The study assessed 36-month recidivism outcomes for a prison therapeutic community (TC) program with aftercare using an intent-to-treat design with random assignment. Outcomes for 478 felons at 36 months replicated findings of an earlier report on 12- and 24-month outcomes, showing the best outcomes for those who completed both in-prison and aftercare TC programs. At 36 months, 27% of the prison TC plus aftercare completers recidivated, versus 75% for other groups. In addition, a significant positive relationship was found between the amount of time spent in treatment and the time until return for the parolees who recidivated. However, the reduced recidivism rates for in-prison treatment found only at 12 and 24 months was not maintained at 36 months.
Few studies have examined outcomes of prison-based treatment programs over a 5-year observation period. The present analysis was based on a sample of 715 prisoners randomly assigned either to the Amity therapeutic community program or to a notreatment group. At 5-years postrelease, 90% of the original participants were located and 81% were interviewed. The main findings were based on a conservative intent-to-treat approach. On measures of recidivism, the Amity treatment group had significantly lower rates of reincarceration than the control group, but in multivariate analysis of time to first reincarceration, this main treatment effect disappeared and other factors (age and postrelease treatment) became significant predictors of delayed time to reincarceration. As in previous reports on this cohort, those who attended aftercare had lower levels of reincarceration, longer time to reincarceration, and higher levels of employment.
During the past several years, a number of aggressive federal and state initiatives have been undertaken to expand substance abuse treatment within correctional settings. These efforts have been fueled by the high rates of substance involvement among offenders and the growing body of research literature suggesting that intensive, prison-based treatment efforts can significantly reduce postprison substance use and recidivism. However, the rapid expansion of these programs increases their vulnerability to common implementation problems that could lead to pessimistic, and erroneous, assumptions about their effectiveness. This article summarizes both the research literature and the experiences of the authors regarding six common barriers to developing effective correctional treatment programs and offers potential solutions for each.Primarily as a result of increased vigilance and mandatory sentences, state and federal criminal justice systems in the United States have witnessed substantial growth in the proportions of their populations who are serving time for drug-specific or drug-related crimes. From 1980 to 1995, drug law violators _____________________________________________________________
Current research concludes that participation in postprison aftercare is critical to the effectiveness of prison-based therapeutic community (TC) treatment. This conclusion makes it imperative to understand the client determinants of retention in prison treatment, particularly continuance in postprison aftercare. Currently, however, little data exist as to client predictors of seeking and remaining in prison-based TCs or entering postrelease aftercare. In the present study, significant relationships were obtained between initial motivation (i.e., Circumstances, Motivation, Readiness [CMR] scores), retention, aftercare, and outcomes in a sample of substance abusers treated in a prison-based TC program. Implications are discussed for theory, research, and treatment policy.
The use of screening and assessment tools to gauge substance abuse disorders and the risk for recidivism are two widely recommended practices. A national survey of adult prisons, jails, and community correctional agencies was conducted to examine the practices used to place offenders in appropriate treatment services. Study findings indicate that 58.2% of the surveyed respondents report the use of a standardized substance abuse-screening tool, and that 34.2% use an actuarial risk tool. The provision of higher intensity treatment programs, the use of standardized risk tools, and the provision of more community referral services were all independently associated with the use of a standardized substance abuse-screening tool. Because practices vary considerably, agencies desiring to improve correctional programming should consider different dissemination, implementation, and technology transfer strategies.
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