The findings indicate that participant experiences within the drug court program are the strongest predictors of termination and recidivism. Drug courts are a fundamental change to trial courts. One goal of drug courts is to provide defendants the opportunity to alter their drug-addicted lifestyles through intense supervision, feedback, treatment, and graduated sanctions and rewards for behavior. The literature on drug courts has grown and there remain significant debates about what constitutes a successful outcome and what characteristics of either an individual or a program predict such a result. This study began by examining the termination or graduation of juvenile drug court participants in a southwest community and compared post-program behavior of both graduates and those that were terminated from the program as measures of recidivism. The study builds on existing literature by examining both individual and structural characteristics of the program that appear to lead to successful outcomes. The results add to the evolving discussion of what are successful drug court participants and program procedures. The conclusions address the policy implications of the results and provide suggestions for those who manage drug courts. Tables, appendixes A-C, notes and references