NCJ Number
176012
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 60 Issue: 7 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 114-120
Date Published
1998
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses treatment programs for incarcerated substance-abusing women and the need to first address reasons underlying the substance use.
Abstract
The following general considerations may be of use in designing effective substance abuse treatment programs in a correctional setting: (1) The program must be congruent with the philosophy and values of the overall facility and system; (2) All programs should be research-based and use modalities that have been proven effective by empirical research; (3) The facility's policy on drug use within the facility needs to be clear and consistently applied and communicated to program participants at the beginning of any program; (4) Because staff members are working with abuse survivors, safety is of paramount concern; (5) Programs are only as effective as their facilitators; and (6) All programs should have a built-in evaluation. The article describes a moderate intensity program designed for women with moderate to substantial levels of substance use who also have individual and environmental resources (education, effective coping skills, support outside the prison). It also describes an intensive substance abuse program designed to deal with the dual issues of substance abuse and trauma. Tables