Evaluation of the Washington, DC, Superior Court Drug Intervention Program, 1994-1998
Description
This study was undertaken to measure the impact of the
standard, treatment, and sanction dockets, which comprise the Superior
Court Drug Intervention Program (SCDIP), on drug-involved defendants
in Washington, DC, while examining defendants' continued drug use and
substance abuse, criminal activity, and social and economic
functioning. Features common to all three dockets of the SCDIP program
included early intervention, frequent drug testing, and judicial
involvement in monitoring drug test results, as well as the monitoring
of each defendant's progress. Data for this study were collected from
four sources for defendants arrested on drug felony charges between
September 1, 1994, and January 31, 1996, who had been randomly
assigned to one of three drug dockets (sanction, treatment, or
standard) as part of the SCDIP program. First, data were collected
from the Pretrial Services Agency, which provided monthly updated drug
testing records, case records, and various other administrative
records for all defendants assigned to any of the three
dockets. Second, data regarding prior convictions and sentencing
information were collected from computer files maintained by the
Washington, DC, Superior Court. Third, arrest data were taken from the
Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Lastly, data on self-reported drug
use, criminal and personal activities, and opinions about the program
were collected from interviews conducted with defendants one year
after their sentencing. Variables collected from administrative
records included drug test results, eligibility date for the
defendant, date the defendant started treatment, number of compliance
hearings, prior conviction, arrest, and sentencing information, and
program entry date. Survey questions asked of each respondent fell
into one of seven categories: (1) Individual characteristics, such as
gender, age, and marital status. (2) Current offenses, including
whether the respondent was sentenced to probation, prison, jail, or
another correctional facility for any offense and the length of
sentencing, special conditions or restrictions of that sentence (e.g.,
electronic monitoring, mandatory drug testing, educational programs,
or psychological counseling), whether any of the sentence was reduced
by credit, and whether the respondent was released on bail bond or to
the custody of another person. (3) Current supervision, specifically,
whether the respondent was currently on probation, the number and type
of contacts made with probation officers, issues discussed during the
meeting, any new offenses or convictions since being on probation,
outcome of any hearings, and reasons for returning back to prison,
jail, or another correctional facility. (4) Criminal history, such as
the number of previous arrests, age at first arrest, sentencing type,
whether the respondent was a juvenile, a youthful offender, or an
adult when the crime was committed, and whether any time was served
for each of the following crimes: drug trafficking, drug possession,
driving while intoxicated, weapons violations, robbery, sexual
assault/rape, murder, other violent offenses, burglary, larceny/auto
theft, fraud, property offenses, public order offenses, and
probation/parole violations. (5) Socioeconomic characteristics, such
as whether the respondent had a job or business, worked part- or
full-time, type of job or business, yearly income, whether the
respondent was looking for work, the reasons why the respondent was
not looking for work, whether the respondent was living in a house,
apartment, trailer, hotel, shelter, or other type of housing, whether
the respondent contributed money toward rent or mortgage, number of
times moved, if anyone was living with the respondent, the number and
ages of any children (including step or adopted), whether child
support was being paid by the respondent, who the respondent lived
with when growing up, the number of siblings the respondent had,
whether any of the respondent's parents spent any time in jail or
prison, and whether the respondent was ever physically or sexually
abused. (6) Alcohol and drug use and treatment, specifically, the type
of drug used (marijuana, crack cocaine, other cocaine, heroin, PCP,
and LSD), whether alcohol was consumed, the amount of each that was
typically used/consumed, and whether any rehabilitation programs were
attended. (7) Other services, programs, and probation conditions, such
as whether any services were received for emotional or mental health
problems, if any medications were prescribed, and whether the
respondent was required to participate in a mental health services
program, vocational training program, educational program, or
community service program.