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Projects

Here are descriptions of selected criminal justice research and evaluation projects underway at ISAP.

List of Completed and Current Projects:

(Click for List of Additional Projects)

Study Title:
The Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF)

M. Douglas Anglin, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
David Farabee, Ph.D., Research Director
Jerome Cartier, M.A., Study Director

Study Description:
The SATF provides treatment to 1,056 inmates using the therapeutic community model for prison treatment. The Drug Abuse Research Center is conducting a five-year process and outcome evaluation of the program, under contract to the California Department of Corrections. The evaluation will address the following questions: (1) How well were the in-prison and community-based components planned, developed, and implemented? (2) What problems were encountered and how were they addressed? (3) To what extent do activities and services achieved the program's goals and objectives? (4) What was the impact of the program on prison functioning (e.g., 115s) and on the behavior of participants during in-prison treatment and after leaving the institution (up to 12 months following parole)? (5) What are the costs and cost-benefits of the program?

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Study Title:
Evaluation Study of Therapeutic Community Substance Abuse Programs for Prisoners (1000 Bed Treatment Expansion)

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
M. Douglas Anglin, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
William M. Burdon, Ph.D., Project Director

Study Description:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of five in-prison therapeutic community (TC) substance abuse programs in five California state prisons. Inmates with a history of substance abuse and 6-18 months left on their sentence will be placed in the program at their institution for the remainder of their sentence. Those who complete the in-prison programs will be encouraged to continue treatment in community-based programs following their release. The overall effectiveness of the programs will be reflected in decreased recidivism rates and drug use, as well as successful reintegration back into society following release from prison.  

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Study Title:
2000 Bed Treatment Expansion of Therapeutic Community Programs for Prisoners

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
M. Douglas Anglin, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
Nena Messina, Ph.D, Project Director

Study Description:
The 2000 Bed Expansion Project began in December 1999. The purpose of this project is to conduct process and outcome evaluations of the Therapeutic Community Substance Abuse Programs for Prisoners throughout California. This project is an extension of the 1000 Bed Expansion Project and included programs at the
•Correctional Training Facility,
•Northern California Women’s Facility,
•Central California Women’s Facility,
•Valley State Prison for Women,
•Baseline Fire Camp (SCC), and the
•California Rehabilitation Center (4 SAPs).
These programs, which are funded by the California Department of Corrections (CDC), provide treatment to male and female substance-abusing inmates using the therapeutic community model during the last 6-24 months of incarceration, followed by up to 6 months of treatment while on parole in community-based treatment programs.

This evaluation will address a number of questions regarding the above programs and their effects on the participants, including (1) How were the in-prison and community-based treatment components planned, developed, and implemented? (2) What problems were encountered and how were they addressed? (3) To what extent do activities and services achieve the goals and objectives of each of the providers and CDC? (4) How were inmates selected and assessed for assignment to the programs? (5) What are the characteristics and needs of inmates who participate in the programs? (6) What is the impact of the programs on inmate performance (e.g., disciplinary actions, drug use)? (7) How many clients enter community-based treatment, what types of programs do they enter, and how many complete treatment? (8) What effects do the programs have on clients at 12 months after leaving the prison in terms of recidivism, drug use, and psychosocial behaviors? (9) What are the costs of the programs? The evaluation is devided into two phases, a Process Evaluation and an Outcome Evaluation.

Status:We are currently collecting data for the Process Evaluation and plan to begin our Outcome Study in December 2001.

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Study Title:
Evaluating Voucher-Based Contingencies in a Drug Court

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
M. Douglas Anglin, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
Richard A. Rawson, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
John Roll, Ph.D., Project Director

Study Description:
The UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) and Friends Research Institute, in cooperation with the San Bernardino County California Drug Court (Rancho Cucamonga Division) and the Matrix Institute on Addictions, are conducting a five-year study to evaluate the effectiveness of using redeemable vouchers to reinforce abstinence and other positive behaviors among participants in a drug court. While research has shown that similar types of contingency management programs can reduce drug use in controlled clinical settings, the use of such interventions within "real world" settings has received little research attention. This approach to reinforcing desirable behavior seems particularly suited to treating substance abusing criminal offenders in drug courts, which tend to place more emphasis on sanctions as punishment for negative behavior.

The study employs a 2x2 design that evaluates two variables: (1) contingent vouchers for drug-free urine samples and (2) contingent vouchers for completion of assigned treatment plan tasks designed to promote abstinence and recovery. Two hundred forty drug court defendants who agree to participate are randomly assigned to one of four groups (60 participants in each group): (1) standard treatment, no vouchers (standard group); (2) standard treatment plus vouchers contingent upon testing negative for illicit drugs (drug testing group); (3) standard treatment plus vouchers contingent upon completing treatment plan tasks (treatment plan group); and (4) standard treatment plus vouchers contingent upon testing negative for drugs and/or completing treatment plan tasks (combined group). Participation in the intervention will last for the first 6 months of a standard 12-month drug court treatment program that is operated by Matrix Institute. The study will assess the impact of vouchers on program retention, drug use, crime, and other behaviors at completion of the intervention, scheduled completion of the drug court program, and six months following scheduled completion of the drug court; and will address the implementation and cost issues of introducing a contingency management protocol into a typical drug court treatment program. The specific aims of the study are: (1) Determine the impact of vouchers to reinforce abstinence from illicit drugs and completion of treatment plan goals during participation in a drug court treatment program. (2) Determine the impact of vouchers to reinforce abstinence from illicit drugs and completion of treatment plan goals six months after completing the drug court treatment program. (3) Determine if there are client characteristics (e.g., age, gender, primary drug diagnosis, criminal justice history) that are associated with differential treatment outcomes. (4) To provide a qualitative assessment of the impact on court operations and costs of introducing a voucher-based contingency management protocol into a drug court treatment program.

Status: The study is currently in the data collection phase.

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Study Title:
Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program (FOTEP)

Christine E. Grella, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Teresa L. Diaz, M.S., Project Director

Study Description:
The California State legislature passed legislation in 1998 authorizing the Department of Corrections Office of Substance Abuse Programs (CDC/OSAP) to establish the Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program (FOTEP). The project addresses the multiple needs of substance-abusing women offenders in their reintegration following release from prison. The project has established pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino counties to provide residential substance abuse treatment, intensive case management, vocational training, and other ancillary services for female parolees with a history of substance abuse who have completed an in-prison drug treatment program. The goal of the project is to enable the successful reintegration of these women parolees into the community upon their release from prison, including transition to the labor force, reunification with children, and long-term recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. The UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center is conducting an evaluation of the FOTEP project in each of the three pilot sites. The evaluation includes a process evaluation component, to examine the implementation process in the three counties; an outcome evaluation, including drug use, employment, and family status as key outcomes; and a cost-effectiveness component. The outcome evaluation sample will consist of approximately 575 FOTEP subjects and 250 comparison subjects (i.e., women who are eligible for FOTEP who do not participate).

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Study Title:
An Outcome Evaluation of the Forever Free Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Elizabeth A. Hall, Ph.D., Project Director

Study Description:
The Forever Free Substance Abuse Treatment Program is an intensive residential treatment program lasting four to six months for women inmates with substance abuse problems, followed by up to six months of community residential treatment in contracted facilities during parole supervision. The Forever Free program is located at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Frontera. As part of NIJ's Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Evaluation Program, the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) is conducting a two-year outcome study of the Forever Free Substance Abuse Treatment Program at the California Institution for Women (CIW).

The specific objectives of the study are as follows:

Proposed Research Design and Methodology.

The focus of the study, which extends our current process evaluation of Forever Free, is an outcome evaluation of the program including collection of follow-up interview data by telephone, urinalysis results from a subsample of subjects to validate self-report, and data from criminal justice records on approximately 100 in the program participant group and approximately 100 in a non-treatment comparison group, with a focus on the variables listed above.

Status: As of October 2000, Forever Free has finished data collection and is currently in the data cleaning mode.

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Study Title:
Therapeutic Community Treatment for Prisoners: Long-Term Outcomes and Costs (Amity Project)

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Elizabeth A. Hall, Ph.D., Project Director

Study Description:
Over the past twenty years, the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) has been actively involved in research designed to improve the accessibility and delivery of drug treatment services in California. The Amity Project is a collaborative effort between the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) and National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI).

In 1990 the California Department of Corrections implemented the Amity Program at the R. J. Donavan Correction Facility in San Diego, California. The Amity program is a 9- to 12-month program based on the TC model, a highly structured, very intensive, phased and relatively long-term drug treatment program. In 1991 a Residential community aftercare program, Amity-Vista, was implemented as an extension to the in-prison treatment program to continue the curriculum of the in-prison program. Participant inmates at the in-prison program may voluntarily enroll in the Amity-Vista program after paroling for up to 12 months.

NDRI conducted a formal evaluation of the Amity program during the years of 1992 through 1996, with data being collected on 715 subjects. Twelve and 24-month follow-up data indicated that the program was effective in reducing recidivism following release to the community. The UCLA Research Center will conduct a five-year follow-up to examine the long-term treatment outcomes of the Amity in-prison treatment program and the Amity-Vista community aftercare program.

The Project has the following specific aims:

Findings from the study will produce a number of benefits. First, there are gaps in our knowledge regarding correctional treatment, including the long term effectiveness of prison treatment programs, the differential effects of treatment within subgroups, factors contributing to natural recovery of untreated inmates, and cost of providing treatment in prison using the TC model. Second, continued expansion and improvement of the TC model within corrections will depend to a considerable extend on whether such programs can be shown to produce sustained positive outcomes beyond the typical 6-12 month follow-up periods, and at a reasonable cost.

The five-year follow-up interview covers the following domains: sociodemographic background, social support, drug use patterns, illegal activities, vocational training and employment history, psychological status, HIV risk, health status, treatment history, the nature and extent of services received, and perceptions of the helpfulness of treatment. We will ask clients to provide hair and urine samples to be analyzed for assessment on their self-report of recent drug use.

We will request respondents to come to our local offices in San Diego for the face to face interview. However, if any respondent is unable to come to our office, arrangements will be made for an alternative interview location. We also expect a large number of interviews to occur in jails and prisons throughout California.

Status: Amity (TC Treatment for Prisoners) is about a year ahead of schedule on data collection. As of 10/20/00, the project has completed follow up on 78% of the subjects.

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Study Title:
 Evaluation of the California Youth Authority's (CYA) Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Programs

David Farabee, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Angela Hegamin, Ph.D., MSPH, Co-Principal Investigator

Study Description:
The UCLA-Drug Abuse Research Center (DARC) has been contracted to conduct an independent evaluation of the CYA-RSAT Programs. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the extent to which program components are being implemented and to identify factors that either impede or enhance the delivery of program services. Funded by the Office of Criminal Justice Planning, the CYA-RSAT programs are currently operating at nine institutional sites: (1) Karl Holton Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility, (2) DeWitt Nelson Youth Correctional Facility, (3) O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility, and (4) N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton; (5) Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino; (6) Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo; (7) El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility in Paso Robles; (8) Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility in Whittier; and (9) Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione.

Status: Year 4 data collection for this study is currently underway.

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Study Title:
 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Project

Richard A. Rawson, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Birgit Danila, M.S., Project Coordinator

Study Description:
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with the office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), created the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program to expand the number of survey sites conducting quarterly interviews and drug tests with male- and female-booked arrestees. This program is aimed at enhancing the understanding of national drug use trends. Currently ADAM is being conducted in 35 cities across the country. By the year 2002 participation is expected for 50 cities, with the ultimate goal of expanding to 75 total in the U.S.

Data from ADAM are used not only to monitor trends, but also to examine drug use issues such as the relationship between drug use and violent crime, the occurrence of drug overdoses and drug related medical emergencies, and the need for drug treatment in arrestee populations.

ADAM provides local and state drug policy makers, courts, law enforcement agencies, treatment providers, and prevention specialists with information that can be used to inform appropriate and effective local and state policy decisions. Federal agencies responsible for formulating national drug policies will also be interested in ADAM data to assess national trends by aggregating data across sites.

ADAM, as implemented in Los Angeles County, has expanded the original four Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) sites to nine sites. Those sites representing the Los Angeles Police Department are Parker Center and Van Nuys Jail. Those representing the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department are Lancaster, Industry, and West Hollywood Stations. The remaining sites represent other cities' police department's jurisdictions. They are Inglewood, Long Beach, Gardena, and Redondo Beach. The Los Angeles ADAM countywide site selection is still in the experimental stage as NIJ monitors the feasibility of maintaining the current sites and/or adding more sites. Permanent sites for ongoing participation are anticipated to be announced by January 2002. In addition to permanent sites, other sites will be surveyed on a rotating basis.

In addition to Adult ADAM collection at these sites, Juvenile data are also collected on boys and girls on a quarterly basis at the three L.A. County Juvenile Hall facilities: Sylmar, Central Los Angeles, and Los Padrinos.

ADAM interviewing staff now collect interview data and urine samples from over 1000 arrestees per quarter compared to about 1500 over an entire year prior to ADAM implementation. These data will be available to local data collection sites as well as to the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee once they have been released from NIJ.

In addition to the current ADAM interview and addenda of national interest, each ADAM data collection city or county can add its own addenda to cover various topics of interest to that site. To that end some cities have added addenda to collect information regarding the use of methamphetamine, firearm availability and use, drug procurement and other topics. DARC has in the past developed addenda that have, among other topics, covered healthcare, perinatal issues, homelessness and mental health status.

Local Policy Maker Participation in ADAM
The Local Coordinating Council (LCC) was created in each ADAM city or county to assist in identifying topics of interest specific to that jurisdiction. It also assists in prioritizing research objectives and disseminating ADAM findings to researchers, evaluators, policy makers and practitioners. Members include representatives from local police agencies, sheriff's department, courts, public health organizations, probation department, educators, community coalitions, and drug abuse prevention organizations.

Status:
As of February 2001, UCLA staff researchers on the ADAM project are not in the field. The anticipated date for a return to the field is July 2001.

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Study Title:
 Evaluation of the California Department of Correction Drug Reduction Strategy Project

Michael L. Prendergast, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
David Farabee, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator
Michael Campos, M.S., Project Director

Study Description
Four California Department of Correction (CDC) institutions are involved in the Drug Reduction Strategy (DRS) project: Ironwood State Prison (ISP), Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP), California State Prison, Solano (SOL), and Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP). During Phase I (October 1999-March 2000), 150 inmates neither in administrative segregation, hospitalized, nor in a substance abuse treatment program at three institutions (ISP, PVSP, SOL) are randomly selected by CDC personnel for drug testing each week. No weekly random urine testing was conducted at the comparison site (MCSP). During Phase II (May-December 2000), depending on the institution, inmates are subject to having their cells and belongings searched by K-9 units or drug-detection equipment. CDC staff gathered drug-use point prevalence estimates of substance use at Baseline (in September 1999) and at the completion of Phase I (in April 2000). CDC staff will gather another drug-use point prevalence estimate at the completion of Phase II (in January 2001). Because MCSP is a comparison site, eligible inmates at MCSP are subject only to urine testing during Baseline, Phase I, and Phase II point prevalence estimate collection. All pre-existing drug interdiction efforts at each institution (e.g., monitoring of phone calls, use of cameras in visiting areas, etc.) have and will continue for the duration of the project. All individual-level data are collected by CDC personnel and provided to DARC without identifiers for analysis.

Baseline urinalysis sample collection began September 1999, and was completed October 1999. Twenty percent of the eligible inmate general population at each of the four institutions were selected for testing. Combining the number of refusals to test and drug-positive samples at all four sites during the Baseline prevalence assessment yielded a 7.38% drug-positive sample plus refusal to test rate.

During the month of April 2000, a Phase I prevalence estimate was obtained at all four institutions. As with the Baseline sample collected in September 1999, 20% of eligible inmates were selected at each institution for testing. The overall percentage of drug-positive samples and refusals to test for the Phase I point prevalence estimate was 3.74%.

Chi-Square analysis of the overall Baseline and Phase I drug use prevalence estimates (8.85% and 3.74%, respectively) confirmed a statistically significant reduction in estimated drug use after six-months of weekly random urinalysis testing at three (ISP, PVSP, SOL) of the four participating institutions. Similarly, comparing the estimated drug use level at the three institutions employing random drug testing to the comparison site (MCSP) using chi-square analysis, a statistically significant decreased level of drug use was observed.

During Phase II, along with continued random urine testing at three sites (ISP, PVSP, SOL), K-9 drug detection teams (SOL) and drug-detecting equipment (ISP) are employed. As in Phase I, since MCSP is the comparison site, only the standard drug interdiction measures are employed at this institution. Staff use K-9 units and drug-detecting equipment to conduct searches of mail, quarterly packages, cells, legal mail, religious packages, and common areas, but do not employ either technology to search incoming visitors or staff. Phase II began in May 2000 and was completed in December 2000.

Status
There were site visits during each of the two Phases of the DRS. During these site visits, individual interviews with the DRS project staff at each of the four participating institutions were conducted to gather information about the implementation of DRS policies and procedures. The information gathered from staff during interviews, which were strictly limited to DRS related questions, has been very useful in identifying issues for the California Department of Correction to consider should they choose to take the methods evaluated in the current project statewide. Additional site visits are not planned as the intervention phase of the project is scheduled for completion in January 2001.

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Study Title:
Substance Abuse, Medication Adherence, & Criminality Among Mentally Ill Parolees

David Farabee, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
John Berecochea, D.Crim., Co-Principal Investigator
Sylvia Sanchez, Project Coordinator

Study Description:

This study is designed to accomplish five primary goals: (1) assess the rates of antipsychotic medication adherence among severely mentally ill parolees, (2) validate the use of hair assays as a means for assessing medication compliance, (3) compare medication adherence of mentally ill (non-substance dependent) and comorbid parolees, (4) identify reasons for adherence/non-adherence (according to clinical staff and parolees), and (5) measure the extent to which medication adherence is associated with various parolee outcomes such as violent behavior, return to custody, and psychosocial functioning. Data are currently being collected from 300 psychotic parolee outpatients at the time of admission to the Los Angeles Parole Outpatient Clinic and again at 3 and 6 months following admission. Psychiatric medication adherence and illicit drug use are monitored using self-report, hair, and urine samples. Violence and other criminal activity during the 12 months following institutional release are being monitored through self-report and criminal justice records.

List of Additional Projects

The Utility of the COMPAS in Assessing Needs and Predicting Recidivism.  COMPAS is a computerized database and analysis system for criminal justice practitioners to make decisions regarding the placement, supervision and case-management of offenders in community and secure settings.  The data system includes several modules: risk/needs assessment, criminal justice agency decision tracking, treatment and intervention tracking, outcome monitoring, agency integrity and programming implementation monitoring.  Currently CDCR has only adopted the risk assessment component, which addresses four basic dimensions: violence, recidivism, failure to appear, and community failure.  Using data collected from a sample of 1,077 (male n= 786 and female n= 291) soon-to-be-released inmates in California institutions the proprietors of the COMPAS found satisfactory scores on such measures as internal consistency, concurrent and criterion validity, and construct validity.  However, one crucial property of the COMPAS was not adequately addressed in the COMPAS pilot study—predictive validity.  Because it is expensive and time consuming to follow a sample over time to determine whether the scale can predict the likelihood of recidivism (or whether it is significantly associated with behavioral outcomes), the researchers substituted with an analysis on its concurrent validity—whether risk measures are correlated with past behaviors such as age-at-first arrest and number of prior arrests.  Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the predictive validity of COMPAS in terms identifying parolee risks of technical violations, re-offending, and other negative supervision outcomes the instrument is designed to measure.

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Evaluation of the Mental Health Services Continuum Program To enhance the California Department of Corrections’ ability to identify and treat mentally ill parolees, the Mental Health Services Continuum Program (MHSCP) was developed by the Parole and Community Services Division (P&CSD) in July of 2000. The purpose of the MHSCP is to enhance the quality and timeliness of mental health services provided to mentally ill parolees after release, with the overarching goal of reducing recidivism and improving public safety. The current project is a 4-year evaluation of the MHSCP initiative for the period of July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2006. The purpose of the evaluation is to answer the following: (1) How well were the in-prison and community-based components planned, developed, and implemented? (2) What problems were encountered and how were they addressed? and (3) What impact does the MHSCP program have on recidivism of mentally ill parolees? Evaluation of the Mental Health Services Continuum.

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Four Models of Telephone Support for Stimulant Recovery The purpose of this study is to develop and compare the efficacy of four low-cost, telephone support protocols for patients who have completed the intensive phase of a structured, outpatient stimulant abuse treatment protocol. Patients (N = 500) who have successfully completed the 4-month Matrix Outpatient Model of stimulant abuse treatment are randomly assigned to one of five aftercare counseling conditions: (1) unstructured/non-directive, (2) unstructured/directive, (3) structured/non-directive, (4) structured/directive, or (5) standard referral to aftercare without telephone counseling (control). The two structured conditions are based on the behavioral “prompts” identified by Farabee et al. (2002) as being associated with drug avoidance. In the non-directive conditions, patients state their own goals and how they intend to achieve them. In the directive conditions, the coaches provide specific recommendations for the adoption of as many drug-avoidance activities as possible. Certain patient personality traits or styles are also assessed for their possible interaction with the telephone counseling dimensions. Outcomes will be tracked at 6 and 12 months following completion of primary treatment and will include measurement of participation in drug-avoidance activities (including aftercare participation), as well as self-reported and objective measures of substance use and associated prosocial behavior change.

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Project BRITE Behavioral Reinforcement to Increase Treatment Engagement July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2009 The purpose of this 4-year study is to (1) test the impact of a behavioral reinforcement intervention on inmate engagement in prison-based substance abuse treatment (thereby improving both psychosocial functioning over the course of treatment and post-release outcomes [e.g., decreased drug use, reincarceration]), and (2) assess the process by which this evidence-based innovation is implemented and sustained within prison-based treatment programs. Male and female inmates (240) enrolled in 12-week prison-based intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment will be randomly assigned to one of two programs (conditions): Behavioral Reinforcement (BR) (experimental) and Standard Treatment (ST) (comparison). Inmates assigned to the BR programs will receive behavioral reinforcement contingent upon their attendance at and participation in regularly scheduled program activities and completion of assigned treatment-related tasks. Inmates assigned to the ST programs will receive standard IOP treatment services. The study will also assess the implementation of the behavioral reinforcement intervention within the treatment programs, measure organizational readiness for change both prior to the intervention and after it is completed, and determine if the intervention is sustained following completion of the study. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDOC) and CiviGenics, Inc., the sole provider of treatment services for inmates in the Washington state prison system.  

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The NOBLE Study: Residential vs. Intensive Outpatient Prison-Based Treatment
September 30, 2006 to May 31, 2011. The purpose of this 5-year is to (1) assess the differential clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of long-term residential (LTR) treatment versus intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment in a prison-based treatment setting and (2) determine whether one treatment modality is more effective than the other for drug-involved offenders matched to the appropriate modality (e.g., based on risk level and/or substance abuse severity). Eight hundred inmates (600 males and 200 females) who have received referrals to enter prison-based substance abuse treatment will be randomly assigned to either LTR or IOP treatment. Inmates who are randomly assigned to LTR treatment will begin treatment no later than 9 months prior to their scheduled release date. Inmates who are randomly assigned to IOP treatment will begin treatment approximately 3 months prior to their scheduled release from prison. Treatment for both groups will continue until they are released from prison. Study participants will be assessed in face-to-face interviews at baseline and immediately prior to discharge from the treatment programs and release from prison. Twelve-month post-release follow-up interviews will also be conducted. Data on community treatment participation (e.g., modality, intensity, and duration of treatment) will be obtained directly from the community provider. In addition, the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDOC) will provide records-based data on post-release treatment participation, illicit drug use (i.e., results of drug tests), and return-to-custody for all individuals who receive in-custody IOP and LTR treatment. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDOC) and CiviGenics, Inc., the sole provider of treatment services for inmates in the Washington State prison system.

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Second Chance Women’s Re-Entry Court. Subcontract with the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CCJCC) (primary award: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation).  This 3-year pilot program is designed to provide an array of services to women facing a state prison commitment and formerly incarcerated women parolees. Specifically, utilizing evidence based research and practices following the nationally proven Drug Court model, the proposed program will bring together a variety of criminal justice, clinical, academic, and community service professionals to design, oversee, implement, and evaluate an individually tailored community-based treatment plan that provides for successful reintegration into society following a California state prison commitment and/or as an alternative to incarceration for women facing a state prison sentence.

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Enhancing Substance Abuse Treatment and HIV Prevention for Women Offenders. Subcontract with Mental Health Systems, Inc.  This 3-year study will examine Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) Readiness and Capacity for Practice Improvement as it incorporates women-focused treatment into four MHS program sites currently serving female drug court participants. An experimental component will determine the effectiveness of a women-focused (WF) treatment program based on relational theory compared to standard mixed-gender (MG) outpatient treatment to promote positive behaviors among 150 women offenders (e.g., HIV risk reduction and substance abuse, and increased psychological functioning).

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Gender-responsive Treatment for Women in Prison. UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP) is conducting a two-year pilot study to test the efficacy of a drug abuse treatment program designed for drug-dependent women in prison based on an established theoretical model of women’s development. Specifically, the study will determine the relative effectiveness of a women-focused (WF) treatment program based on relational theory compared to a standard prison therapeutic community (TC) treatment program that promotes positive behaviors among women inmates. The WF curriculum has been fully developed; however, the activities outlined in this application will be the first empirical test of the curriculum, which could result in further refinement for use in prison programs.  Thus, this pilot study involves the expertise of the Center for Gender and Justice, the cooperation of Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) in Chowchilla, California, and the treatment experience of Walden House, Inc. – the prison treatment provider. The study will use an experimental design with random assignment of 100 women inmates to the two treatment conditions (WF versus TC).

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Children Exposed to Methamphetamine Use and Manufacture.  With the cooperation of the existing Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program in Los Angeles, California, UCLA ISAP is conducting a 2-year pilot study to analyze 100 existing Los Angeles DEC case data to enhance our understanding of the extent, epidemiology, and medical (e.g., respiratory, dental, dermatological, etc.) and developmental (e.g., cautions or delays) problems of drug-exposed children, as well as child-welfare case management services, treatment, and placement for these children. The findings of the pilot study will further provide the basis for ongoing and expanded research applications on drug-endangered children state- and nationwide.

Gender Responsive Treatment for Women Offenders.  This 5-year experimental study uses random assignment to determine the relative effectiveness of women-focused outpatient programs compared to standard mixed-gender outpatient programs to promote abstinence and other positive behaviors (e.g., reduced criminal activity, and improved employment/education status, parenting skills, relationship skills, and psychological functioning) among 300 women offenders deferred from incarceration through drug court and Proposition 36.

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Increasing Aftercare Attendance Among Substance Abuse Program (SAP) Participants. A large body of literature contends that the effectiveness and positive outcomes of in-prison substance abuse treatment programs (SAP) are enhanced by the addition of post-release aftercare community substance abuse treatment. However, only a minority of SAP graduates enters aftercare services and an even smaller minority remains in aftercare services for a reasonable length of time. Evaluations of California SAP have focused on quantitative evidence (how many subjects entered aftercare, how many stayed for a given amount of time, etc.). There are no known studies on the qualitative data of “why” the SAP graduates behaved the way they did. This study seeks to document, through qualitative means, the decision making process and behavior of SAP participants just prior to and immediately after SAP release. Subject participation will consist of one pre-release focus group and five post-release telephone interviews. Focus group questions will be used to determine subjects’ intentions to attend aftercare, the reasons for attendance or non-attendance, and the perceived barriers to, and issues with, aftercare attendance. Follow-up interviews will focus on the themes identified in the focus groups. Subjects will be asked about their behavior immediately after release, whether they did, or did not, attend aftercare, what barriers were encountered, and their perception of aftercare (for those who attended).

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Assessing Psychological Change Among SATF Participants. Evaluations of offender programs typically are based on outcomes that occur a year or more after the offenders have returned to the community. Although this emphasis on post-release behavior is well justified, it means that program administrators cannot receive feedback on their programs until years after their initial implementation. One way to address this issue is to measure targeted psychosocial changes among inmates while they are in the program. Arguably, programs that do not produce changes in these targeted domains of psychological functioning and criminal thinking will be unlikely to produce meaningful changes in post-release outcomes. The purpose of this study is to administer the Criminal Justice—Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment (CJ-CEST) and Criminal Thinking Scales (CTS) to SATF participants (N=300) in order to assess changes over time. In addition, these data will be used to predict entrance to community treatment, retention in community treatment, and 12-month recidivism.

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Assessing the Skills Training Component of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was originally designed as an outpatient treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder. According to the DSM-IV-R, this disorder is marked by “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.” Some of the hallmark features of borderline personality disorder are impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating) and inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights). Because these behaviors are also common among substance-abusing offenders, Walden House has begun to offer the skills training component of DBT to inmates receiving substance abuse treatment at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) and State Prison in Corcoran. The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of this intervention on psychological functioning of SATF clients (as measured over the course of the intervention).

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Transitional Case Management (TCM). In an effort to increase participation in community aftercare treatment for substance-abusing offenders who have paroled from prison, this intervention proposes to test a transitional case management model that consists of completion by the inmate of a self-assessment of strengths that informs the development of the continuing care plan, a case conference call shortly before release, and strengths case management for 3 months to promote retention in substance abuse treatment and support the participant’s access to designated services in the community. The intervention is intended to improve the transition process from prison to community at both the individual and system level. The study design consists of a comparison of outcomes between two conditions to which eligible and consenting inmates are randomly assigned: Standard Referral group and Transitional Case Management group. Participants in both groups will receive standard planning and referral services that are available to offenders within the state correctional system, and participants in both groups will receive a referral to community-based treatment funded by local or state dollars. In addition to these standard services, during the month prior to release participants in both groups will be shown a motivational video, tailored to an offender audience that emphasizes the importance of community treatment and is intended to increase motivation to enter treatment following release. The Transitional Case Management group differs from the Standard Referral group in that it supplements standard discharge planning and referral and the motivational video with a case manager who helps the inmate complete a Strengths Assessment, brings persons involved in the transition process together in a case conference call, and works with the client in the community using strengths case management principles and procedures to promote community treatment participation and assist the client in achieving desired goals and obtaining needed services. Primary outcomes at the system level include of the impact of the intervention on the key actors in the transition process and at the client level participation in community treatment following release to parole. Secondary outcomes include drug use and recidivism at 3 and 9 months following release. The study will also examine the economic issues involved in the intervention. Study participants are interviewed at baseline and again at 3 and 9 months following release to the community. Data will also be obtained from treatment program (treatment participation) and criminal justice agency records (arrests and re-incarcerations).

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Step’n Out. Integrated public safety and public health strategies combine the strengths of the criminal justice system with the substance abuse treatment system to optimize outcomes for offenders. Integration of supervision with treatment has the potential to improve treatment adherence for drug-dependent offenders reentering to the community. Drug Courts have successfully integrated these systems, but few controlled studies in the supervision literature have explored such integration for offenders leaving prison. The Collaborative Behavioral Management (Step’n Out) study combines community supervision with outpatient addiction treatment for drug-involved inmates re-entering the community.  The elements of the intervention are expected to engage the parole/probation officer (PO), treatment counselor, and the client as active participants in supervision and addiction treatment with the goal of increasing treatment adherence and improving long-term outcomes regarding relapse and recidivism. The main purpose of the Step’n Out study is to examine whether improved integration between the community supervision system and outpatient addiction treatment system can improve treatment adherence, drug use and public safety outcomes among drug-involved inmates re-entering the community. The Step’n Out intervention will (1) systematize collaborative assessment, treatment orientation, planning, and monitoring between supervision officers, treatment counselors and clients; and (2) encourage therapeutic relationships and lasting behavioral change through a coordinated, supportive approach to supervision that emphasizes the client’s pro-social goals and positive responses to their attainment. Participants from four states will be randomized into the Step’n Out condition (integration of community supervision and addiction treatment with behavioral management) or a comparison condition including traditional community supervision and addiction treatment.  Compared to those assigned to a condition of traditional community supervision, it is expected that participants randomized to the Step’n Out condition will show significantly less rearrest, technical violations of supervision, self-reported new criminal activity and drug use in the follow-up year.  Research interviews at baseline, and 3 and 9 months after release from confinement will assess study participants’ outcomes. Confirmatory and additional data will come from community supervision, treatment program and correctional agency records and information systems collected 12 months after release. 

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Targeted Interventions for Corrections (TIC). Community-based re-entry treatment programs for correctional populations often are not integrated into using an overall "continuing-care" strategy and are not managed or monitored according to procedures designed to help guide or maximize their effectiveness. The objective for this study is to establish guidelines and resources for an evidence-based library of targeted treatment intervention components for outpatient (i.e., moderate severity) re-entry correctional programs. These materials are being drawn primarily from existing drug treatment resources, especially those previously developed by CJ-DATS Research Centers. The TCU Treatment Model provides conceptual and scientific foundations for the use of targeted interventions that address client problems related to treatment readiness and motivation, anger and hostility, criminal thinking, risky behaviors for HIV/AIDS/Hepatitis C, communication, and other social skill deficits. Specific aims are to establish a set of targeted interventions that: Address counseling needs in community re-entry treatment programs. Meet "evidence-based" standards of effectiveness for correctional populations. Represent brief, flexible, and focused treatment tools, and are judged and adopted as user-friendly and manual-guided applications.

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Performance Indicators for Corrections (PIC) (Lead Center: Southwest Research Center). This short-term study will adapt and test the TCU Criminal Justice Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment (CJ-CEST) and the NDRI Client Assessment Inventory (CAI) for use in multiple correctional settings. These assessments will be incorporated into participating treatment programs as progress indicators and serve as the foundation for longer-term, comprehensive treatment process studies. Previous research indicates that these assessments help programs monitor and document client changes during treatment, providing the foundation for meeting the need for evaluation and monitoring services.

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Survey of Treatment Practices in the Criminal Justice System (Lead Center: Bureau of Governmental Research Coordinating Center). This study will provide estimates of the prevalence of substance abuse treatment delivery practices within the criminal justice system and will expand current understanding of the organizational and structural issues that influence practice (e.g., mission, climate, staff, resources, access to technology). Knowledge gained from this study will help to provide a platform for the development of a new generation of research regarding systems issues. Study findings will also fill an immediate need for criminal justice and drug treatment stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, legislators, administrators) to identify general trends in the delivery of services and the factors influencing delivery. With a focus on service integration issues, survey findings will serve to inform stakeholders and policy makers about the issues affecting the delivery of treatment practices within or linked to the criminal justice system that might require different system-wide practices.  

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Criminal Justice Co-Occuring Disorders Screening Instrument (CODSI) (Lead Center: Rocky Mountains Research Center, NDRI). This study will adapt and field test a screening instrument that can be used in prison-based substance abuse treatment programs to identify inmates with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Accurately assessing the prevalence of co-occurring disorders (COD) among the criminal justice population is essential to delivering appropriate treatment services. The screening instrument and protocol are being developed based on input from criminal justice stakeholders and a panel of COD experts. Three existing mental health screening instruments will be field tested in order to obtain the optimal set of items that can identify offenders with COD. The three instruments are: (1) a modified version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), (2) the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs – Short Screener (GAIN-SS), and (3) the Mental Health Screening Form-III (MHSF). The validity of the these instruments will be tested relative to a standardized diagnostic instrument, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). The CODSI protocol will be administered to 300 research participants in prison-based substance abuse treatment programs. The Pacific Coast Research Center will collaborate with Mental Health Systems in sampling male and female inmates from its substance abuse treatment programs at the California Rehabilitation Center.

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Inmate Pre-Release Assessment (IPASS) (Lead Center: UCLA Pacific Coast Research Center). This short-term study will develop and test the IPASS as a method of (1) prioritizing aftercare treatment need among graduates of prison-based substance abuse treatment programs, and (2) specifying an appropriate level of care in the community (residential, outpatient, or self-help groups). To this end, the IPASS will be administered to inmates 90 days prior to release, along with a trailer form on which the prerelease counselors will indicate how important it is for that inmate to receive aftercare and what level of care is indicated. Although the transitional counselor will oversee the administration of the IPASS, aftercare placements will be based on his or her existing practices. Using a “passive matching” procedure comparing IPASS-concordant and IPASS-discordant referrals, parolees will be compared with regard to aftercare show up rates and retention. In addition, 12-month recidivism data will also be extracted from official records.

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