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II. Drug Histories and Motivation for Entering Drug Court
Each focus group session began with an introduction of the group members and discussion of their substance abuse histories—the stage each had reached in the drug court treatment process as well as the drug and crime problems that led to his/her arrest and participation in drug court. (Research staff inadvertently opened the focus groups in a manner mimicking self-help group meetings.) The comments made by participants in each location suggested that these drug courts were enrolling persons with serious histories of substance abuse, daily use of “hard” drugs, and a fair amount of prior experience in the criminal justice system. Drugs of choice varied by location, and participants were at various stages of the respective drug court programs. With the exception of the Brooklyn focus groups, in which graduates were well represented, most groups included few graduates.
Click here for excerpts of comments from focus group participants.
Click here for excerpts of comments from focus group participants.
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What
drugs were you using at the time of your arrest and how long have you
used drugs?
Sites
differed somewhat in drugs most commonly preferred by participants as
their primary drugs of abuse. Poly-drug use was common. Among Brooklyn
participants, crack cocaine seemed the most frequently used, though heroin
use was freely described. Among Las Vegas participants, methamphetamines
were commonly cited as well as cocaine and combinations of cocaine and
marijuana. In Miami and Portland, crack and powder cocaine were prevalent
among focus group members. In San Bernardino, cocaine and methamphetamines
were most frequently reported as drugs of choice by group members. Seattle
drug court participants reported heroin to be their primary drug of abuse
notably more often than participants in the other sites.