Looking inside the “Black Box” of Drug Court Treatment Services Using Direct Observations

Abstract

Drug courts have received a great deal of attention from both researchers and practitioners nationwide over the last decade. In fact, a number of recent evaluations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the approach for reducing both substance abuse and criminal involvement among participants. Recently, however, calls for thorough process evaluations (inside the black box of treatment) of these courts have often not been met or have not been adequately conducted. The current study examined the delivery of substance abuse and allied social services in a sample of four adult drug courts, using a combined qualitative/quantitative methodology (direct observation as well as traditional surveys and interviews of treatment staff) to explore the type and amount of treatment services offered within these courts. Results suggest that improvements in several areas could be made that would likely enhance the overall effectiveness of these courts, especially in terms of the delivery of scientifically-established (i.e., cognitive-behavioral) treatment approaches.