ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 24, 2004)—Two new studies published by the Drug Treatment Court Commission of Maryland (DTCC) illustrate the valuable benefits of drug treatment court programs. The studies, conducted by NPC Research in Portland, Ore., found that participants in the drug treatment court programs were less likely to be re-arrested compared to drug offenders who went through the normal judicial process. In addition, the studies documented significant cost savings when drug treatment court programs were utilized.

“The findings in these studies reiterate a growing trend across the U.S.,” said Gray Barton, DTCC Executive Director. “Drug treatment courts provide a more effective means of rehabilitating drug users; they save taxpayers’ money, while showing a significant reduction in recidivism.” 
Maryland has 11 drug treatment courts in operation and another 10 in the planning phase. DTCC commissioned NPC, which has evaluated drug treatment court programs in more than a dozen counties in California and Oregon, to conduct separate studies of the Anne Arundel County Adult Drug Court program and the Baltimore City Circuit and District Adult Drug Court programs. The purpose of the studies was to analyze the outcome effectiveness and financial cost-beneficial effects of the programs. 

The separate studies compared participants in the 1997-1998 Anne Arundel Drug Court classes and the 2000 Baltimore City Drug Courts classes with samples of individuals with similar demographic characteristics and prior criminal records who did not enter drug court programs. Among the main issues studied were recidivism rates and financial benefits in the form of recidivism, victimization costs and post-program income taxes paid. Barton noted that the two studies should be viewed separately, given the vast differences between Anne Arundel and Baltimore City’s drug case types and their drug treatment court programs.

Results from the Anne Arundel Drug Treatment Court study showed:

• Over a 48-month period, program participants were re-arrested at a rate 12.3 percent lower than the comparison sample;
• There was  $265,308 in total net benefits, or a 73 percent return on the drug court investment;
• The graduation rate for the sample study was 54.7 percent; 13 percent higher than the national average for drug treatment courts.

• Using a three-year timeframe, program members were re-arrested 31.4 percent fewer times than those in the comparison model;
• The treatment courts incurred 24.2 percent less in criminal justice system costs than the comparison sample, and when projected on an average of 758 program participants during the study period, more than $2.7 million in total criminal justice system savings were determined; and
• Using the financial benefits compared to the costs for each participant, there was a $2,873,306 or 36.2 percent net benefit ‘return’ on the amount invested.