NCJ Number
138875
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 283- 295
Date Published
1992
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The American Jail Association, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, conducted a survey of 1,737 jails in 48 States and the District of Colombia to ascertain the number of jails with drug treatment programs, the types of treatment services offered, characteristics of jails that had treatment programs, and the extent of drug treatment programs currently under development.
Abstract
The results showed that only 28 percent of the jails offered drug treatment services other than detoxification, only 14 percent had funded drug treatment programs, and only 7 percent offered a comprehensive level of services. Key program characteristics examined in this survey included average capacity, number of hours per week, number of paid staff, staff/inmate ratio, number of volunteers, budget, isolated housing unit, and treatment interventions including group and individual counseling, drug education, transition planning, and referral to outside agencies. The most significant predictors of drug treatment services in jails were the collection of educational data for inmates, detoxification services, employee assistance programs, AIDS testing during intake, urinalysis during work release, number of male staff, and AIDS screening during intake. Further research could focus on treatment goals, philosophy, and orientation of existing programs, duration and content of treatment program components, followup treatment arrangement, evaluation methods, and program resources. 5 tables and 11 references.