The purpose of this study was to determine if it is possible to differentiate between types of patients as to their ability to stay in a methadone maintenance program. Since medical and counseling staff cannot work with ail patients simultaneously, such information would be helpful in identifying who needs the most help.This study is based on most admissions (679 cases) to the Doie-Nyswander methadone maintenance program from its initiation in 1964 to 15 March 1968. Each patient was followed-up to determine whether they were still in the program 2 years later. This meant the last admissions were followed to 15 March 1970. Eighty percent of both males and females were continuously in the program for 2 years or longer.(1) As expected, those patients who did poorer were those who, had longer conviction records, were multiple drug users, abused alcoholj were not employed at admission, were older and were not married.(2) Other facton that were expected to be related to program stay, but proved to have little or no relationship were; age when started using heroin, number previous hospitalization, length of education and longest job held.(3) Patients with relatively short usage or very long usage did better than those in the middle rai^e (8 to 19 years of use).(4) When clinical experience was used as a guide for combining single factors some interesting classifications of patients emerged. For example, the best group were those who were abusers for 5 years or less and had no multiple drug or alcohol abuse. This group had a 96 percent outcome rate. The poorest group were those who had 12 to 15 years of abuse and 7 or more convictions. This latter group had 58 percent in program 2 years after admission.(5) When the single factors were combined by using configural analysis, a somewhat different patient classification was developed. The patient types had outcome rates which ranged from 56 to 94 percent.
The driving records of methadone maintenance patients are examined for two main interrelated reasons: first, methadone maintenance is growing in use as a treatment modality for heroin addicts and acceptance of such patients into the mainstream of life is partially dependent upon the public's awareness of their ability to function normally and safely while medicated; and second, a key factor in employability, and hence, continuing rehabilitative improvement for many such patients, lies in obtaining a driver's license and automobile insurance. More than 1,500 patients admitted to the methadone maintenance program initiated by Drs. Dole and Nyswander were matched against the 11 million records in the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles files. The search, on an exact match basis, produced 448 patients with driving records. A sample of New York City regular male drivers in the same period (182 cases) was also drawn for comparison purposes. When a comparison was made within specific age groups, it was learned that the accident and conviction rates were about the same for methadone maintenance clients as for a sample of New York City male drivers within the same period. In addition, the clients' accident and conviction records were no more serious than the sample of regular drivers. The findings from this study are consistent with those from other related studies, which are discussed. This suggests that methadone maintenance clients should at least be given serious consideration in their efforts to obtain a driver's license or automobile insurance as they strive to support themselves.
This pilot study compares male offenders who were imprisoned with similar types who were placed on probation, to determine which program produces less subsequent criminal activity. It is based on 7,614 Wisconsin cases statistically comparable in origi nal disposition, county of commitment, type of offense com mitted, number of prior felonies, and marital status. Of the first felony offenders, those on probation had lower vio lation rates than those imprisoned and then paroled. For proba tioners and parolees with one prior felony, rates were about the same. For those with two or more prior felonies, violation rates were higher for probationers than for parolees. The frequency with which judges sentenced offenders to proba tion rather than incarceration varied directly with the extent to which the offenders were likely to violate. That is, judges tended to place those offenders with low violation rates on pro bation, the major exception being assault cases, where imprison ment was more frequently used.
This study compares two statistical techniques-multiple regression and configural analysis—used in developing parole prediction tables, according to their ability to (1) differentiate between offenders who violate parole and those who do not, (2) predict violators from among a new group of parolees, and (3) assist administrators and researchers.First, experience tables had to be developed and tested for prediction ability. Once their accuracy in predicting had been demonstrated, they could be used as base expectancies because they had the quality of being "expected." As such, they could be used as a yardstick to evaluate correctional programs' ability to reduce these "expected" violation rates.The two methods were applied to the same body of data and the results were compared. The data consist of Wisconsin adult male offenders paroled in 1954-57 and in 1958-59. All were followed up for two years while they were on parole. The first group was used to develop the experience tables; the second group was used to test prediction ability.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.