One key finding of the new studies as far as defenders are concerned is that drug courts significantly reduce reliance on incarceration. A Critical Review , prepared by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, found that as much as 43 percent of drug court clients would otherwise have been incarcerated. Of primary interest to legislators are the studies' findings that drug courts can simultaneously reduce both crime and criminal justice costs. Both the CASA review and a study released in November by the Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy find significantly and uniformly reduced recidivism rates both during and after drug court participation. The Physician Leadership study found that drug courts save about ten times as much as they cost.
Some defenders play a very proactive role in the establishment of drug courts.