Courts

The program focuses on reducing violent gun crime by disrupting the cycle of gun violence by relying on forensic science and data analysis to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who use guns in criminal activity, and the sources of their guns. The program is rated No Effects. The program did not significantly affect homicides or aggravated assaults with a firearm but was shown to significantly reduce violent crime and robbery with a firearm.

This involves prison time for individuals who have committed drunk-driving offenses to reduce their risk of recidivism upon their release. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant difference between individuals in the treatment group (who received prison time) and the comparison group (who received a suspended imprisonment sentence) on reoffending with a driving-while-under-the-influence-of-alcohol offense within 6 months’, 24 months’, or 5 years’ time.

This is a specialized court program that targets high-risk gang-affiliated individuals with felony convictions for intensive supervision, with the goal of reducing recidivism. The program is rated Promising. Gang members who participated in the program had a statistically significant lower likelihood of probation revocation than gang members who did not participate. But there were no statistically significant differences in new arrests between the groups.

This program provides calls to individuals who have been arrested and released while they wait to appear for arraignment, to remind them to appear on their scheduled court dates. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant reductions in failure-to-appear rates for individuals in all three treatment groups who received phone call reminders, compared with individuals in the control group who did not receive any reminder.

The purpose of this program is to afford individuals who have committed a driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offense the opportunity to avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction and criminal labeling by expunging criminal records pertaining to the DUI offense through a diversion program. The program is rated Promising. Those in the diversion program were statistically significantly less likely to be rearrested within 4 years of the final disposition.

This initiative involves proactive policing, enhanced enforcement, sentences for individuals who repeatedly offend, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders. The program’s goal is to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The program is rated Promising. The implementation of the program led to a statistically significant reduction in violent crime in the treatment group relative to the control group. However, there was no statistically significant impact on the rate of gun crimes.

This is a collaborative law enforcement effort to collect, manage, and analyze crime gun evidence to identify serial shooters, disrupt criminal activity, and prevent future gun violence. The program is rated Promising. Posttest gun crime cases saw statistically significant increases in the likelihood of arrest, but no statistically significant difference in the likelihood of being charged or convicted, compared with cases in the pretest period.

This is a drug court program that provides treatment services to women on probation to reduce their risk of reoffending. The program gives preference to women who have higher need and risk profiles, are mothers, and have substance use problems. The program is rated Promising. Women in the treatment group were statistically significantly less likely to have a new conviction, compared with similar women on probation who did not participate in the program, at the 2-year follow-up.

This is a prosecutor-led pretrial diversion program to rehabilitate individuals convicted of misdemeanor or felony offenses who are at medium risk of reoffending. The program is rated No Effects. There were statistically significant reductions in cases dismissed for treatment group individuals, compared with control group individuals. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the 2-year rearrest rate or days to first rearrest.

This is a prosecutor-led pretrial diversion program to rehabilitate individuals with misdemeanor or felony offenses who are at low risk of reoffending. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions in the rearrest rate, days to rearrest, and cases dismissed for treatment group individuals, compared with comparison group individuals, at the 2-year follow-up.

This program equips police with on-officer cameras to record contacts with civilians during intimate-partner violence incidents. The program is rated Promising. Camera use was statistically significantly more likely to result in arrests, charges filed, cases furthered, and both guilty pleas and verdicts. There was no statistically significant difference in sentence length. However, there was a statistically significantly greater reduction in case processing time in cases not involving a camera.

This is a program that uses an interdisciplinary team to address factors contributing to clients’ contact with the court. The program is rated Promising. Participants experienced a reduction in average sentence length and were more likely to be released on recognizance, compared with those who received traditional legal services. These differences were statistically significant. However, there was no statistically significant impact on conviction or on future arrest rates.

This is a court-mandated, post-conviction intervention for males at high-risk for perpetrating family violence. The program is designed to decrease family violence through cognitive–behavioral approaches. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant lower likelihood of arrest for any offense for participants, compared with the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences found between the groups in family violence arrests.

This is a prosecutor-led diversion program for nonviolent defendants, which is designed to decrease the number of convictions and reduce recidivism while improving administrative efficiency and cost effectiveness. The program is rated No Effects. The program had a statistically significant effect on reducing the likelihood of conviction, but there was no statistically significant effect on recidivism for program participants, compared with comparison participants.

This intervention was designed to increase the level of judicial oversight on participants convicted of misdemeanor crimes in the Parramatta Drug Court program. The program was rated Promising. Results indicated that participants under intensive judicial supervision had lower rates of positive drug tests, compared with the comparison group. This difference was statistically significant. However, there were no statistically significant differences in sanctions, program progression or termination.

This is an alternative sentencing program aimed at diverting individuals who committed first-time nonviolent felony offenses from the criminal justice system. The program is rated No Effects. Results showed no statistically significant differences between the treatment group and comparison group on rearrests rates.

This is a program for parents who have substance abuse allegations and are involved in the child welfare system. The program is rated Effective. The study found that parent participants were more likely to have their children returned, more likely to experience a permanency-planning outcome, and less likely to have their parental rights terminated. Additionally, children of program participants spent less time in the child welfare system. These findings were statistically significant.

This was a program for chronic drug-using persons on probation that incorporated graduated sanctions with incentives to reduce recidivism and drug use among participants. The program is rated No Effects. Implemented in Delaware, the program was shown to have no impact on the successful completion of probation, on re-arrests, or on drug use.

This allows individuals to be released early from a prison in New Jersey and complete the remainder of their sentences under supervision, with the goal of reducing recidivism. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group released early from prison had statistically significantly lower rates of reconviction, number of days until reconviction, re-arrests, and days to re-arrest, compared with those who had completed their entire sentences and were unconditionally released to the community.

Under a 2003 Washington State law, incarcerated individuals who had committed certain nonviolent offenses were able to acquire earlier release time of up to 50 percent of their maximum sentence. The program is rated Promising. Individuals who were released early under the law had a statistically significant lower rate of felony convictions, compared with individuals who were not released early; however, there was no statistically significant difference on violent convictions.

This reentry program allows individuals who are nearing the end of their custodial sentences to work regular jobs in the community. The program is based in work release centers in participants’ counties of residence in Florida. The program is rated as Promising. The program was found to have a statistically significant effect on reducing reconvictions of participants and increasing their employment and quarterly earnings post-release.

This program consists of a specialized court for substance-using caregivers involved with the child welfare system. The program is rated Promising. Program participants showed a statistically significant higher likelihood of family reunification and a lower likelihood that children would reenter care after permanent reunification. However, families that participated in the program achieved permanency at a statistically significant slower rate, compared with families that did not participate.

This program seeks to divert adults with mental illness diagnoses who have committed misdemeanor and felony offenses away from the justice system and into treatment. The goals of the program are to ensure participants receive treatment for their mental disorders and do not have future contact with the justice system. The program is rated Promising. Participants had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested and reconvicted, compared with the comparison group.

This program in Sweden involves the use of an ankle bracelet to determine the location of an individual who has been released following a short-term stay in prison. The overall goal is to reduce reoffending rates of participants. The program is rated Promising. Significantly fewer program participants were convicted of a new offense and sentenced to prison at the 3-year follow up, compared with control group participants.

This was an intensive, supervised release program for persons at high risk for reoffense and who were mandated to residential treatment upon release from prison. The program gradually reduced restrictions as the persons on parole transitioned back into the community. The program is rated No Effects. Results showed no statistically significant effects on recidivism measures, including rearrest, revocation for technical violations, reconviction, and days in prison.

This program uses progressive sanction guidelines from the Ohio Adult Parole Authority to determine the appropriate amount of response by authorities with regard to individuals who violate supervision. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant impact on risk of felony reoffending and major violation behavior in the first year of supervision.

This is a transitional employment program that gives those who are newly released from prison the opportunity to work and find housing. RWA seeks to provide clients with work and foundational skills so that they can find a job, secure housing, and become financially independent. The program is rated No Effects. After 3 years, RWA showed a statistically significant positive impact on jail sentences, but there was no statistically significant impact on arrests, convictions, and prison sentences.

This program was designed to provide a community service alternative to short custodial sentences for inmates, with the goal of improving measures of recidivism (reconviction) and social integration (marriage/employment). This program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant, long-term effects on reconviction and social integration.

This is a post-sentencing, driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) court intended to guide individuals identified as drug- or alcohol-addicted into treatment, which is designed to reduce criminal behavior and recidivism, enhance public safety, and enhance the well-being of program participants. This program is rated Promising. Results suggest that after 2 years, DWI court graduates and participants were statistically significantly less likely to be rearrested than non-DWI court participants.

This is a pre-booking, community-based diversion program designed to divert those suspected of low-level drug and prostitution offenses away from jail and prosecution and into case management and other supportive services. The program is rated Promising. The intervention group had a statistically significant lower likelihood of having been rearrested, compared with the control group. However, there was no statistically significant impact on non-warrant rearrests.

This program is an alternative to incarceration for felons with substance abuse problems. In lieu of confinement, they must successfully complete a residential, chemical-dependency treatment program in the community. The program is rated Promising. Residential DOSA was shown to statistically significantly reduce overall recidivism rates compared with prison-based DOSA.

The program is a problem-solving court that operate a specialized caseload for domestic violence-related cases only, and for which eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. Criminal domestic violence courts tend to be more common throughout the U.S. The program is rated No Effects. The criminal domestic violence courts in New York statistically significantly reduced case-processing time, but there was no statistically significant impact on recidivism.

This program is a problem-solving court that is part of a unified “one family-one judge” model, which means all criminal, family, and matrimonial cases involving the same family are handled by one judge. This program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences in re-arrests and conviction rates when comparing the IDV court cases with traditional family court cases.

This program was an experiment that was conducted to examine the efficacy of alternative methods of instant drug testing, and to determine how the different methods affected rates of relapse and recidivism of parolees with substance abuse issues. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group experienced a statistically significant decrease in rates of relapse, but no statistically significant difference in recidivism, compared with the control group.

The program uses specially trained nurses to provide comprehensive psychological, medical, and forensic services to recent sexual assault victims in either hospital- or community-based clinic settings. The program is rated Promising. Across multiple sites, the results showed that sexual assault cases that were prosecuted following implementation of SANE had a statistically significant greater likelihood of resulting in a guilty plea or conviction.

Transfer of serious and violent juveniles from juvenile court to adult court based on criteria, such as age, seriousness of offense, and use of a deadly weapon. The program is rated No Effects. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that transferring juveniles to adult court had no impact on measures of arrests.

This is a juvenile drug court designed to reduce alcohol and other drug and delinquency offenses through an accountability framework. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group participants were statistically significantly less likely to recidivate in delinquency/criminal offenses, compared with the comparison group participants. However, there was no statistically significant effect on alcohol and other drug recidivism.

This is a diversion program for 16- and 17-year-old defendants in the New York state adult criminal justice system. The program is rated Promising. Similar rates of recidivism were found for participants and comparison group members, which suggests that diverting older adolescents does not increase the risk of recidivism and risk to the public.

This program was designed to provide judicial monitoring of people convicted of domestic violence through frequent court appearances before a judge. The goal was to ensure compliance with program requirements and deter future violence and re-abuse of victims. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention group and control group in rearrests, attendance at court-ordered programs, or completion of programs.

This was a natural experiment to examine the impact of attorneys from the Defender Association of Philadelphia who represent indigent defenders. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group defendants were statistically significantly less likely to be found guilty of murder, and had shorter average sentences, compared with control group defendants represented by private counsel. There was no statistically significant effect on being found guilty of any charge or receiving a death sentence.

This is a prevention program for disruptive kindergarten boys and their parents, designed to reduce short- and long-term antisocial behavior. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group boys had a statistically significant greater likelihood of graduating from high school and having lower rates of property violence, compared with comparison group boys, at the 19-year follow up. However, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in rates of personal violence.

This program was designed to reduce failure-to-appear rates in misdemeanor defendants. The goal was to remind defendants of court dates by sending reminder notices through the mail. The program is rated Promising. Defendants who received court date reminder notices had statistically significant reductions in failure-to-appear rates, compared with participants in the control group who did not receive notices.

This is a program that focuses on drug-involved individuals and aims to provide specialized substance abuse treatment services. The program is rated Promising. Participants in the treatment group were statistically significantly less likely to report drug use and criminal activity than participants in the comparison group. However, there was no statistically significant effect on incarceration, socioeconomic status, mental health, family support, or homelessness.

AMIkids is a program encompassing community-based, experiential treatment interventions for at-risk and delinquent youth, which is designed to reduce recidivism and be cost effective. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group showed a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested, adjudicated, convicted, or experiencing a subsequent commitment for any offense within 12 months of release, compared with the comparison group.

This is a family drug court program designed to serve families involved with child welfare as a result of parental substance use. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group parents had a statistically significant higher percentage of experiencing family reunification, compared with comparison group parents. Children of treatment group parents also had a statistically significant fewer number of days in non-kinship or long-term foster care compared with children of comparison group parents.

This is a court-ordered treatment program for individuals with mental illness who have a history of multiple hospitalizations or have exhibited violence toward themselves or others. The program is rated Promising. Participants who received treatment had a statistically significant reduction in risk for arrests of any offense, compared with the comparison group. However, there was no statistically significant difference found between the groups in risk of arrests for violent offenses.

This version of multisystemic therapy is for adolescents with substance abuse and dependency issues. This program is rated Effective. Treatment youth showed statistically significant reductions in marijuana use and in aggressive behavior and convictions for aggressive behavior, compared with control group youth. However, no significant differences between groups were found for symptoms of mental health, criminal behavior, or alcohol or cocaine use.

This program involved cooperation between police and prosecutors to increase the likelihood that high-risk individuals would be convicted and incarcerated. The program is rated Promising. The experimental group had a statistically significant greater likelihood of being sentenced to prison and having longer prison sentences, compared with the control group. However, there was no statistically significant difference for conviction rates between the groups.

This is a drug treatment court that seeks to reduce rearrests and reconvictions for drug-involved individuals with substantial criminal and drug addiction histories. The program is rated Effective. Compared with the control group, program participants had a statistically significant fewer number of arrests at the 24-month and 15-year follow up, but not at the 36-month follow up. Participants also had a statistically significant fewer number of total convicted charges at the 15-year follow up.

This program is an alternative to probation and confinement for first-time, nonviolent individuals convicted of drug offenses. The program is rated Promising. Treatment court participants had statistically significant lower conviction rates for any new offenses and drug offenses 1 year after program completion, compared with the comparison group. Program participants also had statistically significant lower conviction rates 3 years following the initial arrest.

This was an experiment to evaluate the impact of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence collection and testing on the investigation of high-volume property crimes. The program is rated Effective. Across five sites, more suspects were identified, arrested, and prosecuted in the treatment group cases, compared with suspects in the control group cases. These differences were statistically significant.

This program is an alternative to incarceration for drug-abusing defendants, which provides substance abuse treatment and education, case management, and intensive supervision. The program is rated Effective. Treatment group participants had a statistically significant lower likelihood of recidivating and experienced a greater length of time between initial arrest and first rearrest, compared with the comparison group.

This is a drug court program for first-time, nonviolent persons convicted of felony drug offenses who are arrested in Queens County, N.Y. The court provides drug or alcohol treatment services to persons with persistent drug offenses who have a history of substance abuse. This program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions in postarrest and post-program rearrest rates for program participants, compared with the comparison group.

The court aims to connect defendants with serious mental illness to community treatment services, to find dispositions to their criminal charges that take into account their mental illness, and to decrease the chances they return to the criminal justice system. The program is rated Promising. The study showed participants were statistically significantly less likely to be charged with a new offense and had a longer time without a new violent charge compared with the comparison group.

This comprehensive 3-year program provides swift sanctions, intensive probation, close monitoring, and mandatory treatment for repeat impaired-drivers. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups across all counties. The treatment group experienced lower DUI recidivism, driving with a revoked or suspended license recidivism, and any other traffic offense convictions.

This is a court program in western Michigan designed to divert people convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) from jail, eliminate substance use, and reduce recidivism. The program is rated Promising. At the 2-year follow up, program participants were less likely to be rearrested and had longer time to first-rearrest, compared with control group participants. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were no significant differences between groups for alcohol or drug

This program is the first prosecution-led, residential drug treatment diversion program designed to divert people convicted of nonviolent felony drug offenses to community-based residential treatment. This program is rated Promising. Controlling for time spent in the community following release from prison, the intervention showed statistically significant positive effects on recidivism, time to first rearrest, and rearrest for program participants, compared with the control group.

The program uses courts in a comprehensive approach to address the underlying causes of driving under the influence by aiming to change the behavior of alcohol and/or drug dependent individuals who have been convicted of drug/alcohol crimes. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group had a statistically significantly lower recidivism rate (measured as new court filings) and was statistically significantly more likely to fail sooner than the comparison group.