CALIFORNIA - COMMUNITY-CENTERED DRUG PROGRAMS - FIRST SAMPLE FINDINGS

• NCJ Number: 32144
• Author(s): C F ROBERTS; A S SWITZER
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 44 pages
• Corporate Author: California Dept of the Youth Authority
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

AN ASSESSMENT OF THIS PROGRAM WHICH SOUGHT TO IDENTIFY AND INVOLVE SERIOUS YOUTH AUTHORITY DRUG ABUSERS IN COMMUNITY BASED DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND THEREBY REDUCE THE LIKLIHOOD OF FURTHER DRUG AND LAW INVOLVEMENT.

Abstract

THE PROGRAM HAD THREE COMPONENTS: 1) AN IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR SCREENING OUT SERIOUS DRUG ABUSERS WITHIN THE YOUTH AUTHORITY POPULATION; 2) MOTIVATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN INSTITUTIONS TO EXPOSE WARDS TO COMMUNITY PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES; AND 3) PROVISION OF MAXIMUM ACCESS TO AND INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR WARDS ON PAROLE. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT AS A RESULT OF THE PROGRAM A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER NUMBER OF DRUG ABUSERS WOULD BECOME INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY-BASED DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS; THAT WARDS WHO BECAME INVOLVED IN PROGRAMS WOULD NOT BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN BACKGROUND AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS FROM YOUTHS WHO DID NOT BECOME PROGRAM INVOLVED; AND THAT WARDS WHO BECAME PROGRAM INVOLVED WOULD DEMONSTRATE A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RATE OF SUBSEQUENT DRUG ABUSE AND/OR DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR THAN NON-INVOLVED WARDS. THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM WAS BASED ON PAROLE OUTCOME DATA AND PAROLE AGENT ASSESSMENTS OF WARD BEHAVIOR ON PAROLE FOR 163 WARDS. PROGRESS WAS CHECKED AT THE EIGTH, TWELFTH, AND TWENTY-FOURTH MONTHS AFTER IDENTIFICATION OR RELEASE ON PAROLE. THE RESULTS SUPPORTED THE PROGRAM HYPOTHESES.