Examining the Use of Visual Performance Feedback in Drug Treatment Court

描述（由申请人提供）：毒品法庭是一个明显有效的战略，增加治疗保留和减少毒品使用和犯罪累犯。在PowerPoint图像被用来增强从小学演讲到国会证词的一切内容的时候，令人惊讶的是，类似的视觉辅助工具没有被视为改善毒品法庭法官和客户在法庭上沟通的手段。在我们简短的试点工作的基础上，这项为期两年的研究旨在进一步发展毒品法庭的视觉反馈程序，并研究其可行性，可接受性和初步疗效。在这种视觉反馈程序中，描绘客户的药物戒断和治疗出席的纵向过程的线图在他们的状态听证会期间被投射到法庭的大屏幕上。法官将客户导向图表，并识别积极和消极的行为以及行为模式（例如，每月狂欢）使用激光笔。在第一阶段，我们将纳入视觉学习顾问和毒品法庭工作人员和客户的反馈，以最终确定视觉反馈。在第二阶段，我们将随机抽取60名客户，按相同的比例参加他们要求的每月听证会，无论是否有视觉反馈。所有客户以及法官和毒品法庭团队将在整个阶段完成定期评估。此外，在研究完成后，我们将与毒品法庭小组进行一次结构化的焦点小组讨论。我们假设，视觉反馈程序将被法官和工作人员认为是可接受的和可行的，它将导致更好的客户结果（即，尿液分析证实的禁欲和治疗出席率）和更大的公平感（程序正义），对程序的满意度，以及与法官的工作联盟比往常的听证会。这是第一次基于研究的努力，通过使用视觉反馈来改善毒品法庭法官和客户之间的沟通和理解，积极的结果可以作为一个全面的研究的基础。对这种视觉反馈程序的支持有可能改变毒品法庭和其他解决问题的法庭进行司法地位听证的方式。本研究的创新之处在于运用了一句古老的格言，“一图胜千言”，以提高毒品法庭的效率。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Drug courts are a demonstrably effective strategy for increasing treatment retention and reducing drug use and criminal recidivism. In a time when PowerPoint images are used to augment everything from grade school presentations to congressional testimony, it is striking that similar visual aids have not been examined as a means to improve communication between drug court judges and clients in the court room. Building on our brief pilot work, this two-year study seeks to further develop a visual feedback procedure in drug courts and to examine its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy. I this visual feedback procedure, line graphs depicting a client's longitudinal course of drug abstinence and treatment attendance is projected onto a large screen in the court room during their status hearing. The judge orients clients to the graphs and identifies positive and negative behaviors as well as patterns of behavior (e.g., monthly binges) using a laser pointer. In Phase 1, we will incorporate feedback from a visual learning consultant and from drug court staff and clients to finalize the visual feedback. In Phase 2 we will randomize 60 clients in equal proportions to attend their required monthly hearings with or without the visual feedback. All clients, as well as the judge and drug court team will complete regular assessments throughout this phase. In addition, we will conduct a structured focus group with the drug court team at the completion of the study. We hypothesize that the visual feedback procedure will be perceived by the judge and staff as both acceptable and feasible, and that it will result in better client outcomes (i.e., urinalysis-confirmed abstinence and treatment attendance) and greater perceptions of fairness (procedural justice), satisfaction with the program, and working alliance with the judge than hearings as usual. This represents the first research-based effort to improve communication and understanding between the drug court judge and clients through the use of visual feedback, and positive results could serve as the foundation for a fully powered study. Support for this visual feedback procedure has the potential to change the manner in which judicial status hearings are conducted in drug courts and other problem solving courts. The innovation of this study lies in its application of an age-old adage, "a picture is worth a thousan words," to improve the efficacy of drug courts.