Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Background

More than a million US women are detained in jails each year; many have alcohol use disorders (AUDs). AUD intervention with pretrial jail detainees presents a logistical challenge due to limited jail stays and lack of resources for postrelease treatment. The availability, no-cost entry, and promise of anonymity of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) make it a highly accessible resource for underserved populations. However, the outreach of AA volunteers into jails (as opposed to prisons) has been limited, and incarcerated women are unlikely to seek out strangers for help after release. This study pilot tested an enhanced referral approach introducing a 12-step volunteer to a woman in jail who would attend a meeting with her after release.

Methods

Participants were 14 unsentenced female pretrial jail detainees with AUD. Intervention consisted of introducing participants detained in jail to female AA volunteers who could accompany them to an AA meeting after release. Assessments took place at baseline and 1 month after release. This uncontrolled pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of this enhanced referral approach. Pre-post alcohol use, drug use, alcohol problems, and AA attendance are also reported.

Results

Enhanced referral was feasible and acceptable. Many (57%) of the 14 participants who met with AA volunteers in jail were in contact with those volunteers after release from jail. Participants had significantly fewer drinking days, heavy drinking days, alcohol problems, and drug-using days during the postrelease follow-up than they did before jail detention.

Conclusions

Providing linkage between women in jail and female AA volunteers who can accompany them to a postrelease meeting is achievable, and may be a disseminable and low-cost method to improve alcohol outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Keywords

Alcohol abuse alcohol dependence Alcoholics Anonymous criminal justice jail 12-step treatment women

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Sabol

and Minton

T D

. 2008. Jail Inmates at Midyear 2007, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Report No. NCJ 221945

Greenfeld

and Snell

. 1999. Women Offenders, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Depart of Justice. Report No. NCJ 175688

Karberg

and James

. 2005. Substance Dependence, Abuse, and Treatment of Jail Inmates, 2002, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Report No. NCJ 209588

Minton

T D

. 2011. “Jail inmates at midyear 2010—statistical tables”. In Bureau of Justice Statistics, xx–xx. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice. NCJ 233431.

Hebert

M R

, Clarke

J G

, Caviness

C M

, Ray

M N

, Friedmann

P D

and Stein

M D

. 2008. Feasibility of gaining access to women in jail for health interventions. Women Health, 47: 79–93.

Solomon

A L

, Osborne

J WL

, LoBuglio

S F

, Mellow

and Mukamal

D A

. 2008. Life After Lockup: Improving Reentry From Jail to the Community, Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center.

2005. “Center for Substance Abuse Treatment”. In Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 44, 05–4056. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, CSAT. DHHS Publication No. (SMA)

Hatton

D C

, Kleffer

and Fisher

A A

. 2006. Prisoners’ perspectives of health problems and healthcare in a US women's jail. Women Health, 44: 119–136.

Schonbrun

Y C

, Strong

D R

, Anderson

B J

, Caviness

C M

, Brown

R A

and Stein

M D

. 2011. Alcoholics Anonymous and hazardously drinking women returning to the community after incarceration: predictors of attendance and outcome. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 35: 532–539.

10.

Krentzman

A R

, Brower

K J

, Cranford

J A

, Bradley

J C

and Robinson

E A

. 2012. Gender and extroversion as moderators of the association between Alcoholics Anonymous and sobriety. J Stud Alcohol Drugs, 73: 44–52.

11.

Moos

R H

and Moos

B S

. 2006. Participation in treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous: a 16-year follow-up of initially untreated individuals. J Clin Psychol, 62: 735–750.

12.

Bond

, Kaskutas

L A

and Weisner

. 2003. The persistent influence of social networks and Alcoholics Anonymous on abstinence. J Stud Alcohol., 64: 579–588.

13.

Humphreys

, Mankowski

E S

, Moos

R H

and Finney

J W

. 1999. Do enhanced friendship networks and active coping mediate the effect of self-help groups on substance abuse?. Ann Behav Med., 21: 54–760.

14.

Kelly

J F

, Hoeppner

, Stout

R L

and Pagano

. 2012. Determining the relative importance of the mechanisms of behavior change within Alcoholics Anonymous: a multiple mediator analysis. Addiction, 107: 289–299.

15.

1984. “Alcoholics Anonymous”. In This is A.A.: An introduction to the A.A. Recovery Program, New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

16.

Johnson

J E

, Schonbrun

Y C

Nargiso

J E

. 2013. “I know if I drink I won't feel anything”: Substance use relapse among depressed women leaving prison. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 9: 1–18.

17.

Johnson

J E

, Schonbrun

Y C

Peabody

M E

. Provider experiences with prison care and aftercare for women with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Treatment, resource, and systems integration challenges, under review

18.

Johnson

J E

, Williams

and Zlotnick

. Development and feasibility of a cell phone-based transitional intervention for women prisoners with comorbid substance use and depression. The Prison Journal, in press

19.

2010. “Alcoholics Anonymous”. In A.A. Fact File, New York: AA World Services Inc.

20.

2010b. “Alcoholics Anonymous”. In A.A. in Correctional Facilities, New York: AA World Services, Inc.

21.

Timko

and DeBenedetti

. 2007. A randomized controlled trial of intensive referral to 12-step self-help groups: one-year outcomes. Drug Alcohol Depend, 90: 270–279.

22.

McCrady

B S

, Epstein

E E

and Hirsch

L S

. 1999. Maintaining change after conjoint behavioral alcohol treatment for men: outcomes at 6 months. Addiction, 94: 1381–1396.

23.

Timko

, Debenedetti

and Billow

. 2006. Intensive referral to 12-Step self-help groups and 6-month substance use disorder outcomes. Addiction, 101: 678–688.

24.

2005. “Alcoholics Anonymous”. In The A. A. Group … Where it all Begins, New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc.

25.

First

M B

, Spitzer

R L

, Gibbon

and Williams

J BW

. 1996. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders: Patient Edition, New York: Biometrics Research Department.

26.

Larsen

, Attkisson

C C

, Hargreaves

W A

and Nguyen

T D

. 1979. Assessment of client/patient satisfaction: development of a general scale. Eval Program Plann, 2: 197–207.

27.

Najavits

L M

. 2004. The-End-of-Treatment Questionnaire [unpublished measure], Edited by: Boston

M A

. Harvard Medical School.

28.

Sobell

M B

, Sobell

L C

, Klajner

, Pavan

and Basian

. 1986. The reliability of a timeline method for assessing normal drinker college students’ recent drinking history: utility for alcohol research. Addict Behav., 11: 149–161.

29.

Feinn

, Tennen

and Kranzler

H R

. 2003. Psychometric properties of the Short Index of Problems as a measure of recent alcohol-related problems. Alcohol Clin Exp Res., 27: 1436–1441.

30.

Bloom

, Owen

and Covington

. 2003. Gender-responsive strategies: research, practice, and guiding principles for women offenders. National Institutes of Corrections accession number 018017, Available at: http://nicic.org/downloads/pdf/2003/018017.pdf. Accessed May 21, 2010

31.

Green

T C

, Johnson

J E

Harrington

. 2013. Parole officer—parolee relationshipsand HIV risk behaviors during community supervision. AIDS Behav., 17: 2667–2675.

32.

Covington

. 2007. “The relational theory of women's psychological development: implications for the criminal justice system”. In Female Offenders: Critical Perspectives and Effective Interventions. 2nd ed, Edited by: Zaplin

. 135–164. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

33.

Gunter

and Antoniak

. 2010. “Evaluating and treating substance use disorders”. In Handbook of Correctional Mental Health. 2nd ed, Edited by: Scott

. 167–195. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

34.

Stein

M D

, Caviness

C M

, Anderson

B A

, Hebert

and Clarke

J G

. 2010. A brief alcohol intervention for hazardously-drinking incarcerated women. Addiction, 105: 466–475.

Pilot Test of 12-Step Linkage for Alcohol-Abusing Women in Leaving Jail

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References