COMPLETION RATES AREN'T SUCCESS RATES

The purpose of drug courts is to get offenders to stay off drugs and
become productive members of society. "Life after drugs: New court
provides alternative to prison" (Page A-l, July 16) and "Passaic court
reports high rate of success" (Page A-12, July 16) state that the
program is successful in Passaic County because of anecdotal evidence
about three participants and because 76 percent have completed the
initial six months of treatment.

I disagree. Consider this analogy. Researchers have found that some
programs, such as Scared Straight, meant to reduce delinquency
substantially increase it. A juvenile who participates is more likely
to become or stay delinquent than one who doesn't. Nevertheless, some
participants have dramatically turned their lives around, and nearly
all the juveniles sent to Scared Straight complete it.

Does this mean that The Record would report that Scared Straight has a
nearly 100 percent success rate, even though it increases delinquency?
Completion rates are not success rates.

Roy G. Perham,
Hasbarouck Heights, July 22