Substance Abuse Study

OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY

Our objectives are to gauge the efficacy of various treatment modalities, identify areas in need of reform, and review the treatment process from entry into prison to release into the community. An Advisory Committee consisting of experts in the fields of corrections and substance abuse treatment have been instrumental in helping guide the project’s design, evaluation of data, findings, and recommendations.

To gather information for the final report, the Project visited 23 prison-based substance abuse treatment programs. In addition to survey data collected from over 2,300 individuals both in treatment or awaiting programs and in need of treatment, the report will draw on observations of treatment sessions; interviews with inmates and treatment staff; system-wide data provided by prison officials; discussions with a number of formerly incarcerated individuals about their reentry experiences from prison-based treatment programs; and information gathered from six model prison-based substance abuse treatment programs across the country.