NCJ Number
155216
Date Published
1995
Length
69 pages
Annotation
The 72nd Texas Legislature established the Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration Program (TAIP) to coordinate drug abuse treatment delivery between the criminal justice system and treatment providers.
Abstract
The TAIP provides community-based treatment to drug offenders in Bexar, Dallas, El Paso, Harris, Tarrant, and Travis counties. It focuses resources on clinical screening and assessment to determine the need for treatment, and the primary goal is to reduce drug offender recidivism. Cases referred to the TAIP in Dallas and Tarrant counties between June 1992 and November 1992 were followed for an 18-month period. Arrests and incarcerations were captured for cases referred to treatment and for a comparison population. It was found that about 7 percent of drug offenders completing 3 or more months of outpatient treatment were incarcerated after 18 months. Offenders failing to enter treatment or receiving less than 3 months of treatment had a 28 percent incarceration rate after 18 months. Cost analysis indicated that for every $1 invested in TAIP treatment, Texas had a return of $2.86 in reduced recidivism costs. Recommendations focus on the need to adequately screen clients for TAIP participation, the importance of case management and interagency training between criminal justice professionals and treatment providers, and the need to keep offenders in treatment for a sufficient period of time. An appendix contains the program survey forms. References and tables