Prisons and community services fail offender alcohol and drug treatment needs The April 2007 issue of Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment reports on a survey addressing substance abuse treatment in correctional services in the USA. Several deficiencies have been identified. These are;
o The number of youth attending treatment in all types of facilities on any given day was very low.
o Less than a quarter of the offenders in prisons and jails have substance abuse services available
o less than 10% of those in community correctional agencies have daily access to alcohol and drug services through correctional agencies.
o Prisons and community services offer few clinical services
o The claim of certainty about aftercare effectiveness is not well substantiated
o The precise nature of aftercare services needed is not well understood.
Given that drug-involved offenders are likely to have dependence rates that are four times greater than those among the general public, the drug treatment services and correctional programs available to offenders do not appear to be appropriate for the needs of this population.
Source; Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment April 2007.
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