Research conducted during the past decade has shown a need to enhance treatment for drug-involved offenders at all stages of the criminal justice process. Data from the National Institute of Justice's Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program show that as many as three-quarters of arrestees test positive for one or more illicit drugs; many of the arrestees are dependent on drugs and in need of treatment. To understand the scope of the problem and the state of the art in treating drug-abusing offenders, this article attempts to determine: (1) how many offenders need drug treatment; (2) the extent to which treatment needs are being met; (3) the effectiveness of different types of drug treatment programs and what kinds of programs work best for different types of offenders; and (4) what can be done to enhance treatment efforts. The article discusses various approaches to drug treatment of offenders, many facilitated by linkages between the criminal justice and drug treatment systems. Some of the innovations involve: deferred prosecution programs, treatment for released and jailed defendants, treatment for probationers and parolees, expanded treatment in the prison system, and transitional programs. References
Drug Treatment in the Criminal Justice System (From Drug Use and Drug Policy, P 69-74, 1997, Marilyn McShane, Frank P. Williams, III, eds. - See NCJ-168395)
NCJ Number
168400
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article addresses treatment within the criminal justice system for drug-involved offenders.
Abstract
Date Published: January 1, 1997