Mental Health Treatment and Recidivism Among Probationers who Successfully Completed a Drug Court Treatment Program

This study involved an examination of the relationship between mental health treatment provided by a county court to drug court graduates and recidivism rates upon 1- and 3-year follow-ups. Participants included 54 graduates of drug court probation who were primarily male (n = 41, 79.5%) with an average age of 37.8. Information on mental health treatment and new criminal and traffic charges was collected through the Court\u27s electronic records and justice network. Results indicated there was no significant relationship between treatment and recidivism in the 1-year data. The 3-year data showed graduates who engaged in mental health treatment were more likely than their counterparts to have new traffic or criminal charges. Theorized explanations for this finding, study limitations, and future areas of research are explored