NCJ Number
84001
Date Published
1981
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the activities and impact of Connecticut's Treatment and Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners (TRAP) project which provides treatment and supportative services to male inmates in two correctional facilities.
Abstract
TRAP's comprehensive services begin with the inmate's admission to prison when drug abusers are identified and evaluated and continue through prerelease planning and parole. The program allows a higher percentage of inmates with a history of drug abuse to receive institutional treatment; 36 percent of TRAP's participants are receiving substance abuse treatment for the first time. The program has also increased communication and cooperation among corrections personnel, treatment staff, and inmates. This report details TRAP's outreach activities, application process, procedures for monitoring participants, case management, and training for treatment staff. An innovative component is the Audio Book Unit which records books for the blind and physically handicapped. Methods for maintaining continuity of care through prerelease programs and parole are reviewed. TRAP has hosted visitors from other States interested in developing a drug program within a maximum security prison. The program's objectives and accomplishments for its second year of operations are listed. Major problems encountered by any experimental project have been resolved, and emphasis has shifted to refining the program. Evaluation activities have been impeded by lack of funding, but preliminary data show that 66.5 percent of TRAP's clients were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their offense causing imprisonment, only 14 percent had no prior conviction, and heroin was the primary drug of abuse for 57 percent. The appendixes contain a detailed description of the program and caseload statistics.