NCJ Number
156751
Date Published
1994
Length
40 pages
Annotation
A program begun in 1983 and designed to reduce inmate drug use in the Edinburgh Prison in Scotland was evaluated with respect to its effectiveness.
Abstract
The Saughton Drug Reduction Program was developed because of recognition that many offenders entering the prison are heavy drug users; a significant proportion of them are also HIV infected. The program offers education and counseling options, with input from a multidisciplinary team of prison personnel and outside agency representatives. The analysis revealed that the program has become widely accepted within the prison a year after its beginning. In addition, compared to a matched control group, drug treatment clients reported lower drug use on a variety of measures. Moreover, they maintained this difference throughout their current sentence. A future part of the evaluation will determine the impact on clients' drug use after release. Findings indicated that the program provides a model that could be adopted by other prisons in the United Kingdom. Tables and 52 references