NCJ Number
225783
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 70 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 70-72
Date Published
December 2008
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After providing a rationale for incorporating treatment for criminal behavior in substance abuse treatment programs, this article describes proven techniques for such treatment.
Abstract
There is little evidence to suggest that illicit drug use converts nonoffenders into offenders; rather, drug use apparently intensifies criminal activity among those who are already offenders. Consequently, it can be expected that a large percentage of offenders who use drugs also exhibit a criminal lifestyle. Typically, offenders begin using drugs, particularly alcohol and marijuana, in their teen years. This early reliance on alcohol and other drugs as a coping mechanism impedes the development of mature, productive coping skills. Drug use may contribute to and intensify antisocial and deviant behavior related to the failure to develop mature, normative behaviors, but removing drug use from a person’s life does not guarantee that the criminal behavior will necessarily be replaced by a law-abiding lifestyle. What is needed is a treatment program that addresses both the coping pattern of substance abuse and the development of mature coping mechanisms and behaviors that preclude embedded criminal behaviors developed over time. Two treatment approaches have received consistent support within the research literature as having the most promise in reducing criminal recidivism. The first, cognitive-behavioral therapy, targets offenders’ thinking and its impact on their perception of themselves and their environment. This addresses the underlying emotional and attitudinal patterns that underlie their criminal behavior. The second proven treatment approach is the therapeutic community, which is most often used with prison-based substance abuse treatments. The therapeutic community relies on peer support within the treatment community in order to encourage each participant to act in accordance with values underlying prosocial rather than criminal behavior. 10 notes