Maryland Statewide Drug Court Evaluation
Research Questions: This project provides feedback on program effectiveness for drug courts in Maryland, including adult drug treatment courts, juvenile drug treatment courts, family recovery programs, and DUI courts. The research questions are:
1. How does each drug court program in Maryland implement the 10 key components of drug courts?
2. Do drug courts reduce recidivism?
3. Do drug courts reduce substance use?
4. Do drug courts save human service system resources compared to traditional court processing?
Project Design: NPC provides technical assistance and feedback to programs, and performs process, outcome and cost studies.
The process evaluations use qualitative analyses, on-site observations, focus groups with participants (and parents when applicable), key stakeholder interviews, and reviews of program documentation. The outcome studies look at archival data from drug court programs, probation and parole, treatment, and jail/prison detention. Cost studies gather information from budget records and key stakeholder interviews and compare the investment and outcome costs of drug courts and traditional court processing. Outcome and cost studies use a quasi-experimental design that includes a sample of drug court participants and a comparison group of individuals with similar characteristics who did not participate in the drug court program. NPC uses the Transactional and Institutional Cost Analysis (TICA) approach for cost studies.
Funding Source: Office of Problem-Solving Courts, Administrative Office of the Courts of the State of Maryland
Start Date: February 2007 for the current contract
Project Team
Co-Principal Investigators Project Director Project Staff- Theresa Allen, Ph.D.
- Callie Lambarth, M.S.W.
- Robert Linhares, Ph.D.
- Lisa M. Lucas, B.A.
- Mark S. Waller, B.A.
- Judy M. Weller, B.S.
Reports and Publications
Pukstas, K. (Nov. 3, 2006). Evaluation Design Challenges on the East Coast: A Tale of Two Drug Courts. Presented at the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association: Portland, OR. Pukstas, K., Weller, J. M., Brekhus, J., Crumpton, D., Carey, S. M., Mackin, J. R., & Finigan, M. W. (Oct. 2006). Harford County Juvenile Drug Court Performance Evaluation: Program Process, Outcome and Cost Analyses: Final Report. NPC Research: Portland, OR. Pukstas, K., Weller, J. M., Brekhus, J., Crumpton, D., Carey, S. M., Mackin, J. R., & Finigan, M. W. (Oct. 2006). Baltimore City Juvenile Drug Court Performance Evaluation: Program Process, Outcome and Cost Analyses: Final Report. NPC Research: Portland, OR.Pukstas, K., Weller, J. M., Brekhus, J., Crumpton, D., Carey, S. M., Mackin, J. R., & Finigan, M. W. (Feb. 2006). Maryland Drug Treatment Courts: Interim Report of the Effectiveness of Juvenile Drug Courts. NPC Research: Portland, OR.
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