NCJ Number
165135
Date Published
Unknown
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodologies and findings from evaluations of the District of Columbia's Substance Abuse Training and Education Project, the Visitor Drug Interdiction at Lorton, and the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs Youth Officers Training Project.
Abstract
The projects are part of the District of Columbia's antidrug strategy and are in the areas of prevention, law enforcement, corrections, and treatment. The Substance Abuse Training and Education Project is designed to provide an in-house program of counseling, education, and information to juveniles in the custody of the Youth Services Administration (YSA); training and certification in drug counseling for YSA staff; and the monitoring and evaluation of activities and services offered in the project. A process and outcome evaluation found flawed planning and implementation of the program. Of the 10 youths who began the program, only five completed it. The purpose of the grant was to train and provide services. This was done, but there was no lasting impact. The Visitor Drug Interdiction at Lorton is designed to enforce the law regarding the introduction of contraband into prison facilities, to reduce the availability and use of drugs within D.C. prisons at Lorton, and to improve the effectiveness of visitor identification and control at Lorton. Program evaluation focused on the number of relevant arrests, inmate urinalysis rate of positive samples, and the amount of contraband seized. Statistics obtained for the first year of the program show a measure of success. The Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs Youth Officer Training Project was also evaluated. Youth Service Officers refer juveniles who have been apprehended or referred by other agencies to various social service organization. It is critical that these officers know how to intervene, what services are offered through the local delivery network, and how to diagnose the particular services that would be best for each youth. Such training has been incorporated in training for the staff members of the Police Boys and Girls Clubs. The evaluation shows that management training and social service skills training are both underway, but because of the deficiencies in the grant application, it is difficult to determine whether the processes that are essential to the project's success have been undertaken or completed. Recommendations are included for each program.