NCJ Number
198858
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 3-8
Editor(s)
Timothy P. Cadigan
Date Published
December 2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports on an evaluation of California's prison-based therapeutic community (TC) substance abuse treatment programs.
Abstract
The authors begin with a review of the history of TCs in the United States and in California, in particular, since the 1980's. The positive characteristics of this method of treatment are enumerated. The authors offer recommendations for implementing and operating TC programs in correctional environments, including collaboration and communication; supportive organizational culture; sufficient resources; screening, assessment, and referral; and treatment curriculum, and coerced treatment. The issues raised by process evaluations of 17 (of 32) programs are examined as they relate to implementation and ongoing operations of prison-based TCs in general. In summary, it is noted that few evaluations in the past have focused on the system-level and treatment-level process issues relating to the implementation and ongoing operations of TCs in correctional environments as they relate to effective provision of treatment services to inmate populations, specifically. Also, the issues covered in this article are applicable to use beyond a prison setting, can be used in any correctional environment, and should be incorporated in their entirety. References