Treating Prisoners with Drug Abuse and Addiction Problems : An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Therapeutic Communities (TCs) in the United States Correctional Institution

Abstract

The increasing numbers of drug-abusing prisoners is a severe problem in South Korean correctional institutions. Despite the high recidivism and re-incarceration rates among ex-convicts with drug abuse and addiction problems, the issue of treating drug-abusing prisoners has long been ignored by correctional authorities and researchers in South Korea. To reduce recidivism and drug relapse among prisoners with drug abuse and addiction problems, policy makers and corrections personnel in South Korea should be encouraged to implement Therapeutic Communities (TCs) that have positive impacts on recidivism and drug relapse among drug-abusing prisoners in correctional institutions. TCs are drug-free residential settings and use a hierarchical model with three intensive drug treatment stages. In order to ensure the levels of TCs integrity and achieve desired outcomes in South Korean correctional institutions, recruiting trained and experienced staff, educating correctional staff about the crucial TCs principles, and adhering to TCs' principles such as full segregation and intensive, long-term, and structured treatments are required. In addition, TCs treatment should be rigorously monitored and evaluated by qualified supervisory personnel. Evidence-based research on the effectiveness of TCs adopting three major approaches including impact assessment, process evaluation, and efficiency analysis should be encouraged.