Purpose: NPC Research will conduct a process and outcome (recidivism) evaluation. This will provide updated information about the effectiveness of Benton County Drug Treatment Court (DTC) procedures as well as information to describe the impact of the DTC program on participant recidivism compared to a matched comparison group of individuals who were eligible for the program but did not participate. The evaluation will build on outcome evaluations that were performed in 2004 and 2010 and will include individuals who participated in the program after the 2017 SAMHSA enhancement. Including the samples from previous time periods will allow the examination of outcomes for participants who experienced different program practices over time.
This evaluation seeks to explore the following research questions:
- Does participation in DTC reduce the number of re-arrests for those individuals as compared to traditional court processing?
- Does participation in drug treatment court reduce levels of substance abuse?
- What participant characteristics predict successful outcomes (e.g. graduation, lower recidivism)?
Funding Source: Benton County Sheriff’s Office has contracted with NPC Research to conduct the evaluation using funds from a federal SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) enhancement grant.
Start Date: January 2018
Project Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director
Project Staff