NCJ Number
139497
Journal
State Government News Volume: 35 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1992) Pages: 24-28
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A new rehabilitation program, known as Reasoning and Rehabilitation, was adopted as part of Colorado's Specialized Drug Offender Program in 1991 to help drug offenders strengthen their minds and their resistance to drugs.
Abstract
The program attempts to instill in offenders the values, attitudes, reasoning, and social skills that will help them contribute to society. It involves a series of 35 choreographed small group sessions that meet for 1.5 hours twice a week. These sessions require a great deal of writing and journal keeping to reinforce lessons. At least 300 drug offenders have completed the program. Sixteen of Colorado's 22 districts have implemented an adult program, and seven districts have a juvenile program. Reasoning and Rehabilitation is only one part of the Specialized Drug Offender Program (SDOP), an intensive supervision program for probationers. To be considered for the SDOP, all offenders sentenced to probation who test positive for drug use are referred to a screening board. The board uses the following criteria to determine who should enter the program: history of drug abuse, history of unsuccessful treatment, and prior drug or drug-related offenses. Once in the SDOP, offenders are assigned to either a cognitive group (Reasoning and Rehabilitation) or a supervision program. An evaluation of SDOP and Reasoning and Rehabilitation by the Colorado Judicial Department indicates that the program helps individuals who may have missed out on learning social skills in adolescence because of drug use and that the program may help reduce recidivism.