Cost-Effectiveness of Connecticut's In-Prison Substance Abuse Treatment

Daley, Marilyn; Love, Craig T.; Shepard, Donald S.; Petersen, Cheryl B.; White, Karen L.; Hall, Frank B.

doi:10.1300/j076v39n03_04

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…One dollar spent on drug courts is estimated to save approximately $4 in avoided costs of incarceration and health care,38 and prison-based treatment saves between $2 to $6 39. These economic benefits in part reflect reductions in criminal behavior 40,41…”

Section: Drug Abuse Treatment Effectiveness In the Criminal Justice Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System

Chandler¹,

Fletcher²,

Volkow³

2009

JAMA

489

389

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Despite increasing evidence that addiction is a treatable disease of the brain, most individuals do not receive treatment. Involvement in the criminal justice system often results from illegal drug-seeking behavior and participation in illegal activities that reflect, in part, disrupted behavior ensuing from brain changes triggered by repeated drug use. Treating drug-involved offenders provides a unique opportunity to decrease substance abuse and reduce associated criminal behavior. Emerging neuroscience has the potential to transform traditional sanction-oriented public safety approaches by providing new therapeutic strategies against addiction that could be used in the criminal justice system. We summarize relevant neuroscientific findings and evidence-based principles of addiction treatment that, if implemented in the criminal justice system, could help improve public heath and reduce criminal behavior.The past 20 years have seen significant increases in the numbers of individuals incarcerated or under other forms of criminal justice supervision in the United States. These numbers are staggering-approximately 7.1 million adults in the United States are under some form of criminal justice supervision. 1 The large increase in the criminal justice population reflects in part tougher laws and penalties for drug offenses. 2 An estimated one-half of all prisoners (including some sentenced for other than drug offenses) meet the criteria for diagnosis of drug abuse or dependence (Table 1). 3,4During the past 20 years, fundamental advances in the neurobiology of addiction have been made. Molecular and imaging studies have revealed addiction as a brain disorder with a strong genetic component, and this has galvanized research on new pharmacological treatments. However, a large disconnect remains between addiction research and the treatment of addiction in general, particularly within the criminal justice system. This is evidenced in that most prisoners (80%-85%) who could benefit from drug abuse treatment do not receive it. 3,4 In addition, drug-using offenders are at high risk for infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C 5 and frequently have co-morbid psychiatric disorders, 6,7 which further highlights the dire treatment needs of this population.Not treating a drug-abusing offender is a missed opportunity to simultaneously improve both public health and safety. Integrating treatment into the criminal justice system would provide treatment to individuals who otherwise would not receive it, improving their medical outcomes and decreasing their rates of reincarceration. 8 Recidivism in the Drug-Abusing OffenderThe inadequacy of incarceration by itself in addressing drug abuse or addiction is evident in the statistics. A review of recidivism in 15 states found that one-quarter of individuals released returned to prison within 3 years for technical violations that included, among other things, testing positive for drug use. 9 Illicit drugs are used in jails and prisons despite...

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Section: Drug Abuse Treatment Effectiveness In the Criminal Justice Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System

Chandler¹,

Fletcher²,

Volkow³

2009

JAMA

489

389

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They found that inprison treatment results in a cost of $45 to $65 per incarceration day avoided and is more cost-effective if combined with aftercare. Daley et al (2004) examine the costs and benefits of voluntary prison treatment programs operated by the Connecticut Department of Correction with a sample of inmates released from prison between 1996 and 1997. They find a significant reduction in rearrest for subjects in the treatment group during the 1-year period following release compared with subjects in the untreated comparison group.…”

Section: Economic Analyses Of Offender Treatment Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic evaluation of a prerelease substance abuse treatment program for repeat criminal offenders

French

Fang

Fretz³

2010

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

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“…The main exceptions are evaluations of health care interventions delivered within criminal justice settings, such as services for mental health and substance misuse problems. 54 Cost-offset methods have been used but these often take a limited cost and outcome perspective, as do the small number of cost-benefit analyses that exist. 55,56 Attention has tended to focus on the taxpayer perspective, which limits the evaluation to the question of whether a publicly funded intervention pays for itself (i.e.…”

Section: The Role Of Economic Evidence In Crime and Justicementioning

confidence: 99%