Diversion Works.
That’s the undisputed message in the most comprehensive study of diversionary drug courts ever completed.
The Urban Institute, the Center for Court Innovation, and RTI International, conducted the multi-volume study, “The Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation.” Researchers evaluated 23 drug courts and 6 traditional court programs for comparison, over a period of 5 years [check this].
Compared to defendants who did not participate in drug court 18 months after arrest:
- Drug court participants were 30% less likely to use drugs.
- Drug court participants 25% less likely to report committing crimes.
- Drug court participants were significantly less likely to require services for employment, education, or financial assistance.
The report also estimates a cost savings of $5,680 per participant, a return of $2 for every $1 spent on the program. These figures are consistent with savings reported in other mature diversion programs, such as California’s Prop 36 Program.
Chicago Appleseed is currently developing a Diversion Division Blueprint that will create an entire court division devoted to treatment alternatives to incarceration. At capacity, the Diversion Division is estimated to save Cook County $20 million — and keep thousands of individuals out of jail and into treatment.
