DRUG REHABILITATION AND CRIMINALITY

• NCJ Number: 52936
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1978) Pages: 381-386
• Author(s): S WILSON; B MANDELBROTE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Sweet and Maxwell
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECIDIVISM AFTER TREATMENT IN A DRUG ABUSE REHABILITATION PROGRAM AND A NUMBER OF SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS IS EXPLORED.

Abstract

THE LEY COMMUNITY, A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FOR THE TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG ABUSERS IN ENGLAND, WAS USED FOR THIS STUDY. ALL THOSE ADMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY BETWEEN SEPTEMBER, 1971 AND SEPTEMBER, 1973 WERE STUDIED (N=62). THE SAMPLE WAS DIVIDED ACCORDING TO WHETHER CONVICTION FOR A CRIMINAL OFFENSE WAS RECORDED DURING A 2-YEAR FOLLOWUP PERIOD FROM THE DATE OF LEAVING THE PROGRAM. INFORMATION ABOUT VARIOUS DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES WAS OBTAINED FROM HOSPITAL AND COMMUNITY RECORDS. PERSONALITY FACTORS MEASURED AND EXAMINED ACCORDING TO CATTELL'S 16PF PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: LOW VS. HIGH ANXIETY, INTROVERSION VS. EXTRAVERSION, TENDER-MINDED EMOTIONALITY VS. ALERT POISE, AND SUBDUEDNESS VS. INDEPENDENCE. INTELLIGENCE WAS MEASURED USING THE FULL-SCALE WECHSLER ADULT INTELLIGENCE SCALE. PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS WERE GIVEN ROUTINELY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER ADMISSION, WHEN RESIDENTS WERE DRUG-FREE AND NOT SUFFERING FROM WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS. SIXTEEN FACTORS WERE TESTED FOR AN ASSOCIATION WITH CONVICTION DURING THE FOLLOWUP PERIOD. THREE FACTORS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER CONVICTION RATE: TWO OR LESS PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS, A GREATER DEGREE OF EXTRAVERSION ON ADMISSION, AND A LONGER PERIOD OF RESIDENCE IN THE TREATMENT COMMUNITY. THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SAMPLE IS NOTED TO HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY NARROW (15 TO 33) AS AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY NO SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN AGE ON ADMISSION AND CONVICTION DURING THE FOLLOWUP PERIOD. AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LONGER PERIODS OF RESIDENCE IN THE TREATMENT COMMUNITY AND A LACK OF RECIDIVISM REMAINED WHEN INTROVERSION AND NUMBER OF PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS WERE HELD CONSTANT. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREATMENT PROGRAM ITSELF ARE NOT DESCRIBED. TABULAR DATA FROM THE STUDY AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)