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

/pdf/treating-drug-abuse-and-addiction-in-the-criminal-justice-2r7oemk7mr.pdf

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

Released in 1965, the Moynihan Report traced the severe social and economic distress of poor urban African Americans to high rates of single-parenthood. Against Moynihan's calls for social investment in poor inner-city communities, politics moved in a punitive direction, driving massive growth in the prison population. The authors document the emergence of mass incarceration and describe its significance for African American family life. The era of mass incarceration can be understood as a new stage in the history of American racial inequality. Because of its recent arrival, the social impact of mass incarceration remains poorly understood. The authors conclude by posing several key research questions that can illuminate the effects of dramatic growth in the American penal system.

The Black Family and Mass Incarceration

Offenders with mental illness have attracted substantial attention over the recent years, given their prevalence and poor outcomes. A number of interventions have been developed for this population (e.g., mental health courts). They share an emphasis on one dimension as the source of the problem: mental illness. Their focus on psychiatric services may poorly match the policy goal of reducing recidivism. In this article, we use research to evaluate (a) the effectiveness of current interventions, and (b) the larger viability of psychiatric, criminological, and social psychological models of the link between mental illness and criminal justice involvement. We integrate theory and research to offer a multidimensional conceptual framework that may guide further research and the devel- opment of efficient interventions that meaningfully reduce recidivism. We hypothesize that the effect of mental illness on criminal behavior reflects moderated mediation (i.e., the effect is direct in the case of one subgroup, but fully mediated in another); and that the effect of mental illness on other '' recidivism'' is partially mediated by system bias and stigma. We use this framework to propose three pri- orities for advancing research, articulating policy, and improving practice.

Correctional Policy for Offenders with Mental Illness: Creating a New Paradigm for Recidivism Reduction

Research Summary:
This study analyzed data on 3,237 offenders placed in 1 of 38 community-based residential programs as part of their parole or other post-release control. Offenders terminated from these programs were matched to, and compared with, a group of offenders (N = 3,237) under parole or other post-release control who were not placed in residential programming. Data on program characteristics and treatment integrity were obtained through staff surveys and interviews with program directors. This information on program characteristics was then related to the treatment effects associated with each program.

Policy Implications:
Significant and substantial relationships between program characteristics and program effectiveness were noted. This research provides information that is relevant to the development of correctional programs, and it can be used by funding agencies when awarding contracts for services.

https://www.uc.edu/content/dam/uc/ccjr/docs/articles/Correctional_Program_Quality.pdf

Does correctional program quality really matter? the impact of adhering to the principles of effective intervention*

Community supervision has been an integral part of cor- rections since the establishment of probation more than 100 years ago. It has commonly been assumed that offenders benefit from community supervision much more than if they were incarcerated. However, empiri- cal evidence in support of the effectiveness of community supervision in reducing recidivism questions this assumption. A detailed examination of audio taped interviews between 62 probation officers and their clients found relatively poor adherence to some of the basic principles of effec- tive intervention-the principles of Risk, Need and Responsivity. For the most part, probation officers spent too much time on the enforcement aspect of supervision (i.e., complying with the conditions of probation) and not enough time on the service delivery role of supervision. Major criminogenic needs such as antisocial attitudes and social supports for crime were largely ignored and probation officers evidenced few of the skills (e.g., prosocial modeling, differential reinforcement) that could influence behavioral change in their clients. As a snapshot of present practices, this study begins a path to a systematic and structured training agenda to help probation officers become more effective agents of change.

Exploring the Black Box of Community Supervision

There is an emerging paradigm in probation and parole in the United States. That new outlook encompasses a realization that these forms of supervision of offenders must meet the challenges of an increasing number of parolees and probationers. Recidivism continues to be the primary outcome measure for probation, as it is for all corrections programs. To implement effective probation programs, several steps appear necessary. State lawmakers can enact policies that can institute evidence-based criminal justice policy changes that can better meet the goals of sentencing. There is a need for the redefinition of the purposes of parole revocations.

Kimora

Papers

The Emerging Paradigm in Probation and Parole in the United States