Outpatient Treatment for Substance-Abusing Offenders (From Clinical Treatment of the Criminal Offender in Outpatient Mental Health Settings: New and Emerging Perspectives, P 111-130, 1990, Nathaniel J Pallone and Sol Chaneles, eds. -- See NCJ-126044)

• NCJ Number: 126051
• Author(s): J D Hirschel; J R Keny
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: Haworth Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After examining trends in offender substance-abuse treatment programs in the United States, this paper considers how offenders perform in treatment, the impact of these clients on treatment agency operations, and the lessons learned from dealing with offenders in treatment.

Abstract

The trend is toward the increased involvement of criminal offenders in substance abuse treatment programs; and just as there is more outpatient treatment for substance abusers in general, so are offenders participating in such treatment. This serves current criminal justice policy that favors community-based alternatives to incarceration. Offenders coerced into substance-abuse treatment through court sentencing do not perform less well in treatment than voluntary clients. Leverage exerted by the courts, surveillance, and monitoring all contribute to offenders' incentive to remain and perform well in treatment. Evidence further indicates that criminal justice clients have little negative impact on other clients in the same treatment programs. In some cases there are positive benefits for other clients. The major problem encountered in the treatment of offenders in substance abuse programs is the conflict between criminal justice officials and treatment professionals over whether a relapse constitutes failure. One solution might be to have probation and parole conditions comply with treatment program conditions for measuring success and failure. 40 references