Predictors of Retention and Arrest in Drug Courts

As the drug court movement has grown, so has the body of research on program outcomes and participant characteristics. Attempts to determine which participant characteristics and circumstances might influence drug court outcomes, how-ever, have been limited. Completed in 1998, the Escambia County (Florida) Adult Drug Court evaluation of predictors of retention and arrest is among the first to address this im-portant area of research. This article presents the outcomes of the Escambia evaluation. involved for many years in diverse research projects involving substance abuse and mental health services within criminal justice and foren-sic settings