One year return to custody rates among co‐disordered offenders

Abstract

The extent to which therapeutic community (TC) methods meet the treatment needs of offenders with substance abuse disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders in prison is largely unknown. Very little research has been conducted with this population. The purposes of this study were to generate profiles of co-disordered drug offenders entering TC treatment in prison and to assess their post-release reincarceration rates, compared with drug offenders without psychiatric disorders. Extensive intake interview data for over 8,500 men and women who received treatment in one of 16 prison-based TCs in California were analyzed to produce profiles of co-disordered participants. Intake data come from a 5 year process and outcome evaluation of the California Department of Corrections' (CDC's) treatment initiative. Post-release reincarceration rates come from the CDC's Offender Based Information System. Compared with non-psychiatric disordered drug offenders, co-disordered offenders had substantially more severe substance abuse and criminal histories, in addition to their psychiatric impairment, at treatment entry. Logistic regression results indicated that, compared with drug offenders without psychiatric illness, co-disordered offenders were significantly more likely to be reincarcerated during the first year of their parole. These results suggest that prison treatment programs may need to use more comprehensive diagnostic assessments at intake to assess the diverse mental health needs of drug offenders with co-occurring psychiatric disorders and to develop treatment approaches suitable for this population.

Diagnostic profiles of offenders in substance abuse treatment programs

“…Similarly, in a study of over 8,500 offenders in prisonbased therapeutic community substance abuse treatment in California, individuals with CODs were more likely to be under the influence when arrested. Following their release from prison, they were twice as likely as those with only a substance use disorder to return to prison within 12 months of parole (Messina, Burdon, Hagopian, & Prendergast, 2004).…”

Dual Diagnosis: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Relationship With Suicide Risk in a Nationwide Sample of French Prisoners

“…Their SUD was more severe, more frequently associated with more than 1 co-morbid PD, with a borderline personality, and with more frequent alcohol and marijuana dependence (Jordan et al, 2002;Messina et al, 2004;Swartz and Lurigio, 1999). In addition, their criminal history contained more charges; they were more likely to have committed property or drugrelated crimes, to be repeat offenders, and to be re-incarcerated (Messina et al, 2004;Swartz and Lurigio, 1999;Wallace et al, 2004). Also of concern, they had a greater risk of HIV infection (Abram et al, 2003a).…”

Hoping Against Hope: The Prison-to-Community Transition Experience of Men With Co-Occurring Severe Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder

“…This group has been found to be additionally vulnerable to involvement in the criminal justice system because of a combination of decreased capacity to make "rational decisions and risk/ benefit calculations" (Hartwell, 2004a, p. 85), due to their illness and addiction and increased visibility to police related to non-normative behaviour (Heginbotham, 1998). Higher relapse rates of both mental illness and substance use, increased rates of hospitalisation for both physical and mental illness, increased episodes of violence and suicide, increased victimisation, higher drop-out rates from treatment, housing instability, poorer long-term recovery and increased rates of incarceration have all been found in international and Australian studies on co-occurring disorders Drake, Wallach, Alverson, & Mueser, 2002;Messina, Burdon, Hagopian, & Prendergast, 2004;Proctor & Hoffmann, 2012;Swartz & Lurigio, 2007).…”

“…While there is ongoing unresolved debate in the literature as to the relationship between untreated mental illness and criminal justice involvement (Greenberg et al, 2011), there is a high level of consensus that cooccurring mental health and substance use disorders place individuals at high risk of reoffending and reincarceration Messina et al, 2004;Proctor & Hoffmann, 2012;Swartz & Lurigio, 2007).…”

“…It has been found that people with a mental illness are less likely to be approved for community supervision, are up to twice as likely to have their community supervision revoked, and are more likely to be re-incarcerated for technical violations such as not presenting for appointments with their parole officer or minor drug use detected from urinalysis (Messina et al, 2004;Skeem et al, 2011;Travis & Petersilia, 2001). Some research has found that community corrections officers have a lower threshold for revoking community supervision for people with a mental illness compared with the non-mentally ill (Skeem, Encandela, & Eno Louden, 2003).…”