NCJ Number
138626
Date Published
1992
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the scope of drug treatment services in jails across the United States, as addressed by a recent survey conducted by the American Jail Association. Several innovative treatment approaches implemented by in- jail model demonstration programs are also reviewed.
Abstract
For the 1,687 jails that provided information on the inmate census, only 12,894 inmates (7 percent) of an average daily inmate population of 192,461 were enrolled in drug treatment programs. Even for jails with drug treatment programs, only 12,894 (13 percent) of 100,389 inmates were involved in treatment. The absence of drug treatment services is particularly striking in smaller jails. The survey identified a clear need for smaller jails to begin forging linkages with community drug treatment providers or to hire in-house staff to provide at least minimal treatment interventions such as drug education and group counseling. Drug treatment programs were more likely to be reported in large jails, in jails with a continuum of adjunctive support services, in jails with an orientation toward development of inmate and staff programs, and in jails with an orientation toward innovative approaches to inmate management. In comparison with residential treatment in the community, the costs of developing and operating an in-jail drug treatment program are quite modest. Preliminary findings from model demonstration drug treatment programs in jails indicate that even relatively short-term interventions (6 to 8 weeks) can provide inmates with important coping skills to manage high- risk situations and can increase knowledge about the recovery process. In-jail programs based on the development of cognitive-behavioral skills apparently hold considerable promise for reducing the rate of rearrest following release. 13 references