Drug courts represent a shift in how the criminal justice system handles individuals arrested for drug-related offenses. The main goals of drug court programs are to screen out drug offenders early in the criminal justice process, get them immediately into a treatment-oriented program, and have probation officials and one or more judges continually monitor them. In April 2002, the South St. Louis County Adult Drug Court began operation in Duluth, Minnesota. This article summarizes information gathered by researchers at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, in concert with program staff, as part of an ongoing evaluation of the program. The article investigates whether the drug court program is doing what it set out to accomplish in terms of client enrollment, supervision, and treatment, and also explores some intermediate outcomesﾗwhether the drug court reduced illicit drug use or risk for future offending among participants. Based on their research findings, the authors conclude that the South St. Louis County Adult Drug Court attained the majority of its process-related goals, and offer some general policy considerations based on their evaluation of the program.

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