View Research by Author - Ojmarrh Mitchell

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/OjmarrhMitchell

The BTC demonstrations tested the feasibility and impact of system-wide intervention to reduce drug use among offenders by requiring felony defendants to undergo screening and participate in drug testing and screening as a condition of pretrial release. The core elements of the BTC model were early intervention, judicial oversight, graduated sanctions and incentives, and collaboration among justice and treatment agencies. The quasi-experimental evaluation of the three BTC sites found significant reductions in drug use, criminal offending, and family problems. The ratio of the costs averted for each dollar invested ranged from 3.2 to 7.7 across the sites. The report includes lessons from the process evaluation on how to implement BTC strategies.

Juvenile courts are increasingly similar to criminal courts in their method as well as in their general atmosphere. State and Federal laws are being changed to send a growing number of young offenders to criminal court where they can be tried as if they were adults. The two court systems appear to be moving toward complete convergence. Policymakers and practitioners need to be aware of the factors leading to this convergence and they should understand the effects it may have on offenders, victims, and the general community. This chapter reviews the origins of juvenile justice in the United States, summarizes the legislative and policy changes that are effectively dismantling the juvenile-criminal border, and examines research on the impact of such policies. Published: July 2000 Volume 2 of Boundary Changes in Criminal Justice Organizations, pp. 167-213, Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, NCJ 182409.

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