NCJ Number
188870
Date Published
2001
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of a process evaluation of Ohio's Nobel Choices program, a residential substance abuse treatment program within the Noble Correction Institution, a medium-security prison.
Abstract
The program was fully implemented in October 1998 and was designed to serve 120 inmates with identified drug and alcohol abuse problems. The process evaluation involved a descriptive analysis of a sample of program participants and a qualitative analysis of the nature of services provided. The sample consisted of 33 cases, and the study period extended from the date of first admission (October 18, 1998) through March 31, 1999. Among the findings were that the participants had many risk factors, including poor decision making skills, significant criminal histories, and serious substance abuse problems. The program scored in the satisfactory range of the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory, indicating that the program had incorporated many of the principles of effective correctional intervention. Of the 33 cases, 23 were still active in the program, 3 had been terminated due to failure, and 5 had voluntarily withdrawn from the program. Offenders who were unsuccessfully discharged from the program had significantly higher scores on the distress and stress coping scales of the Prison Inmate Inventory compared to offenders who were still active in the program. The conclusions that could be drawn were primarily descriptive and were not intended to speak to the effectiveness of the program. 5 tables, 7 figures, appended study instruments, and 22 references