Substance abuse continues to be a pressing social problem in the United States today. As the country battles an opioid epidemic, many jurisdictions have adopted the problem-solving court model in response. These specialized courts, known as drug courts, offer a rehabilitative approach to offender management. Drug courts balance substance abuse rehabilitation with community-based supervision and operate with the philosophy that addressing the addiction will result in a decrease in criminal offending. The current study examines the recidivism rates for 50 participants who have been separated (i.e., completed or terminated) from one rural drug court program in the Midwest for at least 3 years. Findings indicate that successful completion of drug court is associated with decreases in misdemeanor offending, and more importantly, decreases in felony offending. While preliminary, the findings of this research provide support for the drug court model in the rural Midwest. Further research in this area is highly recommended.

当今，物质滥用仍然是紧迫的社会问题。随着该国与阿片类药物的流行作斗争，许多司法管辖区都采取了解决问题的法院模式作为回应。这些专门法庭（称为毒品法庭）为罪犯的管理提供了一种康复方法。毒品法庭在戒毒康复与社区监督之间取得平衡，并以解决成瘾问题将减少刑事犯罪的理念运作。当前的研究检查了50名从中西部农村禁毒法院项目中分离（即完成或终止）的参与者至少3年的累犯率。调查结果表明，成功完成毒品交易与减少轻罪的行为有关，更重要的是，重罪减少。虽然是初步的，但这项研究的结果为中西部农村的毒品法庭模式提供了支持。强烈建议对该领域进行进一步研究。