A first-time survey on substance abuse treatment in the nation's adult and juvenile correctional facilities conducted by SAMHSA provides information on the number of facilities providing treatment, the number of inmates receiving treatment, and the types of treatment services offered.
Findings of the new report, Substance Abuse Treatment In Adult And Juvenile Correctional Facilities, revealed that 40 percent of the nation's 7,564 adult and juvenile facilities surveyed offered substance abuse treatment to inmates and residents.
Of the 3,027 facilities that provided treatment, 40 percent of these facilities offered family counseling as part of treatment. The report was based on the Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS) 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities. SAMHSA collaborated with the Department of Justice in conducting the study of 129 federal prisons, 1,187 state prisons, 3,121 jails and 3,127 juvenile facilities.
Common Sense Approach
Barry McCaffrey, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said: "Our dominant approach of primarily incarcerating drug offenders has been a failed social policy. We're now replacing it with a common sense approach of treatment and testing combined with law enforcement. Our goal is to encourage the expansion among federal, state, and local jurisdictions of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders and treatment for drug-dependent offenders in all phases of the criminal justice system. Targeting the 50-80 percent of arrestees who test positive for drugs (compared to 6 percent of the overall population who used drugs in the last month) is a smart way both to reduce crime and serve the public health."
"It is clearly in the public interest for offenders with substance abuse problems to receive appropriate treatment both in prison or jail and in the community after release," said SAMHSA Administrator Nelba Chavez, Ph.D. "This new survey shows that we have a great deal of work ahead of us if we are to be successful in breaking the cycle of crime and drugs. Treatment gains in prison may be lost if treatment is not continued after the offender is released."
"Many prisoners after release have no place to live, no job, and no family or social supports, all factors that increase the risk of relapse. Providing family counseling and other support services is a critical part of ensuring the continuity of care as offenders with substance abuse problems move from incarceration to the community."
Increasing Numbers of Abusers
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, correctional systems nationwide are witnessing ever-increasing numbers of drug offenders coming under their supervision. About half of the inmates in state and Federal prisons in 1997 reported using drugs or alcohol while committing their offense, and about one in six inmates said they committed crimes to obtain money for drugs.To begin addressing these critical needs, SAMHSA has proposed to target $10 million of its FY 2001 targeted capacity expansion grant funds to provide substance abuse and mental health services for ex-offenders returning to their communities.
These resources will complement a $60 million initiative in the Department of Justice to create "reentry partnerships" and "reentry courts" to address community safety concerns, lower recidivism rates, and promote responsible fatherhood among offenders returning to communities, as well as a $75 million initiative in the Department of Labor to help young offenders successfully reintegrate into the mainstream economy.
