NCJ Number
193632
Journal
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 335-345
Date Published
November 2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the implementation of an experimental and developmental project to provide a comprehensive assessment and referral service for inmates with drug abuse problems in two areas of England.
Abstract
The Throughcare Project focused particularly on detainees and those serving sentences of under 12 months in the Merseyside and North Cheshire areas. A process evaluation examined the first 9 months of the project. The research focused on the project’s organization and operation. Researchers collected information by observing and discussing the project informally with staff, formal interviews with representatives of all the groups involved in the project, and reviewing inmates’ files. Results revealed that considerable difficulties occurred in the short term as a result of the introduction of a new group of personnel into such a highly structured setting as a prison without adequate preparation and orientation and at a sensitive time. Nevertheless, the project served more than 1,000 inmates in its first 9 months. The great majority of these inmates were heroin users. About half of the heroin users had not been in contact with any drug treatment agencies or services in the community. The analysis concluded that the project succeeded within the prison but it was not clear whether it had succeeded with respect to prisoners’ contacting agencies following their release. Tables and 16 references