NCJ Number
207210
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: 2004 Pages: 37-62
Date Published
2004
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an institutional substance abuse treatment therapeutic community (ITC) for treating male inmates with dual diagnoses of substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Abstract
Previous research has not only brought to light the high lifetime substance abuse rates among persons with mental health disorders, it has also underscored the difficulty in treating this population of patients. Recent research has documented the effectiveness of ITC’s for dually diagnosed offenders. The current article reports on an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Mental Illness-Chemical Abuse Treatment Program at the OshKosh Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, which is a 9- to 12-month modified therapeutic community providing integrated treatment for male offenders dually diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness and substance abuse or dependence. Participants were 212 offenders admitted to the ITC program during the 4-year period spanning October 1997 through September 2001. Data were collected from the treatment program database; through interviews with probation and parole agents, and ITC staff; from offender case files; and from the corrections data system. Outcome variables were examined mid-way through the program and at 3 months and 12 months following release from the ITC. Results of statistical analysis, including logistic and OLS regression, indicated a positive short-term impact of the ITC program on arrest after release, medication compliance, abstinence from substance use, and short-term mental stability following release. Medication compliance was identified as pivotal to program success, leading to improved mental stability, decreased recidivism, and positive community outcomes. The findings suggest that those treating offenders with a dually diagnosed substance abuse and mental illness diagnosis should emphasize the importance of medication compliance. Tables, figures, references, notes