The mantra during periods of fiscal restraint is “cut the fat.” The trouble is that sometimes it is hard to tell which programs are fat and which are lean. That’s why new research about drug courts couldn’t come at a better time. A new study shows that drug courts—specialized programs that link drug-involved offenders to rigorously-monitored treatment—succeed in reducing crime and drug use.
The study, commissioned by the National Institute of Justice and conducted by the Urban Institute, the Center for Court Innovation, and RTI International, compared participants in 23 drug courts across the country to similar defendants who went through conventional case processing.
