NCJ Number
165235
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 60 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 38-42
Date Published
1996
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study designed to determine the extent of alcohol abuse among offenders in the Federal probation system, using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST).
Abstract
The population for the study consisted of all male and female offenders in the Southern District of Georgia, Augusta Division, who in 1995 were serving felony sentences that stemmed from convictions from January 1985 through April 1994. A cover letter, the survey instrument, and a self-addressed envelope were sent to each offender in the sample, a total of 133. Seventy- seven respondents completed to MAST. MAST is a questionnaire that consists of 25 items that require a "yes" or "no" response and addresses "drinking patterns, social, occupational, and medical aspects of drinking, and previous attempts at treatment" (Allen, Eckardt, and Wallen, 1988). The three primary questions in the survey instrument examine whether the respondent has ever attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, whether he/she has ever gone to anyone for help about drinking, and whether the respondent has ever been in a hospital because of drinking. By one form of measurement, 49 percent of the respondents exhibited problem drinking tendencies. There is thus a possibility that approximately half of the offenders under supervision are prone to alcohol abuse. Probation officers must be alert to the dangers of such a situation. Six recommendations are offered from the study. Two of the recommendations are that the identification of problem drinkers have high priority in probation casework and that this occur in the early stages of supervision, so that appropriate treatment plans can be devised. Further, probation officers should design, implement, and monitor a treatment plan that will mitigate the substance abuse problem. 5 tables, 17 references, and appended MAST form