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Abstract: 

Traditional courts rely on retributive punishment in criminal sentencing, but treatment courts rely on rehabilitation to reduce recidivism. Treatment courts are specialized criminal courts that focus on their participants’ substance use and/or mental health disorders and that require regular court appearances, drug testing, and treatment engagement rather than incarceration. Although best practices suggest avoiding traditional sanctions while incorporating incentives, service adjustments, and therapeutic adjustments as responses to participant noncompliance, there is little research regarding the combined use of these program elements as alternatives to traditional punishment in their respective programs. Treatment court administrators, primarily working in adult drug courts, were surveyed regarding their reliance on, and attitudes toward, incentives, service adjustments, therapeutic adjustments, and sanctions within their treatment court programs.

Keywords: Treatment courts, incentives, service adjustments, therapeutic adjustments, sanctions

Affiliations:  1: Marist University; 2: Marist University; 3: Dutchess County (NY) District Attorney’s Office.