An Intensive Case Management Approach for Paroled IV Drug Users

Abstract

The need for drug abuse treatment to reduce recidivism in prison systems has led to increasing interest in treatment alternatives for correctional clients. The research on the effectiveness of treatment alternatives, however, has lagged behind the interest in and implementation of new programs. This article reports on early findings from an ongoing longitudinal study of the efficacy of an intensive case management approach, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), for treating parolees with past drug problems, compared with a group of parolees who were not offered this treatment program. Using follow-up data on 135 subjects interviewed at release from prison and then reinterviewed about six months later, the ACT group and comparison group are examined in terms of recidivism and relapse to drug use. Bivariate analyses suggest little difference between the two groups. Multivariate analyses, however, suggest several important variables that were not manipulated in this “quasi-experiment,” but are predictive of relapse and recidivism. Although the limited sample size available at present precludes any definitive conclusions, discussion focuses on the direction of findings and highlights the necessity for multivariate controls in assessing the effectiveness of any intervention with criminal justice clients.