NCJ Number
167034
Journal
On Balance Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 4-6
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Experimental research is proposed to test a program of frequent drug tests and automatic but mild sanctions of perhaps 2 days' confinement to place probationers and parolees under constant pressure to abstain from drugs.
Abstract
The proposal stems from the argument that it is probably unnecessary to imprison most drug-involved offenders to reduce their drug consumption; the threat of incarceration for continued drug use might be adequate to deter them. However, research is needed to determine whether an offender can be effectively deterred from continuing to take illicit drugs and committing crimes to buy them. A variety of specific program implementations is possible within the broad concept of coerced abstinence for drug-involved offenders on probation or parole. An individual-level experiment would involve random assignment of drug-involved offenders into one or more experimental and control groups. A 1-year test for 400 offenders would cost about $2 million to design, operate, and evaluate. A combination of trial-and-error development and the field trials would provide important information on the extent to which short periods of confinement serve as effective deterrents for drug-involved offenders. Using the criminal justice system to reduce drug demand will do more than any feasible level of drug law enforcement to disrupt open drug markets and if operated nationally might reduce effective demand for cocaine and heroin by 40 percent. Source of additional information