WSIPP: Publication

Report Detail
Full Report	January 2005
Washington's Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative: An Evaluation of Benefits and Costs Steve Aos
The Washington State legislature directed the Institute to evaluate whether the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) influences recidivism rates and whether the benefits of DOSA outweigh the costs. We analyzed the effects of the legislation by comparing a group of offenders who received DOSA sentences with a similar group of offenders sentenced prior to the 1999 implementation date of DOSA. As described in the report, our overall finding is that DOSA is an effective criminal justice policy for drug offenders but neutral for drug-involved property offenders. Document ID: (05-01-1901)

Keywords: adult crime, adult offenders, cost-benefit, cost-effective, crime, crime data, crime rates, crime reduction, criminal justice, criminal justice costs, felonies, recidivism, sentencing, sentencing alternatives, sentencing laws, sentencing costs, sentencing options, DOSA, drug offender sentencing alternative, drug offenders, Sentencing Reform Act, SRA, substance abuse