NCJ Number
149217
Journal
Corrections Alliance Dated: (1994) Pages: 1,7
Date Published
1994
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Texas Criminal Justice Treatment Initiative, which will create 14,000 substance abuse treatment beds within the Texas prison system by 1996.
Abstract
The program is made possible through an unprecedented cooperation of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. The three major components of the program consist of the Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration program, a substantial increase in In-Prison Therapeutic Community beds (IPTC) for inmates preparing for release on parole, and 2,000 Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility program beds (SAFPF) for offenders eligible for probation. In the IPTC and SAFPF programs, substance abusers are immersed in the therapeutic community process and learn to model positive behaviors and attitudes. This experience helps inmates develop self-knowledge and needed living skills. Transitional work occurs in a halfway house and lasts from 1 to 3 months, followed by a year of outpatient support services. Though the Texas initiative is too recent to yield measurable success indicators, its representatives are optimistic about its success and cost effectiveness.