Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation Conceptual Framework

Description

The Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation (MADCE) Conceptual Framework has six components:

Conceptual Framework

Target Population Severity
- Drug Use
  - Addiction severity
  - Drugs of abuse
  - Drug use history
- Criminality
  - Felony/misdemeanor charge
  - Recidivism risk — prior arrests/convictions
  - Opportunity to offend (street days)
- Other Risk Factors
  - Health problems
  - Mental health problems
  - Employment problems
  - Housing instability
  - Family conflict
  - Family support
  - Close ties to drug users
  - Close ties to lawbreakers
- Demographics
  - Age, gender, race
  - Marital status, children
  - Education, income
Drug Court Practices
- Use of Legal Pressure
  - Severity of consequences for failure
- Individual Court Experiences
  - Drug court participation
  - Drug testing requirements, practices
  - Sanctions rules, practices
  - Supervision requirements/practices
  - Prosecution involvement
  - Interactions with judge and supervising officers
  - Court appearances
- Drug Court Practices
  - Leverage
  - Program intensity
  - Predictability
  - Rehabilitation focus
  - Timeliness of intervention
  - Admission requirements
  - Completion requirements
- Drug Treatment
  - Treatment history
  - Days of treatment by type
  - Treatment requirements
  - Support services by type — offered and used
Offender Perceptions
- Perceived Legal Pressure
  - Severity and likelihood of termination and alternative sentence
- Motivations
  - Readiness to change stage
- Understanding of Rules
  - Received expected sanctions and rewards
  - Understood expected behavior
- Perceived Risk of Sanctions and Rewards
  - General deterrence
  - Certainty/severity of sanctions
  - Certainty and value of rewards
- Perceptions of Court Fairness
  - Procedural justice
  - Distributive justice
  - Personal involvement of judge and supervising officer
In-Program Behavior
- Compliance With Drug Intervention
  - Likelihood of entry
  - Number and type of drug test violations
  - Percentage of treatment days attended
  - Treatment duration and retention
  - Treatment graduation and termination
- Compliance with Supervision
  - Court FTAs — percentage of scheduled
  - Case management FTAs — percentage of scheduled
  - Violations of supervision requirements
  - Drug court graduation
Post-Program Outcomes
- Reduced Drug Use
  - Any, type, and frequency of self-reported use post-program
  - Results of saliva test
- Reduced Recidivism
  - Any, type, and frequency of self-reported offending post-program
  - Any, type, and number of arrests/convictions post-program
  - Decrease in post-intervention incarceration
- Improved Functioning
  - Reduction in health and mental health problems
  - Increase in likelihood and days of employment
  - Gains in economic self-sufficiency
  - Reductions in family problems
- Post-Program Use of Services
  - Type and amount of drug treatment/aftercare
  - Type and amount of other support services
Drug Court Context
- Community Setting
  - Demographics
  - Urbanicity
  - Drug arrest rate
  - Poverty/economics
- Drug Laws
  - Mandatory sentences
  - Drug law severity
- Court Characteristics
  - Court size
  - Court resources