NCJ Number
177398
Journal
American Jails Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: March-April 1999 Pages: 31-34
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A full-time jail-based drug abuse counselor provides services to four rural county jails in Kansas and offers a simple, workable service for rural jail inmates who need to develop the recovery and abstinence skills that will be needed after their release.
Abstract
The counselor is funded by grant funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Department of Justice and the KANZA Mental Health and Guidance Center. KANZA is a nonprofit community mental health center that provides other services and collaborates with justice agencies in other areas. The Jail Counseling Program serves counties that have rates of juvenile drug and alcohol arrests, adult drug arrests, adult violent crime arrests, and juvenile arrests for curfew and other violations that are higher than those in other Kansas rural counties and the State as a whole. The counties also have higher-than-average rates of adults in drug treatment programs, teen violent deaths, alcohol-related traffic fatalities, and pregnant drug abusers. The program has served 195 inmates with an average age of 31.1 years. Most have been white males. A total of 43.9 percent used alcohol only, 12.2 percent used other drugs only, and 43.9 percent used both alcohol and other drugs. Counseling sessions may occur by plan or as a result of a crisis. The major approach is the 12-step method, as well as a focus on relapse prevention. Each inmate has a written treatment plan that includes specific objectives. Records indicate that 71.9 percent of the inmates who took part in the program successfully completed the series of sessions. The program demonstrates that overcoming the challenges of service delivery in rural areas is possible through a shared commitment of time and energy. Photograph and address and telephone number from which to obtain additional information