Do Drugs -- Do Time: An Evaluation of the Maricopa County Demand Reduction Program, Research in Brief

This document assesses the Program's first two years of operation, 1989-1991. Arresting casual drug users as a deterrent to others and as a means of getting the drug users into counseling and treatment is the approach adopted by the Program. The Program targets casual users of marijuana as well as regular users of more potent drugs. A flow chart shows the step-by-step process that is triggered when a user is arrested. Since the Program's aim is to reduce demand, it offers diversion to treatment for offenders who are drug users with no prior felony criminal history. Ineligible offenders and those eligible offenders who fail to complete the 6- to 12-month treatment program are prosecuted. The Program requires payment of fines and treatment costs. Revenues generated are contributed to the county's general fund. During the first 24 months of the Program, it achieved its principal objectives of creating community-wide awareness of the severity of the drug problem, the need to hold all users accountable, and increasing and coordinating law enforcement activities in combination with increased prosecutions or participation in drug treatment programs. Evaluation methodology is included. The Program's effects on net widening and recidivism are discussed.