NCJ Number
183810
Date Published
1999
Length
41 pages
Annotation
Based on a consensus among scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from around the country meeting with representatives of appropriate Federal agencies in March 1998, this report presents recommended drug policy and action, along with a summary of drug-related knowledge to date based on scientific research.
Abstract
The policy statement developed focuses on the creation of a continuum of accountability and treatment for drug-abusing and alcohol-abusing juvenile and adult offenders. The policy necessary to establish such a continuum requires that the criminal and juvenile justice systems operate in cooperation with other community service systems to implement appropriate interventions for drug and alcohol disordered offenders. Such interventions should be conducted systematically and at the earliest opportunity. Penetration into the criminal/juvenile justice system should be limited for nonviolent offenders, relying instead on community-based interventions in concert with social service systems. For those who must be incarcerated, there should be appropriate treatment and supervision both during and after confinement. A nine-point action checklist is provided as a quick reference for those communities that intend to move beyond coordination of programs to full collaboration among community agencies with integrated decisions and services. This is followed with a detailed checklist for implementing interventions. Interventions are outlined under the following categories: community-based interventions, institutional interventions, and community interventions and offender re-entry. The concluding section of this paper, "Background and Discussion," addresses the need to reconsider existing policy (turn from an emphasis on incarceration of drug offenders to a focus on their treatment); an overview of existing knowledge; guiding principles for policy; research and technical assistance priorities; and performance measures of effectiveness. A 32-item bibliography and 20 notes