

.167 (.698) 

1.206 (.001) 

1.176 (.016) 

.248 (S22) 

280.699 

7.235 

.512 

53.926 

7 

.ooo 

245 

.881(.006) 

.515 (.126) 

.367 (.276) 

1.240 (.020) 

2.164 (.012) 

250.049 

4.477 

.724 

76.03 1 

9 

.ooo 

236 

.223 (S47) 

1.026 (.003) 

.991 (.003) 

.845 (.014) 

.485 (.319) 

.I26 (.761) 

242.570 

4.296 

.829 

62.779 

8 

.ooo 

224 

.794 (.030) 

.734 (.029) 

.899 (.009) 

.I13 (.854) 

1.325 (.028) 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

373 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e 

Table A7 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah CoFn& Participants and Comparison Group 4 z -- 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

1991 -97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 €997 

Predictors AIITXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA All TXB 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

Model Statistics 

Non-Drug 

Model B (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Diflerences) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

old 

.606 (.111) 

,384 (.OS]) 

-.256 (.119) 

1,153.139 

6.443 

.598 

156.001 

10 

.ooo 

1,080 

.250 (.138) 

-.679 (.004) 

.484 (.004) 

.738 (.OOO) 

-.305 (.050) 

I, 122.372 

5.436 

.710 

135.824 

8 

.ooo 

1,070 

-.792 (.004) 

.395 (.014) 

.833 (.OOO) 

-.160 (.575) 

405.976 

2.924 

392 

36.640 

7 

.ooo 

339 

.526 (.086) 

-.066 (.819) 

379.295 

6.225 

SI4 

39.992 

7 

.ooo 

329 

-.359 (.392) 

.739 (.009) .576 (.048) 

.472 (.078) .495 (.071) 

.628 (.426) 

-.270 (.644) 

-.718 (.064) 

-1.346 (.001) 

213.224 2 15.666 

5.276 5.048 

.728 .752 

55.200 53.275 

8 7 

.ooo .ooo 

250 25 1 

-.276 (.571) 

.073 (356) .011 (.974) 

1.219 (.OOO) 1.033 (.002) 

.757 (.054) 

I! 

1; -1.618 (.101) 

i 

-.347 (.361) 

-.064 (352) 

249.186 246.782 

12.154 6.131 

.096 - .525 

43.430 36.445 

7 

248 

.$ .ooo 

I 

'f 

f 

I 

, 

-.889 (. 123) 

.325 (.339) -.391 (.216) 

.490 (.142) .789 (.015) 

-.238 (.58 1) 

.065 (362) 

239.141 

17.542 

.014 

50.605 

8 

.ooo 

240 

.OS1 (392) 

.525 (. 1 17) 

1.214 (.OOO) 

1.161 (.149) 

-.OS8 (.866) 

227.398 

7.299 

so5 

34.183 

8 

.ooo 

226 

1.009 (.006) 

1.035 (.002) 

Detained at all pretrial .305 (.042) .I48 (.319) .048 (.852) .6oi (.on) -.4w (.216) .360 i.29oj .i42 i.662) .098 (m) .622 (.on) 

*Tx = Drug Court. - 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

374 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A7 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA All TXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA AllTXB AllTXA AllTXB All TXA All TXB 

Criminal History 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Prior felony arrest 

Prior misdemeanor arrest 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

Model Statistics 

.131 (.523) 

342 (.OOO) 

.117(.542) 

.211 (.600) 

.540 (.005) 

-.270 (.098) 

1,174.322 

12.45 1 

.I32 

163.255 

11 

.ooo 

.211 (.307) -.274 (.423) -.035 (.922) 

.004 (.989) 

.489 (.035) .601 (.053) 

.739 (.OOO) 1.430 (.OOO) 1.138 (.OOO) 

.061 (.783) .005 (.986) -.412 (.225) 

.573 (.068) 

-.277 (.070) .I40 (.656) 

1,163.622 371.785 357.801 

10.1 17 8.514 - 6.554 

.257 .385 .585 

150.335 49.4 10 51.169 

10 8 9 

.ooo .ooo .ooo 

,581 (.148) .529 (.262) .899 (.069) 

.I04 (379) 

-.334 (.414) .753 (.044) 371 (.038) 

~ 

.712 (-050) -.035 (.918) .963 (.004) 1.142 (.001) .768 (.034) .577 (.126) 

-.271 (.620) .667 (.293) .064 (.879) .243 (.549) .474 (.238) -.065 (.884) 

-1.156 (.245) .IO6 (350) -.002 (.998) 

.024 (.964) 

-.606 (.091) -.337 (.340) - -.570 (.105) 

-.975 (.004) -.225 (.487) -.162 (.655) 

247.384 268.097 272.529 260.485 255.299 230.790 

. 7.116 7.315 2.866 7.560 11.115 9.708 

.524 .503 .942 - .478 .195 .286 

34.877 25.155 30.747 48.357 62.25 1 55.03 1 

8 10 9 8 8 9 

.ooo .005 .ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo 

N- 1,080 1,070 339 329 250 25 1 247 248 240 226 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Justice Research InsfitUte 

375 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-@ 

Table A8 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah CoanG Patticipants and Comparison Group = -- 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk Rearrest (Two Years) 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94. 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Any 

Model B (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences. Predictors of Rearrest) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Criminal History 

Other 

Model Statistics 

.036 (.840) 

.398 (.034) 

-. 180 (.473) 

.373 (.204) 

,327 (.241) 

.177 (.306) 

.350 (.374) 

.266 (.332) 

-.034 (.942) 

.417 (.273) 

-.967 (.084) 

.555 (.033) .543 (.78) .246 (.490) -.056 (.853) 

1.061 (.OOO) 1.146 (.OOO) .831 (.001) .703 (.006) 1.302 (.OOO) 1.582 (.OOO 1.403 (.OOO) 1.654 (.OOO) 

.979 (.005) .004 (.989) 

-.379 (.355) 

.342 (.034) -.077 (.625) -.016 (.946) .430 (.168) 1.027 (.93 1) 

1.533 c.140) 

j915 (.042 ) 

.587 (.001) 

.385 (.149) 

S49 t.004) 

.607 (.017) 

.046 (.814) 

.740 (.006) 

.171 (.648) 

.639 (.016) 

.825 (.033) 

.425 (.235) .758 (.025) 1.048 (.002) 

.658 (.298) 

l.747 (.253) 

.019 (.963) 

-.490 (.467) .392 (.53 1) 

.288 (.460) 

.606 (.272) 

-.lo0 (.845) .487 (.245) -.678 (.589) 

.484 (.717) 

.472 (.225) 

.113 (.618) .Oil1 (.920) -.569 (. 183) .543 (.213) 

-.lo9 (.538) .191 (.516) -. 158 (.629) -.316 (.383) 

-.304 (.063) .355 (.210) -.934 (.004) -.411 (.193) 

409.619 

4.063 

.85 I 

48.173 

8 

.ooo 

335 

410.526 

2.552 

.923 

40.560 

8 

.ooo 

327 

285.509 

3.109 

.922 

36.978 

8 

.OW 

233 

292.509 275.265 273.265 

4.698 9.610 2.246 

.789 .293 .973 

53.808 - 62.187 63.804 

9 9 7 

.ooo .ooo .ooo250 244 244 

I 

995.468 

8.407 

.395 

132.682 

11 

.ooo 

816 

1,013.488 

12.605 

.126 

123.489 

9 

.ooo 

82 1 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

376 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
.* 

-1 

Table A8 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Pdkticipants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk Rearrdst (Two Years) (Cont.) 

= -- 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Drug 

Model B (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences, Predictors of Rearrest) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitdnon-white) 

Gender 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

Criminal History 

Other 

Model Statistics 

-.087 (.634) 

.256 (.292) 

.420 (.026) 

1.049 (.OOO) 

.275 (.092) 

.604 (.008) 

-.025 (.907) 

.330 (.400) 

.299 (. 154) 

-.315 (.077) 

975.720 

6.061 

.533 

114.785 

10 

.ooo 

.683 (.009) 

.488 (.006) 

.861 (.OOO) 

-.142 (.393) 

.681 (.002) 

.307 (.141) 

.343 (.229) 

-.326 (.054) 

944.19 1 

2.886 

.94 1 

113.164 

8 

.ooo 

.301 (.282) 

.808 (.034) 

.703 (.007) .356 (.207) 

.930 (.OOO) .895 (.OOO) 

.016 (.948) 

.435 (.174) .910 (.005) 

-.432 (. 173) 

.256 (.456) 

5954 (.045) 

-.187 (.511) 

.I92 (.513) 

416.036 387.654 

4.532 7.520 

.806 .482 

42.121 48.288 

7 7 

.ooo .ooo 

.466 (.313) 

.170 (.679) .629 (.049) 

1 

1.387 (.OOO) 1.282 (.OOO) 

.209 (S29) .OS4 (.871) 

.833 (.064) .545 (.144) 

.162 (.724) 

.404 (S06) 

.398 (S68) 

-.295 (S33) 

-.661 (.055) 

-.811 (.020) 

254.034 257.184 

4.691 7.83 1 

.790 .450 

46. I42 3 8.029’ 

8 7 

.ooo .ooo 

-1.005 (.061) 

.499 (.152) 

1.249 (.OOO) 

.078 (.849) 

343 (.013) 

1.117 (.O22) 

.279 (.448) 

-.398 (.264) 

274.789 

4.641 

.704 

42.371 

8 

.OW 

.791 (.007) 

.800 (.010) 

.085 (.787) 

.818 (.117) 

1.552 (.061) 

-1.273 (.178) 

--.513 (.098) 

284.102 

3.091 

.498 

35.176 

1 

.WO 

N- 839 827 339 329 250 25 1 246 247 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

Crime and Jusjice Research Institute 

377 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A8 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences and Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Non-Drug 

Model B (Sample, Controlling for Sample 

Differences, Predictors of Rearrest) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Criminal History 

Other 

Model Stotistics 

.122 (.506) 

.332 (.069) 

471 (.026) 

.772 (.OOO) 

.180 (.272) 

.437 (.054) 

.918 (.OOO) 

-.076 (.730) 

.182 (.666) 

-.032 (.879) 

-.044 (.807) 

978.429 

7.038 

.533 

109.648 

11 

.ooo 

839 

-.492 (.079) 

.I 12 (.519) 

.815 (.OOO) 

.007 (.963) 

.406 (.071) 

-.111 (.701) 

.285 (.255) 

.724 (.OOO) 

.IO8 (.658) 

-.291 (.077) 

995.052 

5.968 

.543 

96.979 

10 

.ooo 

827 

.251 (.392) 

.448 (.092) .277 (.324) 

-.256 (.521) 

.SO (.031) .588 (.025) 

-.069 (.777) 

.310 (.345) .542 (.I 17) 

.260 (.381) 

1.098 (.OOO) .846 (.002) 

.558 (.200) 

-.059 (.838)- -.268 (.410) 

,423 (.155) 

404.344 

6.577 

.583 

43.030 

8 

.ooo 

339 

.083 (.778) 

392.839 

16.730 

: .033 

42.084 

-9 

.OOQ 

329 

-.396 (.399) 

.031 (.934) .047 (.877) 

1.229 (.OOO) 1.111 (.OOO) 

.357 (.260) -.339 (.279) 

,503 (.197) 

.320 (.624) 

.764 (.021) .091 (.772) 

-.624 (.110) 

-.428 (.405) 

-.368 (.398) 

-.207 (.532) 

276.676 

3.260 

.860 

33.669 

8 

.ooo 

250 

.441 (.472) 

-.973 (.276) 

-.707 (.025) 

300.447 

10.764 

.215 

24.757 

10 

.006 

251 

-.874 (.116) 

.418 (.212) -.403 (.190) 

.634 (.054) .804 (.013) 

.308 (.361) .088 (.783) 

-.364 (.384) 

.771 (.121) 

.752 (.037) 

.997 (.002) 1.277 (.OOO) 

.I40 (.743) .I77 (.676)- 

-.221 (.529) 

-.319 (.312) 

282.650 273.348 

6.860 4.965 

.552 .761 

40.452 57.605 

9 8 

.OQO a00 

__ 246 247 

*Tx = Drug Court. 

- 

Crime and Justice Reseurch Institute 

378 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-a 

f z -- 'I 

Table A9 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Any 

Model C (Sample, Control Sample Differences, Arrest 

Predictors, Time at Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Time at risk 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug poss. arrests 

Prior drug traff. arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious pers. convicts 

Prior serious prop. convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffc convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

.9795 (.0002) 1.2940 (.0336) 1.3789 (.0492) 

.4962 (.0059) .6104 (.1866) 3461 (.0915) 

-.1142 (.OOOO) -.3999 (.OOOO) -.0959 (.OOOS) 

-.6084 (.0003) -.go89 (.0604) -.4079 (.2980) 

-.2003 (.4363) -.7460 (.2234) -.8587 (.2090) 

-.9338 (.2843) .3627 (.6139) 

-. I775 (.6237) 

-.I618 (.1202) 

-1.441 1 (.6909) 

.9505 (.OOOO) .7726 (.0838) 1.0995 (.0181) 

.0540 (.9147) -.Os63 (.9084) 

.0618 (.7870) 

-.0274 (.98 

.1771 (.3971) 

6) 6.0395 (.7556) 

1.5342 (.0155) 

.2658 (S585) 

.6272 (.2265) 

-.1788 (.0003) 

-.2010 (.6610) 

-.2237 (.7095) 

1 

-.1649 (.5063) 

1.2923 (.0132) 

.4661 (.3616) 

3757 (.2061) 

.2728 (.7822) 

3376 (.2454) 1.1770 (.0737) 

S144 (.2812) .7331 (.0413) 

-.1726 (.OOOO) -.OS99 (.OOOO) 

-.9911 (.0311) -.6700 (.0604) 

.4345 (.4964) -.5393 (.3995) 

1.2213 (.1886) 

-.3720 (.0906) 

.4926 (.3260) .6606 (.1043) 

3950 (.1229) ~ .2417 (5964) 

.07a. 93 

-.4144 (.4222) 

6) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

379 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e e .* 

t 

f= Table A9 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark CounQ Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

Prior FTAs 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Non-Drug 

Model C (Sample, Control Sample Diferences, Arrest 

Predictors, Time at Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Time at risk 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug poss. arrests 

868.655 

507.0177 

.4481 (.0181) 

987.734 

10.4634 

.2340 

327.885 

10 

.oooo 

979 

.4266 (.0652) 

-.0188 (.OOOO) 

-.6139 (.0001) 

-.2638 (.2412) 

-.0711 (.8145) 

-.3438 (.0002) 

1.0680 (.OOOO) 

.6817 (.0007) 

148.501 

6.0542 

.7887 (. 1563) 

166.346 

41.9042 

.oooo 

96.387 

10 

.oooo 

198 

.9161 (.0808) 

-.0331 (.0033) 

-.5727 (.1018) 

-.6250 (.2353) 

-.8035 (.2643) 

1.3675 (.2894) 

.9445 (.0269) 

.3405 (.4441) 

.lo38 (.7963) 

162.126 

15.6512 

,4760 (.3691) 

157.005 

32.4472 

.ooo 1 

98.242 

9 

.oooo 

185 

.0201 (.9687) 

-.0165 (.0066) 

-.2126 (S390) 

-.2633 (5919) 

.2640 (.6735) 

1.2632 (.0041) 

.2729 (.5038) 

.2981 (.8238) 

-.0629 (.9634) 

142.512 

11.4175 

.2536 (. si 681) 

I, 

203.279 

1 1 .OS59 

!1969 

57.53 1 

10 

.oooo 

192 

127.106 

7.3667 

1.3965 (.0030) 

171.384 

8.1335 

.4205 

87.994 

9 

.oooo 

192 

2 10.039 

70.6655 

.I257 (.7687) 

214.1 17 

9.5044 

.2184 

49.400 

9 

.oooo 

207 

.9446 (.lo1 1) .2225 (.6824) -.I370 (.6861) 

-.0159 (.bolo) -.0258 (.0002) -.0124 (.0089) 

-.5442 (.2281) 

-3344 (-0377) 4019 (-0283) . -,6725 (.0398) 

-.7404 (.1770) .I242 (.8122) 

-.0050 (.9941) 

4462 (.0033) - -.351-1 (.0704) 

1.7912 (.0002) .7756 (.0439) .6334 (.1176) 

.0219 (.9650) 1.2048 (.0149) .2152 (3766) - 

-.2870 (.4612) 

Prior drug trafficking arrests 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

380 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A9 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison Group 

Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs .0111 (.9503) .2003 (.6133) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Log likelihood 1,088.461 213.365 209.448 185.505 200.769 247.642 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 12.9434 10.1 191 10.2273 10.6464 7.495 1 13.5200 

GF significance .1138 ,2568 .2494 .2226 .4843 .0604 

Chi square 250.597 54.540 43.061 79.642 62.874 34.037 

DF 10 9 9 10 9 8 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

1.4645 (.0362) 

Prior drug convicts -.6866 (.0015) 

-1.3834 (.0393) - .2192 (.7187) 

~ -.2930 (.4890) 

Model Statistics 

Significance .oooo .oooo .oooo .om0 .oooo .oooo 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

38 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A10 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Any 

Model C (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors, Time at Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Time at risk 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug trafficking arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior FTAs 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

.9800 (.0007) 

.4657 (.0177) 

-.0833 (.OOOO) 

4836 (.0011) 

-.0234 (.9345) 

-.I601 (.6916) 

-.I485 (.1820) 

1.1114 (.OOOO) 

-.0860 (.7372) 

.1732 (.4558) 

768.721 

2.5781 (.OOOS) 

-.2557 (.OOOO) 

-.Of579 (.8684) 

-.7446 (.I 124) 

-.8775 (.2161) 

-.2587 (.7698) 

-5.5325 (.7916) 

.7982 (.1129) 

.7543 (.3208) 

-.8770 (.3036) 

128.650 

1.6646 (.0523) 

1.0054 (.1350) 

-.0979 (.0020) 

-.3953 (.3779) 

-1.1187 (.1804) 

.3699 (.6449) 

1.8403 (.0009) 

-.1495 (.8035) 

5.4886 (.7843) 

128.778 

J 

1.1478 (.1030) 

-.0810 (.0008) 

.6359 (.1733) 

.6145 (.2320) 

-.6327 (. 1667) 

.2179 (.7499) 

.3026 (.6481) 

SO78 (.2655) 

-.1137 (.OOOO) 

- 

-.3504 (.4266) 

S533 (.3607) 

.7681 (.4279) 

-.2225 (.3734) 

.8848 (. 1005) 

.6264 (.2722) 

.2592 (.7291) 

.4659 (.6645) 

137;767 

- .5599 (.2465) 

.1654 (.7688) 

- 

-.2821 (.7450) 

.7788 (.1662) 

13 1.753 

.4442 (S707) 

1.0501 (.0152) 

-.0491 (.OOOO) 

-.7340 (.0730) 

.3096 (.6896) 

-A101 (.0180) 

1.1251 (.0189) 

.1802 (.7541) 

-.4527 (.4894) 

168.962 - 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 4,979.8432 7.4221 52.3087 20.4504 1,887.4807 6,741.4981 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

- Crime and Justice Research Institute 

382 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-e a 

Table A10 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 - 

GF significance .oooo .49 19 .oooo .0088 .moo .oooo 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model C (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors, Time at Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Time at risk 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug trafficking arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior dma traffic convicts 

438.232 127.258 90.329 93.338 106.744 83.767 

10 10 9 11 10 9 

.oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo 

973 194 184 191 192 207 

1.2716 (.OOOO) 2.0030 (.0040) 2.0763 (.0009) 1.1059 (.0364) SO09 (379) 2.0696 (.0013) 

-.0170 (.OOOO) -.1562 (.OOOO) -.0144 (.0067) -.0137 (-0001) -.0153 (-0001) -.0182 (.OOOO) 

.3444 (.4197) 

-.4363 (.0054) .4157 (.3584) -.9252 (.0170) .1553 (.6776) -1.2599 (.0007) -.3974 (.2607) 

.2483 (.2719) .5998 (.3063) -.4830 (.4221) .3667 (.4689) ~9233 (.0886) -.8640 (.1594) 

-6.1090 (.7198) .8958 (.3306) 

-.5581 (.0920) .1996 (.7726) 

,2535 (.0057) 9.2140 (S928) 3.8509 (.0202) .0579 (.7718) .3950 (.0673) .1963 (.3301) 

7.6849 (3309) 

.7245 (.0011) S424 (.3253) 1;1584 (.0125) .6848 (.1037) .7216 (.0705) .7841 (.1211) 

-.4070 (.4587) -.I 137 (.7994) 

-.0555 (3048) 

-.6988 (.2054) 

.0930 (.6394) 

.9213 (.1431) 5861 (.3780) 

-.5148 (.3042) 

Prior felony convicts -.3605 (.4363) 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justjce Research Institute 

383 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
If 

Table A10 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Phrticipants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Prior FTAs 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Model Statistics 

Non-Drug 

Model C (Sample, Control Sample Differences, 

Arrest Predictors, Time at Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Time at risk 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug poss. arrests 

Prior drug trafficking arrests 

.4346 (.0216) 

1,027.093 

20.8778 

.0075 

3 18.430 

10 

.oooo 

973 

.2485 (.2970) 

-.0199 (.OOOO) 

4590 (.0003) 

-.lo85 (.6412) 

-.2723 (.3939) 

-2486 (.0073) 

1.0576 (.OOOO) 

.6805 (.0014) 

.3605 (.5587) 

130.910 

17.6388 

.0241 

135.965 

10 

.oooo 

194 

1.5207 (.0067) 

-.0257 (.0007) 

-.5622 (.1091) 

-1.3125 (.0214) 

-.9800 (.1954) 

.5343 (.7269) 

1.1333 (.0083) 

.2533 (.5817) 

.4564 (.2631) 

.3424 (S009) 

178.500 

22.1328 

.0047 

76.382 

9 

.oooo 

184 

-.6650 (.2502) 

-.0223 (.0049) 

-. I280 (.7309) 

.1760 (.7470) 

.2998 (.6692) 

1.9974 (.OOOO) 

-.OB4 (.9421) 

-2.0915 (.1709) 

2.1 154 1.1527) -- 

.0246 (.9554) 

205.0j’l 

1 L7613 

.1621 

58.866 

.oooo 

191 

tb 

, 

.9460 (.0381) 

192.944 

- 12.3596 

.I359 

72.891 

9 

.OOQO 

192 

.2812 (.6270) -.OS12 (3764) 

-.0140 (.OOO@ -.0189 (.0001) 

-.9131 (.0391) 

-.9313 (.0171) -.4520 (.1958) 

.- 

-.0046 (.993?1) .4008 (.4231) - 

-.1911 (.7687) 

-.4444 (.0357) 

1.0257 (.0136) .3394 (.3559) 

3569 (.0940) 1.0436 (.0564) 

.2202 (.6076) 

223.433 

13.6907 

.0902 

61.396 

9 

.oooo 

207 

.1377 (.7189) 

-.0266 (.OOOO) 

-3681 (-0167) 

3066 (.0693) 

.0481 (.9171) 

.4669 (.3071) 

Prior felony arrests 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison-group membership. 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

384 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A10 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk Rearred (Two Years) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug traffic convicts -1.2881 (.0350) .E62 (.4068) 

Prior FTAs -.OS90 (.7518) ' .3705 (.3574) Prior FTAs (3 years) I 

Model Statistics I 

Log likelihood 1,042.045 206.8 1 1 186.47 1 190.921 207.262 202.370 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 22.0062 4.624 1 6.5344 4.1844 19.3982 11.0150 

GF significance .0049 .7969 S876 .8401 .0129 .1380 

Chi square 301.338 61.800 68.259 70.032 57.216 8 1.566 

DF 10 9 9 1b 9 8 

N 973 194 184 191 192 207 

.3867 (S873) 

Prior drug convicts 4713 (.0143) I 

- 

Prior felony convicts -.3286 (S304) 

Significance .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo - .oooo .oooo 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. /I 

I - 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

385 

.i 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-0 

I 

Table All Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group Defendants * = 

(Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) 

~ ~ 

1991-97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All All TXB TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Any 

Model C (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Digprences, Predictors of 

Rearrest, Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Criminal History 

Prior arrest 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Como B 

old 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

.210 (.221) 

-.228 (.328) 

.423 (.014) 

.957 (.OOO) 

.388 (.010) 

.495 (.003) 

.339 (.143) 

.271 (.476) 

31 (.154) 

.025 (.953) 

-.I38 (.396) 

.557 (.059) .395 (-284) 

.046 (358) .137 (.725) .254 (.600) -1.060 (.075) 

.445 (.005) .631 (.017) .544 (.048) .I45 (.722) ,573 (.070) .313 (.401) .030 (.921) .643 (.084) .924 (.014) 

1.103 (.OOO) .643 (.012) .689 (.007) 1.251 (.OOO) 1.683 (.OOO) 1.034 (.003) 1.304 (.OOO) 1.310 (.OOO) 1.159 (.001) 

.006 (.988) -.234 (.523) 

.IO5 (.466) -.I15 (.648) -644 (.053) -.009 (.977) 1.123 (.002) .024 (.941) .466 (.177) .846 (.010) 

.277 (.116) .755 (-006) -700 (.011) .461 (.222) -.794 (e041) .901 (.012) .644 (.058) -.214 (-600) .295 (.457) 

.359 (.109) .053 (382) SO3 (.169) .876 (.054) .974 (.130) .691 (.265) 

.I95 (.256) 

.483 (-496) 

-.205 (.635) 

.250 (.607) 

-.799 (.305) .641 (.277) - .108(.862) 

.231 (552) -.181 (.893) .272 (.495) 1.373 (.003) 

.524 (.014) -.097 (315) -.086 (.952) .179 (.746) .777 (.059) .928 (.047) 

.263 (.378) -.I81 (.621) -.311 (.411) .334 (.395) 

-.237 (.108) .184 (.523) -1.197 t.001) -.191 t.548) .214 (.530) 

Time at Risk' -.012 (.ooo) -.oo7 i.oooj -.oo9 (.ooi) -.oo6 i.012j -.oi7 (.oi4) -.oo3 i.543j -.012 (.OM) -.oos i.04oj -.022 (.w) -.m i.217j 

*Tx = Drug Court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

386 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table All Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group Defendants 

(Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk Rearrbt (One Year) (Cont.) I 

1001 -,,. -07 ,. 1001-07 1111 z- 1 OO'LOA 1 QOLOC; 1 Q97 a,," ,- -11- 1" -<<. 

Predictors All TXA All TXB AU TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB Au TXA Au TXB All TXA Au TXB 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Drug 

Model C (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Diflerences, Predictors of 

Rearrest, Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior serious person 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

Serious person 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

old 

Criminal History 

arrest 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

1,189.746 

15.678 

.047 

253.131 

12 

.ooo 

1,049 

.040 (312) 

-.012 (.956) 

.710 (.OOO) 

,819 (.OOO) 

.448 (.004) 

.492 (.OM) 

-.012 (.950) 

1,244.293 

15.300 

.054 

200.936 

10 

.ooo 

1,060 

.274 (.265) 

.669 (.OOO) 

,838 (.OOO) 

.174 (.262) 

.667 (.001) 

-.013 (.945) 

.459 (.069) 

400.305 

4.912 

.767 

62.526 

9 

.ooo 

334 

.459 (.105) 

.718 (.009) 

.542 (.036) 

-.030 (.907) 

.394 (.219) 

-.445 (.174) 

400.073 250.974 - 271.273 

17.741 3.646 

.023 .888 

5 1.626 56.928 

9 9 

.ooo .ooo 

327 233 

SI6 (.170) 571 (.250) 

.586 (.042) .336 (.466) 

.661(.012) 1.402 (.OOO) 

.462 (.215) 

.738 (.023) 1653 (. 189) 

.333 (.505) 

.I35 (.697) 

-.800 (.101) 

5.995 

.648- 

60.759 

IO 

.ooo 

250 

.835 (.019) 

1.688 (.OOO) 

-.047 (.899) 

.496 (.213) 

- -.542 (.466) 

.613(.442) 

254.477 273.818 237.042 

9.576 4.666 23.242 

.296 .793 .003 

79.7961 - 57.396 87.506 

- IO 8- IO 

.ooo .ooo .ooo 

243 243 235 

I, 

I .208 (334) 

'I - 

-.115 (.053) 

317 (.031) .772 (.OM) .917 (.009) 

.8M (.016) .439 (.203) 370 (.013) 

.380(.388) - 

.975 (.010) .229 (514) .793 (.023) 

1.080 (.O27) 1.297 (.014) .408 (.409) 

.249 (526) .099 (317) 

2.281 (.008) 

.659 (.104) 

-1.759 (.076) 

240.821 

5.967 

.65 1 

64.528 

9 

.ooo 

224 

.763 (.040) 

.625 (.070) 

334 (.017) 

.090 (384) 

-.357 (.369) 

1.217 (.048) 

-1.162-(. 15 1) 

conviction 

*Tx = Drug Court 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

387 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
I 

Table A1 1 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group Defendants 

(Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 'I 

1991-97 1991 -92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Weapon conviction -.628 (.104) 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Time at Risk 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

Other 

Non-Drug 

Model C (Sample, 

Controlling for Sample 

Diyerences, Predictors of 

Rearrest, Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking 

old 

Criminal History 

.219 (.27$ 

-.201 (.229) 

-.009 (.OOO) 

1,114.383 

6.875 

.550 

184.940 

11 

.ooo 

1,076 

.228 (. 178) 

-.722 (.003) 

.432 (.010) 

.713 (.OOO) 

.201 (.194) 

.lo7 (.604) 

-.286 (.068) 

-.006 (.OOO) 

1,104.340 

17.327 

.027 

148.679 

9 

.ooo 

1,068 

-313 (.OOO) 

.I 14 (. 1 13) 

.753 (.OOO) 

.169 (.014) 

.407 (.OOO) 

.062 (.595) 

-.IO1 (.728) 

-.007 (.004) 

395.2 17 

9.289 

.319 

43.3 17 

8 

.ooo 

338 

-.074 (.801) 

-.005 (.ala) 

373.523 

7.755 

.458 

45.764 

8 

.ooo 

329 

.492 (.114) 

-.287 (.282) 

.706 (.013) .718 (.OOO) 

.432 (.I 12) .522 (.001) 

-.128 (.638) 

-.335 (.330) -.090 (.679) 

-.288 (.628) 

-.455 (.268) 

-.013 (.036) 

208.523 

5.226 

.632 

59.901 

9 

.ooo 

250 

-.304 (.535) 

.066 (.870) 

1.178 (.001) 

.578 (.087) 

-1.191 (-004) 

-.008 (.133) 

213.411 

12.981 

.I13 

55.529 

8 

.ooo 

25 1 

-.270 (.064) 

1.265 (.OOO) 

-.069 (.642) 

- .863 (.OOO) 

1.064 (.003) 

-.286 (.464) - 

-.054 (.879) - 

-.011 (.008) -.006 (.I 15) 

239.608 

12.557 27.198 

.145 .oo 1 

50.133 38.154 

9 8 

.ooo .ooo 

245 246 

237.340 

.- 

.273 (.480) 

-.013 (.009) 

229.268 

10.739 

.217 

58.004 

9 

.ooo 

239 

-.037 (.837) 

-.842 (.149)' 

.228 (.509) -.653 (.OOO) 

.465 (.171) .467 (.OOO) 

-.I63 (.708) 

.217 (.537) -.064 (.603) 

.504 (.287) 

.690 (.OOO) 

.938 (.OOO) 

.380 (.010) 

.760 (.003) 

.021 (.952) 

-.008 (.070) 

223.575 

5.154 

.741 

38.006 

9 

.OO@ 

226 

- 

.930 (.OOO) 

372 (.OOO) 

.707 (.OOO) 

.674 (.OOO) 

arrest 

*Tx = Drug Court - 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

388 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
. t 

-. Table All Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison Group, Defendants 

(Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (One Year) (Cont.) 

~ 

1991 -97 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 1997 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA AN TXB All TXA All TXB 

Prior felony arrest 

Prior misdemeanor 

Serious person 

Drug possession 

Drug trafficking 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Time at Risk 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

arrest 

conviction 

conviction 

conviction 

Other 

.818 (.OOO) 

.042 (.828) 

.251 (.537) 

.457 (.021) 

-.247 (.134) 

-.006 (.OOO) 

1.157.491 

14.560 

.068 

172.307 

12 

.ooo 

.349 (.OOO) .442 (.OH) 

.705 (.OOO) 1.468 (.OOO) 1.345 (.OOO) 

SO7 (.054) 

.281 (.006) -.050 (.872) -.295 (.145) 

-.209 (.031) 

-.007 (.OOO) 

5,885.225 

68.212 

.ooo 

850.946 

11 

.ooo 

.609 (.055) 

-.005 (.014) 

365.604 

7.931 

,440 

54.840 

9 

.ooo 

.159(.526) 

-.003 (.020) 

993.395 

30.177 

.ooo 

181.748 

10 

.ooo 

.691 (.059) 

-.333 (.552) 

.024 (.964) 

-.543 (.150) 

-.003 (.580) 

247.079 

5.868 

.662 

35.182 

9 

.ooo 

-.255 (.164) 

-.IO0 (.517) 

.674 (.025) 

-1.165 (.004) 

-.965 (.OOO) 

.006 (.035) 

1,425.723 

58.21 1 

.ooo 

162.050 

11 

.ooo 

250 25 1 

,880 (.010) 

-.089 (.840) 

-.324 (.365) 

-.006 (.145) 

267.155 

12.984 

.I12 

31.317 

10 

.001 

245 

.695 (.OOO) 

1.094 (.OOO) .528 (.001) 

.413 (.010) .669 (.OOO) 

-.091 (.732) 

-.044 (.813) 

-.017 (.OOO) 

2,090.022 

139.308 

.ooo 

478.899 

9 

.ooo 

246 

-.275 (.170) 

-.009 (.OOO) 

1,240.276 

24.553 

.002 

275.543 

9 

.ooo 

239 

.745 (.OOO) 

.185 (.291) 

.392 (.071) 

-.012 (.967) 

-.032 (.899) 

-.004 (-041) 

1,055.559 

21.210 

.007 

220.196 

10 

.ooo 

N 1,076 1,068 338 329 ~. . _. . ~. ~~ ~. 226 ~~ 

*Tx = Drug Court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

389 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-0 

.* 

z -- Table A12 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah Fountyi Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 ' 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Any 

Model C (Sample, Controlling for 

Sample Differences, Predictors of 

Rearrest, Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Phone 

Detained at all pretrial 

Arrest in 3 years prior 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Time at Risk 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

Criminal History 

Other 

.020 (.912) 

.326 (.088) 

-.220 (.389) 

.999 (.OOO) 

.I50 (.369) 

.482 (.009) 

.344 (.204) 

.338 (.390) 

SI7 (.354) 

-.IO2 (.842) 

-.037 (.838) 

-.012 (.OOO) 

963.499 

8.019 

,432 

164.652 

12 

.ooo 

.277 (.326) 

.I63 (.348) 

1.154 (.OOO) 

-.169 (.296) 

.467 (.015) 

.582 (.026) 

-.007 (.972) 

.128 (577) 

-.260 (. 1 16) 

-.006 (.001) 

1,001.362 

16.581 

.035 

135.615 

IO 

.ooo 

.384 (.205) 

.456 (.091) 

.784 (.003) 

-.300 (.238) 

.691 (.012) 

.078 (.838) 

.440 (.305) 

.307 (.317) 

-.012 (.OOO) 

390.385 

11.130 

.194 

67.408 

9 

.ooo 

.263 (S09) 

.267 (.333) 

.723 (.005) 

S24 (.053) 

.764 (.050) 

-.085 (.843) 

.025 (.953) 

.364 (.204) 

-.006 (.025) 

404.790 

5.98 1 

.649 

46.296 

9 

.ooo 

-.088 (.851) 

.373 (.33 1) 

1.169 (.OOO) 

.359 (.257) 

.372 (.305) 

.017 (.961) 

.581 (.669) 

.017 (.961) 

-.012 (.079) 

281.990 

3.751 

.879 

40.497 

9 

.ooo 

.543 (.078) 

1.583 (.OOO) 

-.027 (.932) 

-.533 (.140) 

.917 (.043) 

.?54 (.276) 

-.490 (.467) 

-.570 (.184) 

-.938 (.006) 

.ow (.975) 

292.508 

6.315 

.612 

53.809 

IO 

.ooo 

-.903 (.114) 

.168 (.642) 

1.350 (.OOO) 

-.285 (.492) 

.795 (.026) 

.622 (.075) 

.606 (.342) 

-.243 (3 IO) 

-.243 (.510) 

-.011 (.036) 

270.236 

5.271 

.728 

67.2 16 

10 

.ooo 

-.097 (.751) 

1.649 (.OOO) 

-.148 (.661) 

.968 (.004) 

.320 (.611) 

.579 (. 189) 

-.325 (.311) 

-.007 (.090) 

270.697 

6.341 

.609 - 

66.968 

8 

.ooo 

N 816 82 I 335 327 233 250 244 244 

*Tx = Drug Court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

390 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A12 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Drug 

Model C (Sample, Controlling 

Sample Differences, Predictors 

Rearrest. Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior serious person arrest 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Time at Risk 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

Criminal History 

Other 

for 

of 

~ 

.600 (.687) 

-.lo8 (.561) 

.229 (.352) 

,390 (.042) 

.287 (.3 15) 

,011) .762 (.047) 

,007) .653 (.014) .366 (.196) 

~ 

383) -.948 (. 

687) 

) 

.449 (.201) .781 (.008) 

.665 

.478 

.406 

.166 

8 

.998 (.OOO) 

.094 (.582) 

.860 (.OOO) .908 (.OOO) .911 (.OOO) 

-.201 (.235) -.215 (.397) 

1.244 (.OOO) 

.130 (.702) 

1.254 (.OOO) 

.041 (.902) 

1.176 (.OOO) 

.691 (.048) 

.790 (.011) 

.065 (.840) 

.549 (.017) 

-.lo1 (.640) 

.655 (.003) .353 (.275) .822 (.013) 

.259 (.219) 

.316 (.270) .197 (S69) 

-.496 (. 124) 

-1.071 (.027) 

333 (.069) 

.015 (.975) 

.489 (.194) 1.026 (.037) 

.233 (.529) 

318 (.116) 

.160 (1806) 

.399 (.569) 

1.563 (.060) 

-1.294 (.172) 

.365 (.358) 

.204 (.342) 

-.278 (.124) 

-.008 (.OOO) 

952.950 

14.787 

.063 

137.555 

11 

.ooo 

-.319 (.504) 

-.156 (.591) 

-.008 (.001) -.004 (.096) 

.188 (.522) 

-.471 (.195) -.324 (.371) 

-.304 (.074) 

-.004 (.041) 

940.136 

15.271 

.054 

117.219 

9 

.ooo 

-.703 (.052) 

-.006 (.280) 

-.500 (.110) 

-.010 (.083) -.007 (.053) -.001 (.758) 

404.599 384.927 

7.036 7.135 

.533 .522 

53.578 51.015 

e 8 

.ooo .ooo 

250.807 

12.029 

.150 

49.368 

9 

.ooo 

256.01 5 

7.763 

.457 

39.197 

8 

.ooo 

270.793 

9.237 

.323 

46.367 

9 

.ooo 

284.008 

6.904 

.547 

35.270 

8 

- .ooo 

N 839 827 339 329 - 250 25 1 246 - 247 

*Tx = Drug Court 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

39 1 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
-0 e 

Table A12 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah%ounty Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time at Risk: Rearrest (Two Years) (Cont.) 

1991-96 1991-92. 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA Ah TXB All TXA All TXB 

Non-Drue 

Model (Sample, Controlling for 

Sample Differences, Predictors of 

Rearrest, Time at Risk) 

Demographic 

Over or under 25 years old 

Hispanic 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Current Case 

Alias 

Detained at all pretrial 

Pending arrest charge 

Prior drug arrest 

Prior drug trafficking arrest 

Prior felony arrest 

Prior misdemeanor arrest 

Serious person conviction 

Drug possession conviction 

Drug trafficking conviction 

Weapon conviction 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

*Tx vs. Comp A 

*Tx vs. Comp B 

Time at Risk 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

*Tx = Drug Court 

Criminal History 

Other 

.100(.587) 

.308 (.092) 

-.609 (.019) 

.226 (.447) 

.408 (.131) .288 (.309) 

-.534 (.059) -.301 (.452) 

.IO4 (.550) 

-.421 (.373) 

.025 (.947) 

-.874 (. 1 18) 

.I10 (.721) .386 (.251) -.456 (.143) 

l.lb3 (.OOO) .597 (.072) .749 (.022) 

-.321 (.312) .215 (.535) -.094 (.778) 

.741 (.OOO) 

.074 (.660) 

,818 (.OOO) 

-.042 (.796) 

,519 (.044) .602 (.022) 

-.229 (.372) 

1.196 (.OOO) 

.339 (.288) 

.409 (.074) .384 (.088) 

-.112 (.699) 

.266 i.422) SO0 (.151) .624 (.120) .719 (.l49) 

.752 (.288) 

-.606 (.123) .711 (.052) 

.d67 (.832) .942 (.003) 1.240 (.OOO) 

.450 (.472) .I43 (.739) .I82 (.671) 

-.957 (.282) .098 (.870) 

.231 (.359) 

.716 (.OOO) 

.195 (.520) 

1.124 (.OOO) .849 (.002) 

SO9 (.249) 

-.I 12 (.701) -.262 (.424) 

.903 (.OOO) .749 (.024) 

-.140 (.531) .094 (.701) -.477 (.363) 

.236 (S80) 

-.085 (.693) -.372 (.393) 

-.015 (.934) .459 (. 126) 

.084 (.777) 

-.005 (.022) -.003 (.224) 

-.I55 (.657) -.I75 (.621) 

-h98 (.007) - -.229 (.477) 

.OlO (.076) -.005 (.210) -.009 (.034) 

296.980 281.031 .268.424 

5.980 - 5.192 7.089 

.649 .737 .527 

28.224 42.071 62.529 

11 IO 9 

.ooo .ooo . .ooo 

25 1 246 247 

-.266 (.108) 

-.005 (.005) -.003 (.060) -.003 (.632) 

970.453 

4.205 

.838 

1 17.624 

12 

.ooo 

839 

991.569 

9.23 I 

.323 

100.462 

11 

.ooo 

827 

399.073 391.415 

1 1.372 19.860 

.I82 .011 

48.302 43.508 

9 IO 

.ooo .ooo 

339 329 

276.447 

7.624 

.47 1 

33.898 

9 

.OOO 

250 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

392 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A13 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Clark County Participants and 

Comparison Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time Free: Rearrest (545 Days Time 

Free) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Model D (Sample, Control Sample 

Differences, Arrest Predictors, Time- at 

Risk) 

Tx vs. Comp. 

Race (whitehon-white) 

Gender 

Alias 

Phone 

Most serious charge, current 

Serious property, current 

Theft charge, current 

Drug charge, current 

Guilty comparison 

Prior arrests 

Prior arrests (3 years) 

Pending arrests 

Prior serious person arrests 

Prior drug arrests 

Prior drug possession arrests 

Prior drug trafficking arrests 

Prior felony arrests 

Prior misdemeanor arrests 

Prior serious person convicts 

Prior serious property convicts 

Prior drug convicts 

Prior drug trafficking convicts 

Prior felony convicts 

Prior F'TAs 

A614 (.0004) 

.6241 (.0002) 

4754 (.0002) 

-.0938 (.6951) 

.3402 (.3003) 

-. 1636 (.0762) 

1.4256 (.OOOO) 

.2704 (.2189) 

.4108 (.0359) 

1.8195 (.0016) 

.6764 (.0987) 

-.4386 (.2324) 

-.2060 (.7179) 

-.6785 (.2640) 

1.0655 (.3943) 

1.1473 (.0059) 

1.1468 (.0132) 

-1.3035 (.2782) 

1.5999 (.0173) 1.7020 (-0076) -.0882 (.8671) ~ .3236 (.5875) 

1.3091 (.0298) .6140 (.1344) .2822 (.4464) .9014 (.0126) 

.2172 (.6367) 

-.5635 (.1580) e.3631 (.3721) -1.3199 (-0003) -.7111 (.0496) 

-.7279 (.2690) -.1256 (.8359) .2501 (.6254) -.5547 (.3451) 

.0672 (.9257) 

.8736 (.2375) 

-.4462 (.0411) -.4403 (.0316) 

1.6952 (.0002) 1.4813 (.0021) .9190 (.0280) 1.1343 (.0046) 

S495 (.2793) 1.0800 (.0249) .9793 (.0369) .3514 (.4540) 

.6464 (.2929) 

5.2281 (.8231) -.0842 (.9202) -.7932 (.2750) 

-.3050 (S450) 

.9367 (.0366) 

Prior FTAs (3 years) 

+Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

393 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A13 Drug Court Participation as a Predic-or of Lower Rearres- among Clark Coun.1 Particip-nts and 

Comparison Group Defendants, Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time Free: Rearrest (545 Days Time 

Free) (Cont.) 

Predictors 1993-97 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

Model Statistics 

Log likelihood 1,035.7 14 198.642 162.289 177.115 195.727 223.462 

Goodness of fit (H&L) 4.9764 4.4522 3.291 1 2.0841 7.2847 

GF significance .760 1 3142 .9148 .9783 3302 .3999 

Chi square 2 18.289 65.984 62.877 65.897 53.868 37.195 

DF 9 9 8 10 9 8 

Significance .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo .oooo 

N 979 198 185 192 192 207 

4.2880 

*Tx vs. Comp. indicates drug court versus comparison group membership. 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

394 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Table A14 Drug Court Participation as a Predictor of Lower Rearrest among Multnomah County Participants and Comparison 

Group Defendants (Group A or Group B), Controlling for Sample Differences, Risk, and Time Free: Rearrest (545 Days Time 

Free) I 

1991-96 1991-92 1993-94 1995-96 

Predictors All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB All TXA All TXB 

Model B (Sample, Controllinn 

.- 

for Sample Dgerence; 

Predictors of Rearrest) 

Demographic * 

- Over or under 25 years old .199 (.272) .608 (.043) 

Hispanic .lo0 (.692) .536 (.057) .438 (.271) .560 (.236) -.894 (.114) 

Race (whitehon-white) .218 (.250) .081 (.645) S14 (.052) .260 (.351) -.083 (.835) .361 (.253) .196 (.590) -.022 (.943) 

Current Case 

Alias .990 (.OOO) 1.141 (.OOO) .714 (.006) .629 (.016) 1.389 (.OOO) 1.619 (.OOO) 1.331 (.OOO) 1.737 (.OOO) 

Phone -.220 (.593) 

Detained at all pretrial 

Criminal History 5’ 

8 Prior arrest 

Cn cp 20 

0 a nj Priordrugarrest 

Arrest in 3 years prior 8’ -(J Pending arrest charge 

0 xz Prior drug trafficking arrest F 4 Serious person conviction 

3” * Drug trafficking conviction 

8 C> Weapon conviction 

7T Prior failures to appear 

Prior FTAs in 3 years 

Other 

h *Tx vs. Comp A 

z *Tx vs. Comp B F! Model Statistics 

33 

Cn Log likelihood 

Goodness of fit 

GF significance 

Chi square 

DF 

Significance 

N 

*Tx = Drug Court 

v 

.421 (.010) -.036 (.821) -.051 (.833) .577 (.o70) .o40 (.go21 1.213 i.001 j 

S79 (.002) .348 (.070) .654 (.016) S76 (.033) .331 (.370) -.733 (.049) - .901 (-009) 

.404 (.123) .673 (.008) .237 (.526) 329 (.031) 1.034 (.O22r .912 (.154) 

.I26 (.525) 

.365 (.577) 

- .147.(.730) 

-.491 (.482)- 

.378 (.349) 

-.035 (.945) .287 (.485) -.078 (.951) .367 (.350) 

.467 (.396) .128 (S74) -.012 (.977) -.175 (.897) -.463 (.301) 

-.064 (.721) .262 (.380) -.294 (.387) -.125 (.734) 

-.322 (.051) .312 (.275) -1.219 (.OOO) 

967.507 985.937 397.381 396.3 12 268.069 280.894 265.843 

8.447 9.358 4.392 3.721 = 4.766 8.990 8.971 

.391 .313 320 311 - .214 .253 .255 

120.649 116.935 39.878 36.212 39.173 56.545 65.143 

11 9 8 8 -- 8 9 9 

.OOO .ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo .ooo 

786 798 316 312 227 247 239 

.I89 (.554) 

.735 (.030) 

.509 (.396) 

-.161 (.614) 

27 1.942 

1.306 

.995 

58.172 

.ooo 

239 

7 -. 

- 

Crime and Justice Research Institute 

395 

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice.

This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view

expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official

position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.