Examining the Use of Visual Performance Feedback in Drug Treatment Court

描述（由申请人提供）：毒品法庭是一种明显有效的策略，可以提高治疗的保留率，减少吸毒和犯罪累犯。在一个从小学演讲到国会证词，PowerPoint图像被用来增强一切的时代，令人惊讶的是，类似的视觉辅助工具还没有被用来改善毒品法庭法官和当事人在法庭上的沟通。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药物法庭的视觉反馈程序，并检查其可行性、可接受性和初步效果。在这种视觉反馈程序中，在他们的状态听证会期间，描绘客户戒毒和治疗的纵向过程的线形图被投射到法庭的大屏幕上。法官引导来访者看图表，用激光笔识别积极和消极的行为以及行为模式（例如，每月暴饮暴食）。在第一阶段，我们将整合视觉学习顾问、毒品法庭工作人员和客户的反馈，最终确定视觉反馈。在第二阶段，我们将按同等比例随机抽取60名客户，让他们每月参加有或没有视觉反馈的听证会。所有客户以及法官和毒品法庭团队将在这一阶段完成定期评估。此外，在研究完成后，我们会与毒品法庭小组进行有组织的焦点小组讨论。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，并且它将导致更好的客户结果（即，尿检证实的戒断和治疗出席率）和更大的公平感（程序正义），对项目的满意度，以及与法官的合作比通常的听证会。这是第一次以研究为基础的努力，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全面研究的基础。对这种视觉反馈程序的支持有可能改变在毒品法庭和其他解决问题的法庭进行司法地位听证会的方式。这项研究的创新之处在于，它运用了一句古老的格言“一图胜千言”来提高毒品法庭的效力。

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.