Only 61% of state correctional facilities provide substance abuse treatment. With insignificant federal funds to support residential substance abuse treatment in prisons, the percentage of state prisoners participating in such programs has greatly declined. All in all, prisoners are not getting the drug treatment programs that would reduce their drug abuse and criminal behavior.
Treatment in a criminal justice setting can succeed in preventing an offender's return to criminal behavior, particularly when treatment continues as the person transitions back into the community. Studies show that treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
The report Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System: The Current State of Knowledge presents results for six different dimensions bearing on drug treatment in the criminal justice correction system.
These dimensions are:- Prevalence on drug abuse needs
- Screening and assessment
- Treatment programs and approaches
- Treatment effectiveness
- Linkages to post-release supervision
- Barriers to implementing drug treatment
Straight Facts:- Research consistently demonstrates a strong connection between criminal activity and substance abuse.
- The consequences of crime related to substance abuse are substantial. The Bureau of Justice statistics report that in 1999 alone, 12,658 homicides-4.5 percent of all homicides for that year- were drug related.
- Incarceration of drug offenders was by far the leading cause of increased correctional populations, account for 33 percept of the overall prison growth between 1980 and 1999.
- In 1980, the drug incarceration rate was 15 per 100,000 adults, but by the end of 1996, the rate had increased to 148, representing approximately a 900 percent increase in a 17-year period.
- The increased drug incarceration rate was largely attributable to increases in drug arrests and to increased incarceration of those arrested for drug offenses. Approximately one-third of the growth in drug incarceration was due to increased arrests, and the remaining two-thirds to increases in the conversion of drug arrests into prison sentences.
- Growth in the incarceration of drug offenders does not necessarily indicate increased demand for drug treatment, but highlights the increasing role of drugs in corrections and the broader context in which drug treatment endeavors are situated.
- Consistent and accurate estimates of expenditures on treatment, especially for drug treatment, are not readily available. However, estimates compiled by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse indicate that in 1996 less than percent of state prison budgets went toward drug treatment, and that less than 1 percent ($25 million) of the federal prison budget was targeted for drug treatment, including drug abuse education, residential counseling services, and community transitional services.
Drug Treatment in Corrections
One consistent research finding is that involvement in substance abuse treatment reduces recidivism (a tendency to return to criminal habits) for offenders who use drugs. For example, when researchers conducted follow up studies of clients treated through comprehensive treatment demonstration programs funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), they found substantial reductions in criminal activity, including a 64-percent decrease in arrests.
Along with reduced criminal activity associated with substance abuse treatment for offenders, treatment has also found to be cost-effective. According to the California Drug and Alcohol Treatment Assessment study, for example, every dollar invested in treatment saved approximately $7 in future costs.
There are few precise estimates of drug treatment in correctional settings. In one study conducted in 1996 by the center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, state officials estimated that while 70 to 85 percent of their inmates needed drug treatment, only 13 percent received any. By contrast, the Federal Bureau of Prisons estimated that while 31 percent of their inmates needed treatment, only 10 percent actually received any.
Using recent prison survey data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a conservative estimate is that 150,000 inmates in 1997 needed drug treatment but did not receive it. A more realistic and less conservative estimate is that 420,000 inmates needed some form of drug treatment but did not receive it. A more
Screening and Assessment for Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System
Treatment in a criminal justice setting can succeed in preventing an offender's return to criminal behavior, particularly when treatment continues as the person transitions back into the community. Studies show that treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
