Drug court implementation: An empirical assessment of court procedure on offender program completion

Drug court program implementation is accomplished according to the principles of Therapeutic Jurisprudence theory. Procedures such as the judicial monitoring of cases are designed to assist offenders by keeping them engaged in drug treatment rather than to punish them for program noncompliance or slips in treatment. This study empirically identifies the court's consensus over Therapeutic Jurisprudence implementation practices and quantitatively assesses the impact those practices have on an offender's ability to complete the drug court program. Research findings indicate that the court under review operates according to Therapeutic Jurisprudence and plays a statistically significant role in helping offenders to succeed in their one‐year drug treatment program.