NCJ Number
200212
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 20 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 83-106
Date Published
2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article reflects on the significant developments in the treatment of the alcohol and drug offender within the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Although the criminal justice system was founded on the belief that the individual can change, justice policies in the 1970’s were more punitive than rehabilitative. There was a widespread belief that inmate rehabilitation programs did not work, so the justice system began to operate on a more punitive level. However, during the 1980’s, the problem of drunk driving became a nationwide focus and the criminal justice system began to realize that many offenders were alcoholics. In response, the justice system began instituting policies aimed at increasing alcohol treatment services for offenders. During the mid 1980’s through the early 1990’s, offender treatment programs proliferated around the country and the emphasis on treatment shifted to include other drugs. The authors go on to argue that drug offenders are responsible for the prison overcrowding problem facing the Nation. Drug and alcohol-related crimes are responsible for the incarceration of 83 percent of the men and women in prison. Next, the authors discuss treatment models that have been effective in offender populations and they review the use of therapeutic community treatment programs in correctional institutions. The development of Accountability Training as a public safety treatment model is presented. In conclusion, the authors note that as the availability of treatment programs in correctional facilities has grown, so has the awareness of the complexity of addiction and its treatment. References