Utah Juvenile Drug Courts
Problems addressed
Recidivism
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
Effectiveness

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising

Want to know more about this classification? Check out our methodological manual.

Life periods served
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Courts of justice
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a program implemented by the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. The goal is to reduce the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, as well as criminal recidivism.
The program uses an accountability approach that includes the following components:
1) Monitoring and evaluation;
2) Individualized treatment plan;
3) Legal supervision;
4) Community treatment;
5) Specialized hearing;
6) Periodic hearings;
7) Adherence and progress monitoring;
8) Sanctions and incentives;
9) Comprehensive services;
10) Collaborative team approach; and
11) Compliance or sentence reduction in the event of good performance in the program.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that participants in the treatment group were statistically less likely to relapse. However, there was no significant effect on recidivism into alcohol and other drugs [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Hickert, A., Becker, E., Próspero, M. & Moleni, K. (2011). Impact of Juvenile Drug Courts on Drug Use and Criminal Behavior. En OJJDP Journal of Juvenile Justice: Vol. 1. OJJDP Journal of Juvenile Justice (2011a ed., Vol. 1, pp. 60–77).

Information source