When “More” of a Program is Not Necessarily Better: Drug Prevention in the Sharon Prison

Abstract

This study examines outcomes from the first prison-based therapeutic community, for drug addicted offenders, implemented at the Sharon prison during 1994Sharon prison during -1997. The article describes the program that took place and the process of treatment experienced by those who participated in the program. Using a Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Model (CPHRM) to calculate Hazard of Recidivism, a sample of 421 offenders who participated in the program was analyzed to evaluate program outcomes, while indicating factors that increase/decrease hazard of recidivism. Our findings from the CPHRM revealed that length of time in the program is one of the strongest predictors of hazard of recidivism. However, different from other studies which argue that "the more the better, "findings from this study question such an assumption. Additionally, findings from the above multivariate analysis suggest that criminal history (i.e. age on set, and number of prior arrests), significantly increase hazards of recidivism. Results of the study are discussed in regard to the increase in prison population, expected benefits of treating incarcerated offenders, and the legal aspects of prisoners 'rights.

Changing Prison Into a Therapeutic Milieu: Evidence From the Israeli National Rehabilitation Center for Prisoners

“…Consistent with findings presented by Gideon (2002), Weisburd et al (2005), and Shoham et al (2006), our interviews with inmates suggest that the initial year of the program was met with great enthusiasm and that the program was perceived as a substantial change from what prisoners had experienced in pervious incarcerations:…”

“…Studies on motivation, treatment retention and outcomes suggest therapist characteristics to be an important factor in predicting treatment outcome and abstinence from abuse (e.g., Miller, Benefield, & Tonigan, 1993;Nelson-Zlupko, Dore, Kauffman, & Kaltenbach, 1996). Martin et al (1999) also state that many times treatment programs in prisons rise and fall because of prison leadership; findings from this study support such a "therapist effect," as most of the prisoners in our study reported a special relationship with the warden at that time (see Gideon, 2002;Shoham et al, 2006;Weisburd et al, 2005;Weisburd, Shoham, & Gideon, 2002), as implied below:…”

“…In our overall evaluation of the Sharon prison program, we found that the Sharon prisoners evidenced significantly lower rates of recidivism than a comparison group of similar prisoners from other institutions (Shoham et al, 2006;Weisburd, Shoham, Ariel, Mensfeizer, & Gideon, 2005). In this article, we examine a more limited question, with important implications for how change in prison milieu affects both inmate and staff experiences of treatment within a regular correctional facility.…”

“…The program was developed with much fanfare and was seen by prison officials and the media as an important new approach for dealing with drug and crime problems. Converting a whole prison into a therapeutic community (TC) was seen as a very important experiment in correctional practice, and the Sharon program was declared the flagship of future programs (Shoham, Gideon, Weisburd, & Vilner, 2006). As the program grew, practitioners from other correctional facilities became more interested in the model program.…”

“…Toward the end of two thirds of the sentence, after it was evident that the inmate had fully participated in the treatment, an evaluation was made determine the inmate's eligibility for prerelease/parole back to the community or referral to the rehabilitation ward (resident facilities similar to halfway houses, located outside the prison, where inmates leave the facility for work then return to the ward for the night and participate in therapeutic sessions), for the remainder of the sentence. (For a further, more detailed description of the Sharon Center for Detoxification and Rehabilitation, see Gideon, 2002;Shoham et al, 2006;Weisburd et al, 2005. ) …”