Director: Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
Selected Projects: Policy Development
Impact
of Proposition 36-Like Diversion Programs: Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
Marlowe and NADCP colleagues submitted briefings to California policy
makers citing empirical evidence of higher recidivism rates and return
to drug use for some offenders diverted into treatment programs with minimal
judicial supervision. California Governor Schwarzenegger’s FY 2006
budget and message embraced the recommendations by proposing a series
of reforms to the Proposition 36 program, including mandatory drug testing,
use of “drug court models” and judicial authority to impose
jail sentences.
Legality
of Court Imposed Sanctions in Family Dependency Proceedings: Douglas B.
Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
An Amicus Curiae brief authored by Marlowe and colleagues on behalf of
NADCP and its California chapter cites research findings suggesting that
graduated sanctions, including the threat of jail detention, are necessary
to the success of family dependency courts. Reunification models with
minimal judicial intervention fail to improve patient outcomes or enhance
exposure to treatment, according to the brief filed before the California
Supreme Court. Olivia J. and Otis J. v. San Diego County Health &
Human Services Agency, objecting to the brief imposition of jail sanctions
in dependency proceedings, remains under consideration. Download
Brief.
Economic
Benefits of Substance Abuse Treatment: Steven Belenko, Ph.D.
In a comprehensive review of empirical evidence, Belenko and others find
that substance abuse treatment, especially when it incorporates evidence-based
practice, results in clinically significant reductions in alcohol and
drug use and criminal activity. Economic studies consistently show positive
economic benefits of treatment, including from reduced crime including
savings in costs for incarceration and lower victimization rates. Download
Report.
Narcotics
on the Internet: David Festinger, Ph.D.
This NIDA-funded inquiry expands upon the project that first lead TRI
to document the availability of drugs for purchase on the Internet. Read
story. Now the team is testing a wider variety of search terms to
assess the prevalence of websites where controlled substances may be purchased
without a prescription. A database with descriptive information for all
“Opioid No Prescription Drugs” will also be developed.
Selected Projects: Practice Improvement
Risk and Needs Triage “RANT™”: Rigorously grounded in scientific evidence, this web-based decision support tool for judges and other criminal justice officials helps match drug-involved offenders to the community corrections programs best suited to their need for supervision and treatment. More.
TRI-CEP:
Real-Time Information for Drug Court Judges on Client Status in Treatment:
Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
In one state drug court system, Marlowe and other TRI investigators presented
empirical evidence that treatment attendance and urine drug screen results
are two of the most relevant and valid indicators of offenders’
clinical progress and should be considered in dispositional proceedings.
“TRI-CEP” software developed by Marlowe, Festinger and the
Law and Ethics team presents this information for each client as (s)he
appears for regularly scheduled hearings. Judgments based on the standardized
client progress information have led to fewer complaints about arbitrary
dispositions, with clinical reports that drug court clients pay closer
attention to these behaviors in treatment sessions.
