NCJ Number
178370
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 42 Issue: 4 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 360-368
Date Published
1998
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study used a random assignment of inmates to treatment and control (nontreatment) conditions to determine whether an inmate drug treatment program was effective in reducing recidivism.
Abstract
All persons who had been sentenced to other than maximum-security custody in a regional jail for four or more weeks were initially screened for drug-alcohol dependency using the Control, Anger, Guilt, Eye Opener questionnaire. Inmates who indicated alcohol drug dependency were assigned randomly to treatment or nontreatment groups. Inmates assigned to the treatment condition were further assessed with the "Target" interview. Treatment involved 72 hours of group therapy based on Glasser's (1985) "Reality Therapy." Postrelease criminal behavior was monitored for a period of 2 years after treatment, using the National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index-III. Recidivism data were available for 117 jail inmates who had been released from custody. Of these inmates, 61 received treatment, and 56 did not. Findings show that 72 hours of Glasser reality therapy did not reduce recidivism of inmates during the follow-up period compared to inmates who served a typical jail incarceration. This is consistent with expectations, based on the limited scope and duration of the treatment and the evidence that length of time in treatment is positively associated with favorable outcomes. 1 table, 4 notes, and 40 references