Reducing Drug Use and Crime Among Pretrial Felony Defendants: Findings From the Evaluation of Breaking the Cycle

• NCJ Number: 187076
• Author(s): Adele Harrell
• Date Published: March 2001
• Length: 0 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Progress Seminars
• Publication Format: Film
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Videotape introduces the ncj number as 186731 should be ncj number 187076 as printed on video. 44 minutes

Annotation

This videotape presents an address by Adele Harrell, Director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute, on "Reducing Drug Use and Crime Among Pretrial Felony Defendants: Findings From the Evaluation of Breaking the Cycle."

Abstract

Dr. Harrell presents statistics on the Breaking the Cycle (BTC) program in Birmingham, AL. The BTC program was designed to deal with the high crime rates among drug-involved offenders and the increased frequency and severity of their criminal behavior as drug use increased. Dr. Harrell describes requirements for entry into the BTC program and procedures implemented to establish the program in Birmingham. Preliminary findings disclosed that 40 to 50 percent of regular cocaine and heroin users who spent at least 3 months in treatment were almost drug free in the year after treatment regardless of treatment type. Long-term residential treatment resulted in a drop of predatory crime from 41 percent in the year before to 16 percent in the year after treatment. Although findings are preliminary, they are promising, demonstrating that a BTC program provides an alternative to imprisonment, promotes strategic planning and inter-agency cooperation, and can reduce drug use and criminal behavior. Barriers to the program include problems resulting from jail overcrowding, insufficient data exchange, delay in setting up a policy board and inter-agency agreements, and exclusion from the program of probation services. Future BTC programs are planned for Jacksonville, FL, and Tacoma, WA.