Several variables identified in the analysis, however, had an impact on the results, including the age of the participants, the length of the program, the follow-up period used to measure recidivism, and other methodological variables (i.e., the use of random assignment and the choice of the comparison group). [...] While there are other issues that were not the subject of this research, such as the cost-effectiveness of DTCs, the results of this meta-analysis provides clear support for the use of drug treatment courts as a method of reducing crime among offenders with substance abuse problems. [...] Despite the popularity and intuitive appeal of DTCs, it is crucial to fully evaluate the effectiveness of such an approach, particularly as the cost of using the courts as a social control mechanism is relatively high. [...] Meta-analytic statistics can describe the typical strength of the effect under investigation (i.e., change in recidivism as a result of DTC participation), the degree of statistical significance, and the variability, and can provide an opportunity to explore and identify potential moderating variables. [...] It is surmised that, since the probability of publishing a study is increased by the statistical significance of the results, published studies are not actually representative of the entire body of research that has been conducted in a given area.