Effect of Prison-Based Alcohol Treatment: A Multi-Site Process and Outcome Evaluation.

摘要

Alcohol abuse and drunk driving present challenges for the criminal justice system in terms of maintaining public safety, delivering effective rehabilitative services, and managing offender populations. While treatment for illicit drug abuse in correctional settings has been broadly implemented throughout the United States, alcohol-specific recovery programming is far less common. In that alcohol related crime commands a greater amount of resources than illicit substances, in-prison alcohol treatment for felony driving while intoxicated (DWI) and driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) offenders is a promising opportunity to rehabilitate serial inebriates through cognitive restructuring oriented toward behavioral change. Given the scarcity of alcohol-specific treatment delivered in correctional settings, it is not surprising that alcohol treatment programming within the criminal justice system has not been thoroughly evaluated. There is a need for empirical knowledge regarding whether prison-based alcohol treatment is effective and, if so, which treatment practices are most strategic for disrupting the alcohol and crime nexus. This mixed methods study entailed process and outcome evaluations of three separate state-sponsored alcohol-specific treatment programs delivered in prisons located in Montana, Ohio, and Texas. The study examined three interrelated research questions regarding the evaluated programs: (1) Do justice system delivered alcohol treatment programs adhere to evidence based practices (2) Is treatment delivered in a manner consistent with program protocols demonstrating program fidelity; and (3) Are program graduates more or less likely to re-offend.