NCJ Number
55382
Journal
CRIME PREVENTION REVIEW Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (JANUARY 1979) Pages: 17-22
Date Published
1979
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A HEROIN DIVERSION PROGRAM OPERATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN KERN COUNTY, CALIF., IS DESCRIBED AND EVALUATED.
Abstract
WHEN CALIFORNIA DECRIMINALIZED MARIHUANA USE, THE EFFECT ON DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS WAS PROFOUND. CLIENTS WERE NO LONGER MARIHUANA EXPERIMENTERS, BUT HEROIN USERS. TO HANDLE THESE CLIENTS, KERN COUNTY STARTED A HEROIN DIVERSION PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED FOR NONADDICTED USERS, BUT MOST OF ITS CLIENTS HAVE BEEN ADDICTED. THE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF DIAGNOSTIC, TREATMENT, AND FOLLOWUP COUNSELING SERVICES FOR FIRST-OFFENSE HEROIN ABUSERS REFERRED BY THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT. IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION, THE DIVERSION PROGRAM ACCEPTED 36 CLIENTS, OF WHOM 63.9 PERCENT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM (STOPPED OR REDUCED THEIR HEROIN USE) AND 27.7 PERCENT DID NOT. EVALUATIONS BY PROGRAM COUNSELORS AND BY CLIENTS THEMSELVES INDICATE THAT 86.9 PERCENT OF THE CLIENTS WHO WERE DISCHARGED FROM THE PROGRAM WERE INFORMED ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS; 82.6 PERCENT OF THE CLIENTS WHO HAD BEEN IN THE PROGRAM FOR 3 MONTHS HAD DISCOVERED AND PURSUED ALTERNATIVES TO DRUGS; 47.8 PERCENT OF THE 3-MONTH GROUP HAD ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS (AN ADDITIONAL 39.2 PERCENT WERE BEGINNING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY); AND 69.6 PERCENT HAD CONSISTENTLY PARTICIPATED IN SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE DRUG CULTURE. CLIENTS AND COUNSELORS DISAGREED ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-ESTEEM; COUNSELOR RATINGS ON THIS DIMENSION SUGGEST AN OVERALL IMPROVEMENT OF ABOUT 30 PERCENT, BUT CLIENTS DID NOT REPORT ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR FEELINGS OF SELF-ESTEEM. THE EVALUATION FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE DIVERSIONARY CONCEPT CAN BE APPLIED SUCCESSFULLY TO HEROIN USERS. NO TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)