Multi-Site Evaluation of Prison-Based Drug Treatment: A Research Partnership Between The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and Temple University Final Report

• NCJ Number: 231865
• Author(s): Wayne N. Welsh, Ph.D.
• Date Published: April 2009
• Length: 118 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2004-DS-19-15286
• Sponsoring Agency: Pennsylvania Cmssn on Crime and Delinquency
• Corporate Author: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; Temple University
• Sale Source: Pennsylvania Cmssn on Crime and Delinquency
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report presents an evaluation of multiple, post-release outcomes over a post-release period of 5 years for inmates who participated in therapeutic Community (TC) drug treatment programs or comparison groups at five Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions.

Abstract

The overall conclusions drawn from this evaluative study include: (1) participation in intensive prison-based therapeutic community (TC) drug treatment produced significant, long term reductions in recidivism. However, in contrast to previous studies, prison TC exerted strong, significant treatment effects independently of community aftercare, and did so across five different prison sites; (2) the effects of prison TC drug treatment varied depending upon the outcome examined. TC significantly lowered the likelihood of reincarceration and rearrest, but not drug relapse. Post release employment emerged as the strongest predictor of all three outcomes; and (3) further research should explore how both individual and programmatic variations influence treatment outcomes over time, and explore why prison-based drug treatment seems to have stronger effects on reducing criminal behavior than drug using behavior. The purpose of this project was to examine multiple, post-release outcomes over a post-release period of 5 years for inmates who participated in TC drug treatment programs or comparison groups at five Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions. The project was a collaborative research partnership between Temple University and the Department of Corrections which began in 1998. Three main research questions were examined: (1) how effective are in-prison TC programs in reducing drug relapse and recidivism rates and do in-prison TC programs improve long-term outcomes of released offenders; (2) which kinds of inmates benefit most from in-prison TC programs; and (3) how do inmate versus programmatic factors independently and interactively influence long-term outcomes? Tables, figures, and references