Jacqueline vanWormer
Assistant Professor Of Sociology, Whitworth University
Key Findings
- Drug courts with high levels of member collaboration are more likely to follow the standards of drug court models, which are thought to effectively treat substance abuse.
- Collaboration in drug courts allows less arbitration on judges, increases trust in other drug court members, and also increases the drug court’s ability to achieve their goals.
Description
In the article, “Collaboration: A Mechanism of Drug Court Model Adherence,” vanWormer and her co-authors examine the impact of drug courts and what makes them effective. Drug courts face many obstacles that can hinder their success, and previous research has shown that the specifics for success are under-researched. To conduct their study, the researchers used information from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), and the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) to survey more than 250 drug court professionals (including drug court coordinators, defense attorneys, judges, treatment providers and others). The findings showed that drug courts with high levels of member collaboration are more likely to follow the standards of drug court models, which are thought to effectively treat substance abuse. Collaboration in drug courts allows less arbitration on judges, increases trust in other drug court members, and also increases the drug court’s ability to achieve their goals. In conclusion, the authors note that further research would more closely focus on either juvenile or adult drug courts and also find more opportunities for the government or community support.