The Vermont Supreme Court Office of the Court contracted with NPC Research to conduct an outcome evaluation and cost-benefit evaluation of the Rutland County Drug Court program.
The drug court participants were examined in terms of outcomes such as reductions in drug use and graduation rate. The impacts of the program on recidivism (e.g., re-arrests, time on probation and time in jail) were assessed using statewide and local criminal justice, substance abuse treatment, and probation data by comparing the drug court participants with a comparison group of offenders who were eligible for the program but did not attend.
NPC Research used a cost approach called Transactional and Institutional Cost Analysis (TICA). The evaluation documented program and traditional court activities for the drug court and comparison group to determine the direct and indirect costs of each activity. This information was used to determine the relative costs and benefits to the taxpayers for individuals going through drug treatment court vs. traditional court processing (“business as usual”).
Project Team
Principal Investigator
Project Director
Administrative Data Analyst
Callie Lambarth, M.S.W.
Cost Analyst
Project Staff
Robert Linhares, Ph.D.
Anton Cox, B.A.
Judy Weller, M.A.
Jennifer Aborn, B.A.