INYECCION DIRECTA DE GASOLINA BMW

on the Drug Court program was estimated at $143.87. This was less, but not signifi- cantly so, than the daily cost ($151.72) for offenders in the control group, sanctioned by conventional means (Lind et al., 2002). Thus, it was concluded that the Drug Court was ‘as cost-effective as conventional sanc- tions in delaying the time to the first offence and cost-effective in reducing the frequency of offending’ (Lind et al., 2002, p.62). It is worth noting, however, that using the ideal method for calculating cost-effectiveness (comparing the average cost per episode of treatment with the average cost of sanction- ing a control group member), Drug Court costs were found to be greater than for the control group — $46,224 compared with $35,334. The researchers noted that the high termination rate meant such calcula- tion was not appropriate and that calculating the daily cost was a more reliable approach. This again pointed to the need to improve retention rates in order to improve the effec- tiveness of the Drug Court.

It was consistently concluded and recom- mended in this series of evaluations that the effectiveness of the Drug Court could be improved if it were possible to distinguish those who would benefit from the program from those unsuitable and therefore likely to terminate. Thus, the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research conducted a further study to find factors that would enable early identification of participants at risk of non-compliance with program requirements. The rationale was that these participants could either be given intensive supervision, support and treatment to enhance compliance, or be removed from the program early to reduce the costs they

impose on the program. The Bureau con- ducted a retrospective study to identify

predictors101 _{of program compliance at six}

months, offending during months 4–6 and drug use at months 5–6.

Predictors of program compliance at

•

six months included number of custody episodes, waiver of suspended sanctions, number of bench warrants issued for absconding and number of urine tests provided.

Predictors of offending during months

•

4–6 of the program included number of missed program appointments, having been issued a bench warrant for abscond- ing, and having tested positive to both stimulants and opiates during months 2–3 of the program.

Predictors of opiate and stimulant use

•

at months 5–6 included number of cus- todial episodes, number of suspended sanctions, and number of missed program appointments.

The Bureau noted several limitations to the study (including that it was retrospective not prospective, the sample size was small (n = 217) and the data sets incomplete) and recommended that the information on predictors of program success be used in conjunction with other information about individual program participants for their most effective management.

Indicators of program compliance during the first three months.

Compul

sory tr

74

4.2.3.2 New South Wales Youth Drug and Alcohol Court

A comprehensive evaluation of the Youth Drug and Alcohol Court (YDC) was con- ducted in 2002. A range of methods was employed, including: ‘statistical monitoring of program referral and take-up, participants’ characteristics and their progress through the program; process evaluation of the imple- mentation and operation of the program; review of legal issues arising from the YDC’s operations; a study of the outcomes of the program for participants, both in terms of their re-offending and their health and social functioning; and an analysis of the costs of running the program’ (Eardley et al., 2004, p.3).

Evaluators reported that:

Graduates were less likely to re-offend

•

than those who did not complete the program.

Most participants reported that their

•

drug use had decreased compared with use in the three months before entering the program.

Improvements in mental health over the

•

longer term were reported, particularly among young women and those who graduated from the program.

Short-term improvements to health were

•

reported.

Women were a target group for the pro-

•

gram, but only a small number were referred. Women who were referred to the program were less likely than young men to be accepted or to agree to par- ticipate. Those who did participate were also less likely to complete the program successfully.

Indigenous youth were less likely than

•

others to participate in the program. Satisfaction with the program, the Court

•

and staff was high.

There was some evidence that the YDC may be cost-effective — daily costs of maintaining a young person on the YDC program were estimated at $359–$452, compared with a daily cost of approximately $500 to keep a young person in custody. It was noted, however, that the fact that many young peo- ple spend longer on the program than they would in custody, was not factored into the cost analysis. Furthermore, where costs were distributed across program completers only (approximately 37 per cent of those who started the program), the daily costs of the YDC were substantially higher than conven- tional costs ($539–$760). The benefits of the two paths, punishment or therapy, are not the same, however. Investment in treatment also yields the benefit of a young person’s healthy future.

Concerns were raised in this study about the legality and fairness of using bail provisions for participants — in particular, the use of sanctions. The evaluators reported that sanc- tions for non-compliance with YDC program conditions might create a ‘two-sentence’ procedure, or denser nets (see 2.9.1) in that a young person may be punished while on the program and then punished a second time at sentencing. Consideration of these legal issues was recommended (Eardley et al., 2004).102

The evaluators also noted a range of meth- odological limitations similar to those of most drug court evaluations. These included data that were unavailable in the form or over the necessary periods of time to show whether program outcomes were sustained

Refer to Eardley et al. (2004), pp.142–144, for history and detailed discussion of these legal issues.

Resear

ch on compul

sory AOD tr

eatment

75