Oct. 18, 1999
Contact: Teressa Tignor Gilbreth
Information Specialist
(573) 882-9144
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MU RESEARCHER STUDIES EFFECTIVENESS OF POPULAR NEW PRISON ALTERNATIVE: DRUG COURTS
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In an effort to rehabilitate more drug dependent criminals and alleviate prison overcrowding, court systems across the nation and the world are rushing to start what is commonly seen as the new "magic bullet" -- drug courts. However, they are pouring precious government resources into models and theories that have not been proven to be effective, says a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Paul Sundet, MU associate professor of social work, will fill the gap in what we know about the effectiveness of Missouri's drug court system in a two-year, $361,000 study funded recently by the Department of Justice and Missouri's Office of State Courts Administrator.
Currently there are 479 drug courts nationwide with another 392 in the planning process, said Ann Wilson, OSCA alcohol and drug abuse coordinator. Missouri's Jackson County drug court was one of the 12 original drug courts in the nation. Now Missouri has 21, with another 17 in the works. Drug courts also have moved around the world; Australia, Canada, England, Scotland and Austria are all trying the new solution.
Drug courts go beyond punishment and monitoring as antidotes to drug use, Sundet said. "People who are on drugs usually have multiple problems or issues going on in their lives extending far beyond substance abuse," he said. "The concept of drug courts is that we pull serious drug abusers out from the regular criminal justice system and focus on their drug dependency, not on their criminal behavior. Then we help them recover and become productive with an intensive, long-term, wrap-around service model that includes the individual's family, health services, mental health, job training, child care or whatever they need."
Those who qualify for the program sign a contract of conditions that includes intense supervision with a probation officer, urinalysis testing and treatment. Jail time or other sanctions and incentives are used throughout the program.
The central question of Sundet's study is whether drug courts are better at keeping offenders drug free than the traditional corrections system. "One of our concerns is that we don't get carried away with a fad," Sundet said. "In this study, we want to look very carefully at the drug court process and see what is working, what kind of offenders benefit and what essentials need to be included in any drug court program."
Sundet is no stranger to the criminal justice system. A former probation and parole officer, social services supervisor, and director of staff training and program planning for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Sundet was appointed to the Missouri Law Enforcement Assistance Council after coming to Missouri. He continues to serve the field as a consultant to the probation and parole system and the Division of Youth Services.
"We chose Dr. Sundet and the MU School of Social Work because we needed someone we could trust to do a good evaluation, one who knew about drug courts already and someone who understands the social and political ramifications of the programs," Wilson said.
The study includes funding for four graduate students, who will work closely with Sundet and Wilson to identify components of a variety of Missouri drug courts and study offender outcomes. They hope to validate the usefulness of drug courts, pinpoint the most successful strategies and secure future funding.
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