Study of Methadone Maintenance for Male Prisoners: 3-Month Postrelease Outcomes

• NCJ Number: 221326
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 34-47
• Author(s): Timothy W. Kinlock; Michael S. Gordon; Robert P. Schwartz; Kevin E. O'Grady
• Date Published: January 2008
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA 16327
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The study examined the benefits of methadone maintenance among prerelease prison inmates

Abstract

The study suggests that methadone maintenance treatment, provided to prisoners with preincarceration histories of heroin addiction, is an effective intervention for interrupting the cycle of relapse, recidivism, and reincarceration typically experienced by individuals who are released from American prisons. In prison methadone maintenance facilitates community treatment, and reduces self-reported heroin use at a crucial point in time when relapse disproportionately occurs, usually at 3 months postrelease. In prison methadone maintenance was also found to be associated with lower levels of criminal recidivism, (both reincarceration and self-reported crime) during the same time period. Participants who received prison-initiated maintenance treatment were significantly more likely to enter community-based treatment than were inmates who simply received information on how to access drug abuse treatment after release, or counseling-only. More than 70 percent of participants who initiated maintenance treatment in prison, continued treatment until their release, and more than 90 percent of these individuals continued this treatment within 10 days of release from incarceration. Methadone maintenance initiated in prison was superior to the counseling-only, reincarceration, and self-reported heroin use and criminal activity. Compared to counseling-only participants, those who received counseling plus methadone were more than eight times more likely to enter drug abuse treatment in the 3 months following release, and were almost time times less likely to spend time in jail during that same period. Counseling-only participants’ rate of participation in self-reported criminal activity was twice as high as rates reported by counseling plus methadone participants. Counseling plus transfer participants, who were to begin maintenance treatment in the community, generally showed postrelease outcomes that were superior to those of counseling-only. Counseling plus transfer respondents were significantly more likely than counseling-only individuals to enter drug abuse treatment by 3-month postrelease and to report significantly lower rates of criminal activity. Tables, references