NCJ Number
153142
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 24 Issue: 1 and 2 Dated: (Winter/Spring 1994) Pages: 331-348
Date Published
1994
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the importance of providing drug treatment opportunities for inmates who are chronic substance abusers and profiles two successful inmate drug treatment programs.
Abstract
The Stay'n Out Program is a therapeutic community for the treatment of incarcerated drug offenders in New York State, most of whom are serious felons with lengthy criminal histories, that has been identified as a national model. Analyses showed that the Stay'n Out therapeutic community is more effective at reducing recidivism than no treatment and alternative prison-based drug treatment modalities. Increases in the time spent in the therapeutic community were related to reductions in recidivism. The Cornerstone Program is a highly respected treatment program for alcohol and drug dependent offenders. The program, which began in 1976, is situated on the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Ore. It consists of a 32-bed residential unit and a 6-month aftercare program. Cornerstone, like Stay'n Out, is a therapeutic community. Evaluation studies of both the Stay'n Out Program and the Cornerstone Program are the first large-scale research evaluation to provide solid evidence that prison-based therapeutic community treatment can produce significant reductions in recidivism rates among chronic drug-abusing felons. Elements of a comprehensive drug-treatment strategy for inmates are identified and briefly described. 44 references