NCJ Number
146283
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 73 Issue: 3 and 4 Dated: special issue (September/December 1993) Pages: 290-306
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Because of the drugs, violence, and other aspects of prison life that militate against rehabilitation, the therapeutic community appears to be the most appropriate form of drug abuse treatment in correctional settings.
Abstract
The therapeutic community is a total treatment environment isolated from the rest of the prison population. Primary clinical staff are typically former substance abusers who themselves were rehabilitated in therapeutic communities. Treatment is based on the following premises: 1) drug abuse is a disorder of the whole person; 2) the problem is the person and not the drug; 3) addiction is a symptom and not the essence of the disorder; and 4) the primary goal is to change negative patterns of behavior, thinking, and feeling that predispose drug use. Delaware's system of corrections-based therapeutic communities employs various treatment techniques, including behavioral, cognitive, and emotional therapies, as well as transactional analysis, psychodrama, and branch groups. Clinical foundations and outcomes of these approaches are described, and preliminary data on their effectiveness are provided. 20 references, 1 note, and 5 figures