OPPORTUNITY HOUSE - AN EXPERIMENT IN SOCIAL TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 8932
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1970
• Length: 31 pages
• Grant Number(s): DF-69-009
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Houston Health Dept
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE GOAL OF HOUSTON'S OPPORTUNITY HOUSE WAS TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS BY PROVIDING A RESPONSIVE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, COUNSELING, AND REFERRAL SERVICES.

Abstract

THE PROJECT RESULTED IN A 62.2 PERCENT REDUCTION IN ARRESTS FOR 303 OF THE 367 MEN INVOLVED. IT DEMONSTRATED THAT THE 'HARD-CORE' OFFENDERS WERE MORE WITHIN THE REACH OF SUCH TREATMENT THAN MOST OTHER GROUPS, BY DIMINISHING ARRESTS FOR THE 44 MEN NORMALLY APPREHENDED 20 OR MORE TIMES PER YEAR BY 75.3 PERCENT. FINALLY, THE OPPORTUNITY HOUSE CONCEPT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE ONE WITH LONG-RANGE IMPACT, WITH THE RECORDS OF THE EARLIEST RESIDENTS SHOWING A CONTINUED REDUCTION EVEN BELOW THE REDUCTION PRODUCED IN THEIR FIRST FEW MONTHS OF EXPOSURE TO THE HOUSE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)