NCJ Number
67184
Date Published
1978
Length
52 pages
Annotation
CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY'S DRUG ABUSE SERVICE PROGRAM (DASP) WAS EVALUATED TO ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH ITS OBJECTIVES HAD BEEN ATTAINED DURING THE FIRST 8 MONTHS OF OPERATION.
Abstract
THE TERMINATION OF DASP'S PRECURSOR, THE COMMUNITY-CENTERED DRUG PROGRAM (CCDP), HAD DISRUPTED MOST OF THE IDENTIFICATION AND SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM THE DASP HAD INHERITED. AS A CONSEQUENCE, ONLY HALF THE NUMBER OF IDENTIFIED DRUG ABUSERS WERE ON PAROLE AS HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER, IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF IDENTIFIED ABUSERS IN EACH PERIOD, THE PROPORTION RECEIVING SERVICES WAS ABOUT THE SAME (AS PER THE DASP OBJECTIVE). SECOND, AN ATTEMPT TO STUDY PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS IN TERMS OF VIOLATION, LOCAL CUSTODY, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, DRUG USAGE, PEER ASSOCIATION, AND PAROLE AGENT'S EVALUATION OF PAROLE ADJUSTMENT DID NOT REVEAL ANY STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROGRAM-INVOLVED AND NON-INVOLVED WARDS, EXCEPT FOR THE PAROLE AGENT EVALUATION, WHICH IS SUBJECT TO CONSIDERABLE BIAS. THIRD, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DIFFERENTIATE COST EFFECTIVENESS BY TYPE OF PROGRAM (COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT PROGRAMS). HOWEVER, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT IF AS FEW AS SIX OF THE WARDS FOR WHOM SERVICE EXPENDITURES WERE MADE DURING THE FIRST 8 MONTHS OF THE PROGRAM WERE RETAINED ON PAROLE, THE PROGRAM WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE FOR THAT PERIOD. FOURTH, AS FOR INCREASING THE USE OF EXISTING APPROVED COMMUNITY DRUG TREATMENT RESOURCES BY THE END OF THE PROJECT YEAR, DASP WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. MOREOVER, NO RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN A WARD'S INVOLVEMENT WITH DRUG PROGRAM SERVICES WHILE IN AN INSTITUTION AND A WARD'S INVOLVEMENT WITH COMMUNITY DRUG PROGRAMS FOLLOWING RELEASE ON PAROLE. NEVERTHELESS, STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS ON PLACEMENT OR REFERRAL REPORTS AND BOARD ORDERS HAD AN INFLUENCE ON WARD'S PROGRAM INVOLVEMENT. OVERALL, IT WAS FOUND THAT CONTRACTING WITH COMMUNITY DRUG TREATMENT AGENCIES WAS PRACTICAL AND SUCCESSFUL, THAT PROVIDING DIRECT DRUG-RELATED SERVICES (CHEMOTHERAPY, RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT) WERE MOST SUCCESSFUL, AND THAT ACTUAL PURCHASE-OF-SERVICE EXPENDITURES IS MOST COST EFFECTIVE WHEN THE IMPACT ON THE PAROLE PERFORMANCE OF PROGRAM-INVOLVED WARDS IS CONSIDERED. A LIST OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS UTILIZED BY DASP WARDS AND A REFERRAL FORM ARE APPENDED.