With growing numbers of drug-involved offenders, substance abuse treatment has become a critical part of corrections. A multistage therapeutic community implemented in the Delaware correctional system has as its centerpiece a residential treatment program during work release—the transition between prison and community. An evaluation of this program followed 690 individuals. At 5 years, those who participated in the program were significantly more likely to be drug and arrest free. Furthermore, treatment graduates with or without aftercare had significantly greater probabilities of remaining both arrest free and drug free than did ano treatment comparison group in regular work release. Dropouts also were significantly more likely to be drug free, although not significantly less likely to have a new arrest than those without treatment. These data show that the implementation of such programs could bring about significant reductions in both drug use and drug-related crime.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anglin, M. D., & Hser, Y. (1990). Treatment of drug abuse. In M. Tonry & J. Q. Wilson (Eds.), Drugs and crime(pp. 393-460). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2.
Anglin, M. D.,& Perrochet, B. (1998). Drug use and crime: A historical review of research conducted by theUCLAdrug abuse research center. Substance Use& Misuse, 33, 1871-1914.
3.
Ball, J. C., & Ross, A. (1991). The effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment. New York: Springer-Verlag.
4.
Brown, B. S. (1979). Addicts and aftercare: Community reintegration of the former drug user. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
5.
Chaiken, M. R. (1989). In-prison programs for drug-involved offenders. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
6.
Chavaria, F. R. (1992). Successful drug treatment in a criminal justice setting: Acase study. Federal Probation, 56, 48-52.
7.
Condelli, W. S.,& Hubbard, R. L. (1994). Client outcomes from therapeutic communities. In F. M. Tims, G. De Leon,& N. Jainchill (Eds.), Therapeutic community: Advances in research and application(Research Monograph No. 144; pp. 80-98). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
8.
De Leon, G. (1984). Program based evaluation research in therapeutic communities. In F. M. Tims & J. P. Ludford (Eds.), Drug abuse treatment evaluation: Strategies, progress, and prospect(Research Monograph No. 51; pp. 69-87). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
9.
De Leon, G. (1990-1991). Aftercare in therapeutic communities. International Journal of Addictions, 25, 1225-1237.
10.
De Leon, G. (1994). Therapeutic communities. In M. Galanter, & H. D. Kleber (Eds.), Textbook of substance abuse treatment(pp. 391-414). Washington DC: Psychiatric Press.
11.
De Leon, G. (1997). The therapeutic communities for special populations and special settings. Westport CT: Greenwood Publishing.
12.
De Leon, G. (2000). The therapeutic community: Theory, model, and method. New York: Springer.
13.
Field, G. (1992). Oregon prison drug treatment programs. In C. G. Leukefeld & F. M. Tims (Eds.), Drug abuse treatment in prisons and jails(Research Monograph No. 118; pp. 142-155). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
14.
Forcier, M. W. (1991). Substance abuse, crime and prison-based treatment: Problems and prospects. Social Practice Review, 2(2), 123-131.
15.
Gossop, M., Green, L., Phillips, G., & Bradley, B. (1990). Factors predicting outcome among opiate addicts after treatment. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 29, 209-216.
16.
Gottfredson, M. R.,& Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
17.
Hall, S. M., Havassy, B. E., & Wasserman, D. A. (1990). Commitment to abstinence and acute stress in relapse to alcohol, opiates, and nicotine. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58(2), 175-181.
18.
Harrison, L. D., & Martin, S. S. (2001). Residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) for state prisoners(Report #NCJ 187099). Washington, DC: Department of Justice.
19.
Hubbard, R. L., Marsden, M. E., Rachal, J. V., Harwood, H .J., Cavanaugh, E.R., & Ginzburg, H. M. (1989). Drug abuse treatment: A national study of effectiveness. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
20.
Hunt, G. H.,& Odoroff, M. E. (1962). Follow-up study of narcotic drug addicts after hospitalization. Public Health Reports, 77, 41-41.
21.
Inciardi, J. A. (1979). Heroin use and street crime. Crime and Delinquency, 25, 335-346.
22.
Inciardi, J. A., Lockwood, D., & Martin, S. S. (1994). Therapeutic communities in prison and work release: Some clinical and policy implications. In F. M. Tims, G. De Leon, & N. Jainchill (Eds.), Therapeutic community: Advances in research and application(Research Monograph No. 144; pp. 259-267). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
23.
Inciardi, J. A., Martin, S. S., Butzin, C. A., Hooper, R. M.,& Harrison, L. D. (1997). An effective model of prison-based treatment for drug-involved offenders. Journal of Drug Issues, 27(2), 261-278.
24.
Inciardi, J. A., Martin, S. S., & Surratt, H. S. (2001). Therapeutic communities in prisons and work release: Effective modalities for drug-involved offenders. In B. Rawlings & R. Yates (Eds.), Therapeutic communities for the treatment of drug users(pp. 241-256). London: Jessica Kingsley.
25.
Inciardi, J. A., & Pottieger, A. (1998). Drug use and street crime in Miami: An (almost) twentyyear retrospective. Substance Use & Misuse, 33, 1839-1870.
26.
Inciardi, J. A., & Scarpitti, F. R. (1992). Therapeutic communities in corrections: An overview. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
27.
Inciardi, J. A., & Surratt, H L. (2001). Drug use, street crime, and sex-trading among cocainedependentwomen: Implications for public health and criminal justice policy. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 33(4), 379-389.
28.
Johnson, B. D., Goldstein, P. J., Preble, E., Schmeidler, J., Lipton, D. S., Spunt, B., et al. (1985). Taking care of business: The economics of crime by heroin abusers. Lexington, MA: Lexington.
29.
Knight, K., Simpson, D. D.,& Hiller, M. L. (1999). Three-year reincarceration outcomes for inprison therapeutic community treatment in Texas. Prison Journal, 79(3), 337-351.
30.
Leukefeld, C. G., & Tims, F. M. (Eds.). (1988). Compulsory treatment of drug abuse: Research and clinical practice(Research Monograph No. 86). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
31.
Leukefeld, C. G., & Tims, F. M. (Eds.). (1992). Drug abuse treatment in prison and jails (Research Monograph No. 118). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
32.
Maddux, J. F. (1978). Drug addiction and the U.S. public health service 1935-1974. In W. MartIn & H. Isbell (Eds.), History of the hospital treatment programs(pp. 217-250). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office
33.
Martin, S. S., Butzin, C. A.,& Inciardi, J. A. (1995). Assessment of a multistage therapeuticcommunity for drug involved offenders. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 27, 109-116.
34.
Martin, S. S., Butzin, C. A., Saum, C.,& Inciardi, J. A. (1999). Three-year outcomes of therapeutic community treatment for drug-involved offenders in Delaware: From prison to work release to aftercare. Prison Journal, 79(3), 294-320.
35.
McLellan, A. T., & Alterman, A. I. (1991). Patient treatment matching: A conceptual and methodological review with suggestions for future research. In R. G. Pickens, C. G. Leukefeld, & C. R. Schuster (Eds.), Improving drug abuse treatment(Research Monograph No. 106; pp. 114-135). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
36.
Mumola, C. J. (1999). Substance abuse and treatment, state and federal prisoners. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
37.
Nurco, D. N. (1998). Along-term program of research on drug use and crime. Substance Use and Misuse, 33(9), 1817-1837.
38.
Prendergast, M., Farabee, D.,& Cartier, J. (2002). Corrections-based substance abuse programs: Good for inmates, good for prisons. Offender Substance Abuse Report, 2(6), 81-96.
39.
Protection of Human Respondents, Code of Federal Regulations, 45 CFR 46 (revised March 8, 1983) (enacted).
40.
Simpson, D. D., Savage, J., & Lloyd, M. R. (1979). Follow-up evaluation of treatment of drug abuse during 1969 to 1972. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, 772-780.
41.
Simpson, D. D.,& Sells, S. B. (1982). Effectiveness of treatment for drug abuse: An overviewof the DARP research program. Advanced Alcohol & Substance Abuse, 2, 7-29.
42.
Tims, F. M., De Leon, G., & Jainchill, N. (Eds.). (1994). Therapeutic community: advances in research and application(Research Monograph No. 144). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
43.
Wexler, H. K., Falkin, G. P., & Lipton, D. S. (1990). Outcome evaluation of a prison therapeutic community for substance abuse treatment. Criminal Justice Behavior, 17(1), 71-93.
44.
Wexler, H. K., Falkin, G. P., Lipton, D. S., Rosenblum, A. B., & Goodloe, L. P. (1988). A model prison rehabilitation program: An evaluation of the “stay’n out” therapeutic community. New York: Narcotic and Drug Research, Inc.
45.
Wexler, H. K., Melnick, G., Lowe, L., & Peters, J. (1999). Three-year reincarceration outcomes for Amity in-prison therapeutic community and aftercare in California. Prison Journal, 79(3), 321-336.
46.
Wexler, H. K.,& Williams, R. (1986). The “stay’n out” therapeutic community: Prison treatment for substance abusers. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 18, 221-230.
47.
White, W. L. (1998). Slaying the dragon: The history of addiction treatment and recovery In America. Bloomington, IL: Chestnut Health Systems.
48.
Yablonsky, L. (1989). The therapeutic community: A successful approach for treating substance abusers. New York: Gardner Press.
