Meth in Nevada’s Court System

Drug courts are innovative programs designed to provide drug-addicted defendants with successful drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Drug courts are supported by the White House, by Nevada statute, and by judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, treatment providers, and law enforcement professionals across the country.

Nevada Statutes (NAC 458.032) define the state’s drug court program as a program which provides treatment assessment services and referral services for persons assigned by a court to the program.

Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse shows that:

• Drug courts provide more comprehensive and closer supervision of the drug-using offender than other forms of community supervision.
• Drug use and criminal behavior are substantially reduced while clients are participating in drug court programs.
• Criminal behavior is lower after program participation, especially for drug court graduates.
• Drug Courts generate cost savings, at least in the short term, from reduced incarceration, reduced criminality and lower criminal justice system costs.
• Drug Courts have been successful in bridging the gap between the court and the treatment and public health systems and in spurring greater cooperation among the various agencies and personnel within the criminal justice system, as well as between the criminal justice system and the community.

In an evaluation of the effectiveness of drug courts as compared to traditional judicial procedures, the Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project found that the drug court model yielded a significant decrease in recidivism. Courts that use conviction and incarceration approaches reported a recidivism rate of 45 percent, while Drug Courts reported an average recidivism rate of 5 to 28 percent.