Day Reporting Centers as an Alternative for Drug Using Offenders

Abstract

It is the purpose of this paper to examine the development, implementation, and effectiveness of a day reporting center (DRC) for drug- using offenders in Cook County, Illinois. At the time of the evaluation, the program primarily offered services to African Americans with limited education and job experience and extensive histories of opiate and cocaine use. The analysis showed that while in the program, participants reduced their drug use, significantly improved the rate of their appearance for court dates, and had a very low rate of arrests on new charges. It was also found that the program had difficulties in integrating its services with other community services after participants left the program. Conclusions support the use of day reporting programs for drug-using offenders as an effective means to reduce drug use. It was also concluded that it was crucial to integrate this type of pre-trial service with other needed community services.