Treatment of Criminal Justice Involved Drug Abusers

Research has shown that those who are court ordered to get drug treatment are more likely to stay in treatment for longer. They are also prone to do as well or better than those that are not under a court order. It is often the case that drug abusers come in contact with law enforcement before they come in contact with social services or other agencies. There is a belief that when this happens it can greatly decrease the time in which someone spends doing drugs overall. Drug treatment of criminal justice clients can happen before, during or after (and even in place of) incarceration.

Here we will discuss the different methods used to help those in the criminal justice system to recover from drug abuse.

• Prison Based Programs - Many treatment options can be made available during imprisonment. These can include drug education, self-help, and therapeutic communities. Therapeutic communities has been researched for a long time and has been found to help lessen the likelihood of repeating their criminal behavior. In this treatment method the user should be separated from the general prison inmates so that the whole experience doesn't overwhelm the patient and inhibit recovery. If the inmate is put back into the normal prison environment there can be a high chance of regression. The chances of full recovery are better if the inmate gets continuing help after going back into the community.
• Community-Based Treatment - There are "drug court" options that provide pretrial treatment, diversion programs and conditional probation. The drug court can mandate and make available options for drug treatment. The court monitors progress and sees to arranging other services as needed. There is federal support and planning for these programs under the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Courts Program Offices. An example of this is the TASC (Treatment Accountability and Safer Communities) program which provides alternatives to imprisonment within the community. These alternatives address the varying needs of drug offenders. The programs can include counseling, education, family counseling, health care, job training and parenting skills. The keys for TASC include the court intervening in criminal justice and drug treatment, early intervention which includes identification, assessment and referral, monitoring through drug testing, and the use of court orders to keep offenders in treatment.