Responding to Casual Drug Users: An Evaluation Report of the Maricopa County Demand Reduction Program Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 138224
• Author(s): J R Hepburn; C W Johnson; S Rogers
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): 89-DD-CX-0055
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report summarizes the findings of an evaluation designed to assess the effectiveness of the Maricopa County (Arizona) Demand Reduction Program, initiated in March 1989 in an effort to address the increasing problem of illegal drug use in the City of Phoenix and surrounding metropolitan area.

Abstract

Objectives of the Maricopa County Demand Reduction Program include creating a community-wide awareness of the severity of the drug problem and alerting drug users to the increased risk of legal sanctions and adopting a zero- tolerance position of user accountability, namely increased and coordinated law enforcement activity combined with either full prosecution or diversion to treatment in lieu of prosecution. The only evidence of substantial program impact is in the increased use of deferred prosecution which serves to "widen the net" by bringing into treatment individuals who otherwise would not have been retained in the criminal justice system. Demand reduction has produced no apparent changes in the level of enforcement or the resolution of drug cases. Those who agree to enter the treatment component, especially individuals who complete the treatment program, show a significantly slower return to future criminal offenses. 12 figures