ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief review of criminal justice drug policy in the United States and describes the evidence base on the impact of incarceration. Three promising interventions on drug use and crime among persons in the criminal justice system are reviewed. Punitive carceral policies alone are found to have little effect on drug crime recidivism or drug use beyond the temporary effects of incapacitation. Therapeutic communities, medication-assisted treatment, and cognitive behavioral therapies in institutional and community corrections settings are associated with meaningful reductions in recidivism or drug use. Drug courts are a promising means to reduce drug consumption and future criminal justice involvement. Programs that enforce sobriety through the threat of moderate sanctions reduce drug consumption and may reduce misconduct. Evidence from drug legalization is too early and diverse to interpret. Across all evidence-based interventions considered, effectiveness appears to be driven by implementation choices and program fidelity. In many cases, the core determinants of success are often not yet well understood.
