The Chester County (PA) Drug Court Program was implemented in October of 1997. By the end of January of 1999, 184 drug offenders had participated in the program. This evaluation of the Chester County Drug Court Program compares the 184 drug court participants to 51 comparable offenders who were placed on probation at some point between December 1996 and September 1997. These comparison subjects were selected based upon the drug court program eligibility criteria (i.e., offenders charged with non-mandatory drug offenses; offenders not under probation or parole supervision when charged with drug offenses; and no prior record for violent offenses). Drug court and comparison samples were compared in terms of current status, new arrests, revocation/removal from program, and drug testing results. Findings reveal a lower rate of positive results for drug tests taken by the drug court participants as compared to the comparison group. Similarly, there was a lower rate of rearrest during the program among the drug court sample than among the comparison sample. On the other hand, drug court participants were more likely than the comparison group to be unsuccessfully removed from their programs. Survival analysis revealed that the differences in the survival patterns of the drug court and comparison samples approached statistical significance. Additionally, African American drug court participants appeared to do significantly poorer than Caucasian drug court participants. Those drug court graduates for whom follow-up data (n=15) were available appear to be successful in leading productive and drug-free lives.

Scant empirical research has been conducted on the relationship between threats and violence. The purpose of this analysis is to assess the link between verbal threats of violence and actual physical violence against former intimate victims of stalking. The researcher interviewed 187 female former intimate stalking victims, asking respondents about various characteristics of their experiences. Responses to questions pertaining to threats; history of violence; stalkers’ drug and alcohol use; frequency of phone calls, “following,” and letters during stalking; and victims’ age and education were analyzed as possible predictors of three violence-related dependent variables: (a) whether or not violence occurred, (b) the number of violent incidents during stalking, and (c) physical injury during stalking. The results of linear and logistic regression models reveal that, regardless of the measure of violence, there is an independent, moderate, and statistically significant correlation between verbal threats and subsequent violence. Regression coefficients for drug abuse and alcohol abuse were also statistically significant, but only in predicting physical injury during stalking.

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Few researchers have explored the experiences of stalking victims in the legal system. Data for this study were gathered through extensive interviews with 187 women who were stalked by former intimate partners. Content analyses of interview transcripts revealed that most victims initially attempted to handle the situation themselves, but the majority ultimately sought assistance from the legal system. Logistic regression analyses examined predictors of legal help seeking. Predictors of seeking any type of legal help, filing for a protection from abuse order or temporary restraining order, and/or seeking police assistance included age (i.e., older women were more likely to seek help), race (i.e., White women were most likely to seek assistance), the presence of threats of violence, violent acts by the stalker, and length of stalking. Likert-type scale ratings by victims of the police, prosecutors', and judges' handling of their cases revealed greatest satisfaction with judges, followed by prosecutors. Suggestions for ways in which the system can better respond to the needs of stalking victims are made. Policy recommendations include greater criminal justice responsiveness to victims of stalking and more coordinated efforts between the police and courts.

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