Our Projects

Drug courts emerged in the late 1980s as a way to divert people with substance use disorder from prison and keep them home. Drug courts enjoy a great deal of empirical support, with meta-analyses estimating 10-12% reductions in recidivism (Mitchell et al., 2012; Shaffer, 2011). Though regarded as an empirically supported model, the average effects are far lower than interventions operating in alignment with the risk, need, and responsivity principles (see Bonta & Andrews, 2017). Briefly, these indicate the need for correctional interventions to match the level of service to the level of risk, target criminogenic needs for intervention, and use behavioral approaches to interventions. The National Association of Drug Court Professionals Adult Drug Court Standards (NADCP, 2018) are consistent with this framework and call for drug courts to serve higher-risk individuals, target substance use and ancillary needs, and utilize behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches. However, little is known about the extent to which drug courts adhere to these standards, challenges to serving high-risk clients, the relationship of treatment quality to outcomes, and, importantly, the impact of RNR-informed case management and services on drug court outcomes.

The first phase of the project is designed to explore differences between drug courts serving high-risk and those serving low-risk courts, using a comparative case study approach. Understanding these differences can provide important insight into the challenges and barriers drug courts experience when serving high-risk clients. This phase is expected to offer implications for drug courts seeking to target high-risk clients, and highlight the benefits and challenges that drug courts might encounter when transitioning to a high-risk target population.

The second phase of the project is an outcome study, designed to assess the relationship between treatment quality and drug court outcomes. Treatment is a critical part of the drug court model, yet relatively little is known about the contribution of treatment to drug courts’ effectiveness. Assessing this relationship can provide a first step in teasing out the relative contributions to outcomes of treatment versus the drug court model itself. Understanding the role of treatment is particularly salient for drug courts seeking to serve higher-risk populations.

The third phase of the study is designed to explore the importance of matching client risk and needs to services provided. An experimental study of similarly situated drug courts will be used to assess the impact of systematically varying treatment referrals based on risk and needs.

Though there are ongoing calls for drug courts to serve high-risk clients, anecdotal evidencesuggests this is still a relatively rare practice. Evaluating the impact of matching services to risk has the potential to help move the field forward if it is demonstrated.

Team: Deborah Koetzle, Stephanie Spiegel, Julie Garman, Irina Fanarraga, Sebastián Galleguillos, Stephanie Diamond, Mariely Morel with Steve Belenko, Doris Weiland, Jennifer Stanley, and Talia LaSane

Nearly half of all U.S. prison intakes are due to a revocation from probation or parole with the majority of these revocations resulting from a technical violation (CSG, 2019). The Organizational Coaching Model (OCM) reimagines supervision practices and agencies as operating as coaches rather than referees. Drawing on RNR, effective community supervision practices, organizational design, and implementation science, the current project is a comprehensive training and redesign model aimed at restructuring both the individual role of the officer as well as the agency’s infrastructure in which they operate by emphasizing success rather than failure, the OCM is hypothesized to reduce technical violations and improve the organizational culture. Funded by the National Institute of Justice (#15PNIJ-22-GK-01118-MUMU), this 5-year collaborative project will design, implement, and evaluate the OCM across three community supervision sites in the US.  The implementation team is led by Dr. Brian Lovins at Justice System Partners while fidelity is being monitored by Dr. Lori Lovins at Bowling Green State University. Drs. Shelley Johnson and Debi Koetzle are leading the evaluation efforts, along with Dr. Mark Cohen (Vanderbilt University) who is conducting a benefit-cost analysis.

Team: Shelley Johnson, Debi Koetzle, Elia Solano-Patricio, Stephanie Spiegel with Dr. Brian Lovins, Dr. Lori Lovins, and Dr. Mark Cohen

Transgender people face a number of disadvantages as a result of stigma, bias, and discrimination. It is well documented that transgender people experience higher rates of victimization, harassment, and bullying and are at greater risk of being involved in the criminal justice system. Compared to cisgender peers, transgender persons face even more challenges in the system such as greater risk of violence by staff and peers, healthcare access, housing, and other daily living needs. While strategies designed to improve correctional outcomes and the wellbeing of marginalized populations have expanded, a set of comprehensive strategies is warranted. We propose that creating better futures for transgender people under correctional supervision requires an understanding of the needs of trans people, and culturally congruent policies and practices that affirm and uphold these needs so as to allow for the provision of meaningful correctional interventions. The current study builds on prior LGBTQI initiatives to assist correctional institutions and community supervision agencies in the safe management and treatment of trans people in custody and supervision. Drawing on correctional best practices, the project team is conducting interviews and focus groups with subject matter experts (SME) and a comprehensive review of research and current legislative practices to provide three tools for the field: resource materials including an updated bibliography and glossary, model self-assessment guide, and white paper. The white paper will provide a summary of the project, data collection activities, recommendations and guiding principles for the treatment and care of transgender people. The project will set the foundation for future training and education for the field.

Team: Deborah Koetzle, Stephanie Spiegel, Alessandra Early, Shelley Johnson, Nate Galen, E. Taylor, and Stephanie Diamond

Juvenile probation reform efforts have centered on a number of factors with the goal of reducing both the number of youth on community supervision and the potential harms associated with supervision. One area of focus has been the need to decrease the number of probation conditions and improve comprehension of conditions in an effort to reduce violations and non-compliance. The current study operationalizes comprehension as understanding, reasoning, and appreciation of probation conditions. Funded by the National Science Foundation and using experimental design, the current project is designed to test the relationship between comprehension and compliance, while controlling for factors such as adolescent development, trauma, self-control, and risk. In addition, we are testing the effectiveness of the Comprehension Enhancement Interview and its ability to increase comprehension and, ultimately, adherence to conditions.

Team: Deborah Koetzle, Craig Schwalbe, Katy Pugliese, Rachelle Wetsman

Funded by a PSC-CUNY award, the Racial Equity Project is exploring how probation officer attitudes define racial equity and how this influences their use of core correctional practices. Results from this work will be used to inform techniques and practices for advancing equity practices in community supervision. This work builds on prior survey findings that suggest officers who self-report higher levels of racial equity practices at the organizational are more likely to report behavioral practices when working with clients.

Team: Debi Koetzle, Craig Schwalbe, Lauren Moton, Kevonyah Edwards

Nearly 8 million people in the US are thought to have an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD; Keyes et al., 2022) and it is estimated that over 100,000 people died from opioid-related poisoning in 2022. Despite ample evidence in support of medical treatments for OUD, relatively few people have access to this type of treatment, with justice-involved individuals even less likely to receive medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Using existing data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this project is designed to explore barriers and facilitators to MOUD among justice-involved individuals.

Team: Debi Koetzle, Rachelle Wetsman, Wendy Guastaferro, Laura Lutgen-Nieves, Brent Teasdale

Description: The Corrections Lab has partnered with the Turks and Caicos Department of Rehabilitation and Community Supervision (DRCS) to develop a 5-year strategic plan for department. Drawing on an interactive and collaborative approach, the project team has drafted a plan with five focus areas including staff, programs and services, partnerships, infrastructure, and outreach to guide DRCS as the country expands its use of community supervision.

Project team: Debi Koetzle, Jeff Mellow, and Stephanie Spiegel