Prison-based Treatment Research Articles

Intimate Partner and Nonintimate Violence History Among Drug-Using, Incarcerated Men

There has been limited research focused on examining intimate and nonintimate violence perpetration patterns among incarcerated men. The purpose of this applied research study was to examine demographic, family, mental health, drug use, and criminal justice history among three groups of drug-using, incarcerated men: (a) those who report no violence of any kind (n = 47), (b) those who report nonintimate-only violence (n = 164), and (c) those who report both intimate and nonintimate violence—generally violent men (n = 298). There were very few men in this sample who reported perpetrating only intimate partner violence; thus, they were excluded from further comparisons. Results indicated the no-violence men were less antisocial, less drug involved, and reported fewer emotional problems and less family conflict. Generally, violent men reported more drug use, emotional problems, family conflict, and abuse victimization experiences than either the nonintimate-only violence or the no-violence groups. Implications for prison-based treatment and prerelease planning are discussed.

FEDERAL PRISON RESIDENTIAL DRUG TREATMENT REDUCES SUBSTANCE USE AND ARRESTS AFTER RELEASE*

Objective: The effectiveness of federal prison-based residential drug and alcohol treatment programs was evaluated using event history procedures that addressed the problem of selection bias and included a wide range of control variables. Methods: The sample comprised 760 treatment subjects and 809 comparison subjects. Treatment subjects were from 20 different prisons of medium, low, and minimum security levels. Comparison subjects were drawn from over 30 prisons. Results: The results indicated that individuals who entered and completed in-prison residential treatment were less likely to experience the critical postrelease outcomes of new arrests and substance use during the first 6 months following release. Conclusions: Without controlling for selection bias, the effects of treatment would most likely have been attenuated. The results have greater generalizability than other studies of prison-based treatment. This study occurred within a multisite context of 20 programs serving both male and female inmates and operating within different security levels and different geographic regions.

The Relationship Between the Quality of Drug User Treatment and Program Completion: Understanding the Perceptions of Women in a Prison-Based Program

To determine why some women offenders complete prison-based drug user treatment and others leave early, clients' (N = 101) perceptions of various aspects of the quality of the treatment experience were compared. Analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data indicate that clients who completed the program had a more favorable perception of staff and felt empowered by the experience in treatment. Most of the clients who left early did so because of conflicts or disagreements with the program's rules. We discuss how a supportive approach to personal development may enhance client perceptions of program quality and increase retention rates.

What Works in Adult Sex Offender Treatment? A Review of Prison-and Non-Prison-Based Treatment Programs

An evaluation of 21 sex offender prison-and non-prison-based treatment programs was undertaken using the format of the University of Maryland’s 1997 report to the U.S. Congress. Eight of the studies were deemed too low in scientific merit to include in assessing the effectiveness of the treatment. Of the remaining studies, approximately 50% showed statistically significant findings in favor of sex offender treatment programs. Of six studies that showed a positive treatment effect, four incorporated a cognitive-behavioral approach. Non-prison-based sex offender treatment programs were deemed to be effective in curtailing future criminal activity. Prison-based treatment programs were judged to be promising, but the evidence is not strong enough to support a conclusion that such programs are effective. Too few studies focused on particular types of sex offenders to permit any type of conclusions about the effectiveness of programs for different sex offender typologies.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of In-Prison Therapeutic Community Treatment and Risk Classification

Policy makers need scientifically based information to help them to determine which correctional treatment alternatives are effective and economically viable. Three-year outcome data from 394 parolees (291 treated, 103 untreated comparison) were examined to determine the relative cost-effectiveness of prison-based treatment and aftercare, controlling for risk of recidivism. Findings showed that intensive services were cost-effective only when the entire treatment continuum was completed, and that the largest economic impact was evident among high-risk cases. Therefore, assignments to correctional treatment should consider an offender's problem severity level, and every effort should be made to engage them in aftercare upon release from prison.

Barriers to Implementing Effective Correctional Drug Treatment Programs

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.

Prison-based substance abuse treatment, residential aftercare and recidivism.

This study examined the impact of residential aftercare on recidivism following prison-based treatment for drug-involved offenders. A matched group quasi-experimental design. Survival regression analyses were used to predict time until rearrest. A logistic regression model was constructed for predicting aftercare completion. A 9-month in-prison therapeutic community (ITC) and several community-based transitional therapeutic communities (TTCs). Data were collected from 396 male inmates (293 treated, 103 untreated). Background information (gender, ethnicity, age, education level, criminal history and risk for recidivism) was abstracted from the state criminal justice databases and a structured interview led by clinical staff. During treatment process measures were based on inmate self-ratings of their counselors, program and peers. A post-treatment interview conducted by field research staff assessed satisfaction with transitional aftercare. Post-release recidivism was based on state-maintained computerized criminal history records. ITC treatment, especially when followed by residential aftercare, was effective for reducing post-release recidivism rates. Lower satisfaction with transitional aftercare treatment was associated with not completing the residential phase of community-based aftercare. Corrections-based treatment policy should emphasize a continuum of care model (from institution to community) with high quality programs and services.

Predictors of Sex Offender Treatment Completion

ABSTRACT While most research on sex offenders addresses recidivism of treatment completers, there has been little attention in the literature devoted to those who do not complete treatment. Records of 126 incarcerated offenders who participated in a prison-based sex offender treatment program were reviewed. Treatment completers (N = 63) were compared to offenders who did not complete treatment (N = 63) using demographic variables, criminal variables, psychiatric variables and sex offense variables. Discriminant function analysis revealed that offenders who completed treatment were more often diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder, had a history of nonviolent offenses, and were less often diagnosed as having antisocial personality disorder. Descriptive statistics of treatment completers and dropouts are included.

Ohio's Prison-Based Therapeutic Community Treatment Programs for Substance Abusers

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services' prison-based therapeutic communities (TCs) for inmates with histories of drug abuse. The study compares arrests/charges following release from prison among 487 inmates with TC experience and 242 inmates without TC treatment. Outcome measures were based on arrest and charge statistics. The results of survival analysis and Cox hazards model analysis indicate that length of time in the TC is crucial to a positive outcome. Controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and education, inmates who spent at least 180 days in a TC were significantly less likely than those with less time in treatment or no TC exposure to be re-arrested/charged with violent or drug-related crimes one year after release.

Developing Comprehensive Prison-Based Therapeutic Community Treatment for Women

SUMMARY Experience and research have affirmed that treatment works for drug-involved offenders. Nonetheless, adapting these treatment models for drug-involved women offenders remains a challenge. One treatment modality, the therapeutic community (TC), has proven effective for women. This article discusses the adaptations necessary to the TC model to make it appropriate and effective for drug-involved women. Several themes are discussed including the staffing structure, staff-client interactions, the safety of the treatment environment, characteristics of the residential community, programming, and the treatment program's relationship with various social service agencies. In addition, the program elements specific to effective TCs for women in the criminal justice setting are also discussed. The experiences of developing, implementing and operating a specific TC for drug-involved female offenders provide examples of establishing an effective TC for women.

Smack, Crack, and Score: Two Decades of NIDA-Funded Drugs and Crime Research at NDRI 1974–1994

Since 1972, National Development and Research Institutes (NDRI) has been fortunate to have on its staff outstanding researchers involved in studying the relationship between drugs and criminality. This paper describes federally-funded research conducted by them. The drug-crime nexus has been an ongoing focus along with drug-user treatment evaluation and AIDS research. Over the two decades, NDRI has had about 20 major “drugs and crime” grants. Key research findings are presented from studies related to violent and nonviolent crime; prison-based treatment; drug use detection; and the use and distribution of heroin, crack, and methadone. [Translations are provided in the International s Section of this issue.]

The Validity of Self-Reported Cocaine Use in a Criminal Justice Treatment Sample

Recent studies comparing self-admitted cocaine use with hair and urine test results have raised concerns about underreporting due to variations across situations and settings. Because of the frequent need for self-report data in conducting treatment evaluations, more information is needed on factors that affect the credibility of this information. the present study examines records of cocaine use collected as part of an evaluation of prison-based treatment (N = 396). Specifically, self-reported cocaine use from 6-month postrelease follow-up interviews, completed with treatment graduates and a comparison sample of parolees who were eligible but not sent to treatment, was examined in relation to urine and hair test results. Overall, cocaine use was underreported when compared to hair test results, but underreporting was lower for program graduates than for the untreated comparison group. Furthermore, program graduates originally admitted to prison on a drug-related arrest were the most likely to underre-port cocaine use, seemingly due to a heightened concern about potential consequences, such as returning to prison on another drug-related charge. Given that the validity of self-report for high-risk individuals varies greatly and is difficult to predict across studies, future research with criminal justice samples should continue to assess the validity of these measures under specific research conditions and for diverse types of individuals.

An Assessment of Prison-Based Drug Treatment

ABSTRACT In response to increasing problems associated with drug-abusing offenders, the 1991 Texas Legislature provided a statutory foundation for the development of a comprehensive drug treatment program within the state's criminal justice system. In an effort to assess the impact of the prison-based treatment component of this legislative mandate, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse funded the Institute of Behavioral Research at Texas Christian University to conduct a comprehensive prison-based treatment assessment (PTA) including studies of the In-prison Therapeutic Community (ITC) treatment process and posttreatment outcomes. This article provides an overview of the research project and findings from the 6-month follow-up study. Preprison and during-treatment information was collected from 293 ITC program participants. Six-month follow-up interviews were completed with 222 ITC program graduates and compared with a comparison sample of 75 parolees who were eligible but not sent to ITC treatment. Results showed that 80% of the inmates referred to the ITC during this study graduated, and that program graduates demonstrated marked reductions in their criminal and drug use activity from the 6 months before entering prison to the 6 months after leaving prison. Finally, ITC graduates-particularly those who completed the first phase of their aftercare program-had lower relapse and recidivism rates in the 6 months after prison than did the parolees in comparison sample. They also reported highly favorable opinions about both the program and the counselors. Implications of these findings are discussed; and longer term follow-up evaluations are in progress.

An Effective Model of Prison-Based Treatment for Drug-Involved Offenders

A multistage therapeutic community treatment system has been instituted in the Delaware correctional system, and its effectiveness has captured the attention of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Justice, members of Congress, and the White House. Treatment occurs in a three-stage system, with each phase corresponding to the client's changing correctional status—incarceration, work release, and parole. In this paper, 18 month follow-up data are analyzed for those who received treatment in: (1) a prison-based therapeutic community only, (2) a work release therapeutic community followed by aftercare, and (3) the prison-based therapeutic community followed by the work release therapeutic community and aftercare. These groups are compared with a no-treatment group. Those receiving treatment in the two-stage (work release and aftercare) and three-stage (prison, work release, and aftercare) models had significantly lower rates of drug relapse and criminal recidivism, even when adjusted for other risk factors. The results support the effectiveness of a multistage therapeutic community model for drug-involved offenders, and the importance of a work release transitional therapeutic community as a component of this model.