Despite increasing evidence that addiction is a treatable disease of the brain, most individuals do not receive treatment Involvement in the criminal justice system often results from illegal drug-seeking behavior and participation in illegal activities that reflect, in part, disrupted behavior ensuing from brain changes triggered by repeated drug use Treating drug-involved offenders provides a unique opportunity to decrease substance abuse and reduce associated criminal behavior Emerging neuroscience has the potential to transform traditional sanction-oriented public safety approaches by providing new therapeutic strategies against addiction that could be used in the criminal justice system We summarize relevant neuroscientific findings and evidence-based principles of addiction treatment that, if implemented in the criminal justice system, could help improve public heath and reduce criminal behavior

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Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System: Improving Public Health and Safety

Monitoring drug-abuse-treatment delivery and progress requires the use of validated instruments to measure client motivation, psychosocial and cognitive functioning, and other treatment-process dyn...

Measuring offender attributes and engagement in treatment using the client evaluation of self and treatment

More research has been published on the effects of adult Drug Courts than virtually all other criminal justice programs combined. By 2006, the scientific community had concluded beyond a reasonable doubt from advanced statistical procedures called meta-analyses that Drug Courts reduce criminal recidivism, typically measured by fewer re-arrests for new offenses and technical violations. Table I summarizes the results of five independent meta-analyses all reporting superior effects for Drug Courts over randomized or matched comparison samples of drug offenders who were on probation or undergoing traditional criminal case processing. In each analysis, the results revealed that Drug Courts significantly reduced re-arrest or reconviction rates by an average of approximately 8 to 26 percent, with the “average of the averages” reflecting approximately a 10 to 15 percent reduction in recidivism. Effectiveness T he effectiveness of adult Drug Courts is not a matter of conjecture. It is the product of more than two decades of exhaustive scientific research. From their inception,

/pdf/research-update-on-adult-drug-courts-2yfu90z76b.pdf

Research Update on Adult Drug Courts

Although the association between unemployment and offending is well established, relatively little is known about the impact of vocational education and training programs on re-offending, with much of the previous work in this area failing to control for, or correct, selection bias. This article reports the findings of a systematic review, which considers the findings of only those studies that have used experimental or quasi-experimental designs to evaluate vocational training and employment program outcomes for adult offenders. The analysis identifies key features, based on these studies, of those programs associated with the best outcomes and recommends selection criteria for those who are most likely to benefit from prison vocational education and training.

The Impact of Vocational Education and Training Programs on Recidivism: A Systematic Review of Current Experimental Evidence:

Contextual barriers to successful reentry of recovering drug offenders

Treating Addicted Offenders: A Continuum of Effective Practices

EMPLOYMENT IS an important part of drug and alcohol treatment as well as a measure of treatment outcome (Institute of Medicine, 1990). Studies have consistently reported that employment contributes to drug and alcohol treatment success (Platt, 1995; Wolkstein and Spiller, 1998). These studies also suggest that daily structure, including employment and cognitive approaches like relapse prevention models (Gorski, 1990; Marlatt and Gordon, 1985), are important for treatment success. Not only does employment establish a source of steady income, but it has also been found to minimize relapse and reduce involvement in criminal activity for the recovering drug addict (Inciardi, et al., 2002; Platt, 1995; Vaillant, 1988). Other studies focused on preand post-treatment employment have consistently shown that employment predicts improved and successful treatment. For example, stable employment has a protective role in drug and alcohol treatment retention (see Platt, 1995 and McLellan, 1983 for literature reviews). Employment also is associated with reduced drug and alcohol use (Hammer et al., 1985;Vaillant, 1988; Zanis et al., 1994); with decreased severity of relapse (Vaillant, 1988); with increased post-treatment outcomes (Comerford, 1999); and with community reintegration (Comerford, 1999; Platt, 1995; Room, 1998). In a longitudinal study of heroin and alcohol patients, Vaillant (1988) concluded that unstable employment was a better predictor of relapse than addiction severity. Stable employment conditions are related to other variables that contribute to treatment outcomes. Employed clients are more likely to report healthier social and professional networks, which are related to improved self-esteem, self-worth, and a sense of independence that contribute to reduced drug and alcohol use (Brewington et al., 1987; Comerford, 1999; Room, 1998). In addition, stable employment is associated with lowered depression scores (Zanis et al., 1994). Overall, the more stable employment, the more likely it is that clients in recovery will have positive treatment outcomes. Since many drug abusers are unemployed when they seek treatment, employment-focused services should complement drug and alcohol treatment (Comerford, 1999; French et al., 1992; Hubbard et al., 1984; Walker and Leukefeld, 2002). Employment services include vocational rehabilitation, which can incorporate case management, job placement, job skills training, education, and vocational training. Each of these approaches focuses on helping clients obtain, maintain, and upgrade employment (Walker and Leukefeld,2002).Employment services,which are frequently not emphasized, are often reported by clients as desirable since employment is a personal goal (Staton, et al., 2002; Zanis et al., 1994). For criminally-involved drug and alcohol abusers, getting a job and keeping a job can be challenging, especially when there are few community-level employment and vocational rehabilitation services available (Walker and Leukefeld, 2002; Platt, 1995). Nevertheless, in a recent study, probation officers reported that helping probationers maintain employment was a key contribution to successful community reentry (Seiter, 2002). With the emergence of Drug Courts, the criminal justice system is targeting employment as an important part of successful drug abuse treatment. The cornerstones of Drug Court programs include the use of treatment services with justice system processing, the use of frequent drug testing to monitor abstinence, mandatory employment, and ongoing judicial interaction with Drug Court participants. The Drug Court model was designed to decrease drug use and to divert nonviolent drug abusers from incarceration. In Kentucky, Drug Court judges were interested in providing employment services to Drug Court clients, since full-time employment is a Drug Court requirement. Judges indicated that stable employment would not only provide a foundation for enhancing job skills, but also would contribute to getting a better job. In this article, the authors will: 1) describe an employment project and the project’s intervention, used in Kentucky Drug Courts, which is grounded in established job readiness and social skills training approaches; and 2) profile project participants by employment history,drug use,criminal involvement, and health service utilization.

Cark Leukefeld

Papers

Treating Addicted Offenders: A Continuum of Effective Practices

An Employment Intervention for Drug Abusing Offenders