Breaking the cycle of substance abuse and crime is one of the most important investments we can make in the safety of our communities," said Mary Lou Leary, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs.
"That is why we are working to build substance abuse treatment into all phases of the criminal justice system. From drug testing and assessment of arrestees, to drug court programs that provide supervised treatment for non-violent offenders, to residential substance abuse treatment for prison and jail inmates, to supervising the reentry of ex-offenders to the community, we are working with state and local governments to build a continuum of care for drug-involved offenders."
1.6 Million in Treatment
For purposes of the study, substance abuse treatment was defined as services that focus on initiating and maintaining an individual's recovery from alcohol or drug abuse and on averting relapse. Treatment may include detoxification, group or individual counseling, rehabilitation, and methadone or other pharmaceutical treatment.According to survey findings, 173,000 individuals, or about 10.5 percent of the 1.6 million adults and juveniles in the facilities surveyed, were in substance abuse treatment in those institutions that provided treatment. More than 12,500 inmates received treatment in federal prisons, 99,000 in state prisons, 34,000 in jails, and about 27,000 residents in juvenile facilities.
The survey results show the types of counseling provided as part of the substance abuse treatment services in correctional facilities. Individual counseling was offered by a large proportion of the facilities which provide treatment, ranging from 77 percent of jails with treatment to 99 percent of Federal prisons with treatment.
Best Practicies
Group counseling was also offered by a large proportion of the facilities with treatment. Family counseling, however, was offered in a lower proportion of facilities—ranging from 12 percent of Federal prisons with treatment to 72 percent of juvenile facilities with treatment.Also available from SAMHSA is a "best practices" guide for community professionals to help offenders with substance abuse problems successfully move from incarceration to the community. The guide, a Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP #30) published by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, is titled Continuity Of Offender Treatment For Substance Use Disorders From Institution to Community.
The guidelines offer strategies for substance abuse treatment professionals and criminal justice professionals to create transitions for offenders who are released into communities. TIP #30 is also available from the SAMHSA web page or may be ordered by contacting SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686.
