NCJ Number
165119
Date Published
1994
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of a study designed to predict the individual characteristics that describe offenders who are likely to benefit from the TASC (Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime) program.
Abstract
The role of TASC is to identify, assess, and refer appropriate criminal substance abusers to community-based treatment facilities as an alternative or in addition to existing justice system sanctions and procedures. In the current study, individual characteristics of study subjects were assessed by using a risk-assessment scale and a personality inventory scale. Subjects in the treatment group were 162 parolees released from prison between January 1992 and May 1993 to the Southeastern Parole Region in Colorado. Subjects in the control group consisted of 130 parolees released from prison to the Southeastern Parole Region between September 1989 and December 1990. Since the TASC program was established in this area in December 1990, these subjects had only a small likelihood of being referred to the program within the first year of their parole. Control subjects met the requirement of having a substance abuse problem in order to provide a useful comparison group to the subjects in the TASC program. The TASC and control groups were further broken down into successful and unsuccessful groups. Success was determined by the parolee's ability to remain in the community during the first year of release from prison. If subjects were returned to prison within the year following their date of parole, they were placed in the unsuccessful groups. Subjects in the TASC and control groups were compared on several subject characteristics, including age, ethnicity, parole success, length of incarceration period, and the number of drug and alcohol meetings attended while incarcerated. TASC and control subjects differed only on the length of their incarceration, with TASC subjects being more likely to have served longer sentences. Twenty-four percent of TASC subjects and 21 percent of control subjects were returned to prison within the first year following release from prison. There were significant implications of potential differences on risk scores between TASC and control groups. Consequently, the results of outcome analyses could be negatively distorted. Study limitations and suggestions for future relevant research are addressed. 5 tables and 30 references