Evaluation of the D.C. Superior Court Drug Intervention Programs

Specialized drug dockets have emerged in a number of jurisdictions, often in the form of drug courts. Evaluation of the D.C. Superior Court Drug Intervention Programs summarizes an evaluation of the impact of two Washington, D.C., Superior Court experimental intervention programs on drug-involved defendants: a comprehensive treatment program and a graduated schedule of sanctions for drug use. Using court records and self-reported data from a survey of defendants, this NIJ Research in Brief discusses the program’s impact on defendants’ drug use, criminal activity, and social and economic functioning. The study also examines program costs and estimates the benefits in averted costs of victimization, arrest, prosecution, and incarceration.