NCJ Number
220451
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 34 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 1216-1234
Date Published
September 2007
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article presents results of the first National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices Survey (NCJTP), which solicited information on substance abuse treatment and other correctional program practices from agencies throughout the adult justice systems.
Abstract
As the first national survey, the study provides a uniquely detailed understanding of the prevalence of screening tools, assessment practices, and other treatment services for offenders in diverse correctional settings, and discusses implications of the survey findings for improving placements of participants in appropriate substance abuse treatment programs. Study findings indicated that 58.2 percent of the surveyed respondents reported the use of a standardized substance abuse screening tool, and 34.2 percent used an actuarial risk tool. Although the use of standardized risk tools, substance abuse screening tools, and assessment practices has been widely advocated in both criminal justice and treatment literature for the past several decades, there remains substantial knowledge gaps about the use of valid, extant screening tools in correctional settings. The survey results present information regarding the patterns of use of standardized screening tools in the correctional system, the degree to which the use related to the availability of treatment programs offered in correctional settings, and the factors associated with the use of screening and assessment practices in the correctional settings. The survey also examined a number of organizational factors such as climate, culture, intra-agency communication, and working relationships between respondent agencies and other stakeholders. A total of 289 adult facility administrators completed the survey. All respondents were responsible for managing the prison, jail, probation, or parole facility or other criminal justice office or local agency referred to as a facility in this article. Tables, references