NCJ Number
154379
Journal
American Jails Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (September/October 1990) Pages: 50-52,54
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article profiles The Key program, a therapeutic community for substance abusers at the Multipurpose Criminal Justice Facility on the outskirts of Wilmington, Delaware.
Abstract
The stated mission of The Key program is to habilitate/rehabilitate substance abusers so they can return to the community and provide positive role modeling for the community. To achieve this, The Key intends to provide a positive "family" environment where residents live and work together while developing a sense of responsibility, caring, and cohesiveness. The staff constitute the "parents" or rational authority figures within the structure of a chain of command that must be followed in a disciplined but nurturing setting. Within the treatment environment, the program treats three aspects of a person's personality; a separate type of therapy is used to address each aspect of performance. The therapies are behavioral therapy (behavior), cognitive therapy (decisionmaking skills), and emotional therapy (emotions). Behavior therapy fosters positive behavior by not accepting antisocial behavior. Cognitive therapy helps individuals recognize inaccuracies in their thinking, and emotional therapy facilitates the individual's recognizing unresolved conflicts concerning negative judgments about himself and others. To implement these three strategies, a number of techniques are used to motivate inmates to change in a positive manner. Although the program has not been in existence long enough to have outcome data, its format is similar to inmate drug treatment programs that have proven successful in reducing recidivism. Currently, several options are being considered for a transitional facility in the community that will assist in maintaining that progress achieved while incarcerated. 6 references