NCJ Number
142130
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1992) Pages: 317-331
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A double-blind baseline study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in an outpatient drug treatment program for drug-dependent offenders in a mid-sized midwestern city.
Abstract
The program combined traditional group counseling and therapy accompanied by acupuncture provided by a physician. Initially, all cases referred to the program were given acupuncture treatment. Once the acupuncture study began, offenders were randomly placed into one of three groups. The 182 offenders in experimental group received acupuncture regularly, the 45 members of the control group received no acupuncture, and the 43 members of the placebo group received a simulation of acupuncture. The three groups were similar with respect to demographic, criminal history, and assessment factors. They also had long and complex drug abuse histories, although they did not have long histories of other serious criminal behavior. Findings produced no evidence that acupuncture had any appreciable effect on program completion, arrests, convictions, or probation outcome. The acupuncture group also performed no worse than the control or placebo groups. Tables, footnotes, and 7 references