Skills Training in a Program for Problem-Drinking Offenders - A One-Year Follow-Up Evaluation

• NCJ Number: 80524
• Journal: Journal of Offender Counseling, Services and Rehabilitation Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1980) Pages: 61-73
• Author(s): G L Vigdal; D W Stadler; D D Goodrich; D J Sutton
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-03-01-13; 74-03-05-03
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Findings are presented from an evaluation of a correctional program for problem-drinking offenders based on social learning principles and skill training.

Abstract

The Alcohol Education and Treatment Program is a special facility run by the Wisconsin Division of Corrections to train problem-drinking offenders to deal with drinking difficulties, conditions of their parole status, postrelease employment, and their reintegration into the community. Individual responsibility in the management of all behavior and future drinking consumption is promoted within the context of a functional analysis of human behavior and a humanistic approach to personal change. Offenders were screened for alcohol problems at the institution, and, on a random basis, 90 percent of the applicants were admitted for treatment. The control group consisted of 40 subjects randomly selected at screening and released in the same time-frame as the experimental group. The experimental group was composed of 167 subjects who completed the 6-week program during its first year of operation. Followup interviews were conducted at 3, 6, and 12 months from release to parole supervision or discharge. The interviews measured a number of drinking and social functioning variables. Data analysis indicated a moderate program impact at the first and last followup periods. In general, the experimental group reported drinking less, getting jobs sooner, and earning more. The experimental group tended to maintain these gains, while the control group reported deterioration on several drinking variables. The influence of so many personal background and postrelease variables may obscure success as well as failure, such that while the study results are encouraging, further research is required to determine the specific program impacts. Tabular and graphic data and 10 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)