Abstract
Objectives: Prison-based therapeutic community (TC) drug treatment followed by community aftercare is widely recognized as the most effective treatment paradigm for drug-dependent offenders. However, few randomized experiments have addressed this question and fewer studies have examined how interactions between treatment modality and individual characteristics may explain variations in outcomes. Methods: Using a randomized experimental design, this study examined the effects of treatment modality [TC vs. Outpatient (OP) group counseling], individual psychosocial characteristics (e.g., risk, negative affect), and interactions on reincarceration over a 3-year follow-up period. Survival analysis using Cox regression with covariates was used to analyze data obtained from 604 subjects at a specialized drug treatment prison. Results: The expected advantage of TC failed to emerge. Critical and heretofore unexamined interactions between treatment modality (TC vs. OP), inmate levels of risk, and negative effect help explain these unexpected findings. Conclusion: The superiority of prison TC to less intensive OP counseling was not supported. The effects of TC appear to be conditioned by critical responsivity factors that have received little empirical attention.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 151-177 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Journal of Experimental Criminology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Law
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For whom does prison-based drug treatment work? Results from a randomized experiment. / Welsh, Wayne N.; Zajac, Gary; Bucklen, Kristofer Bret.
In: Journal of Experimental Criminology, Vol. 10, No. 2, 01.01.2014, p. 151-177.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - For whom does prison-based drug treatment work? Results from a randomized experiment
AU - Welsh, Wayne N.
AU - Zajac, Gary
AU - Bucklen, Kristofer Bret
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Objectives: Prison-based therapeutic community (TC) drug treatment followed by community aftercare is widely recognized as the most effective treatment paradigm for drug-dependent offenders. However, few randomized experiments have addressed this question and fewer studies have examined how interactions between treatment modality and individual characteristics may explain variations in outcomes. Methods: Using a randomized experimental design, this study examined the effects of treatment modality [TC vs. Outpatient (OP) group counseling], individual psychosocial characteristics (e.g., risk, negative affect), and interactions on reincarceration over a 3-year follow-up period. Survival analysis using Cox regression with covariates was used to analyze data obtained from 604 subjects at a specialized drug treatment prison. Results: The expected advantage of TC failed to emerge. Critical and heretofore unexamined interactions between treatment modality (TC vs. OP), inmate levels of risk, and negative effect help explain these unexpected findings. Conclusion: The superiority of prison TC to less intensive OP counseling was not supported. The effects of TC appear to be conditioned by critical responsivity factors that have received little empirical attention.
AB - Objectives: Prison-based therapeutic community (TC) drug treatment followed by community aftercare is widely recognized as the most effective treatment paradigm for drug-dependent offenders. However, few randomized experiments have addressed this question and fewer studies have examined how interactions between treatment modality and individual characteristics may explain variations in outcomes. Methods: Using a randomized experimental design, this study examined the effects of treatment modality [TC vs. Outpatient (OP) group counseling], individual psychosocial characteristics (e.g., risk, negative affect), and interactions on reincarceration over a 3-year follow-up period. Survival analysis using Cox regression with covariates was used to analyze data obtained from 604 subjects at a specialized drug treatment prison. Results: The expected advantage of TC failed to emerge. Critical and heretofore unexamined interactions between treatment modality (TC vs. OP), inmate levels of risk, and negative effect help explain these unexpected findings. Conclusion: The superiority of prison TC to less intensive OP counseling was not supported. The effects of TC appear to be conditioned by critical responsivity factors that have received little empirical attention.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84900304737&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84900304737&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11292-013-9194-z
DO - 10.1007/s11292-013-9194-z
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84900304737
VL - 10
SP - 151
EP - 177
JO - Journal of Experimental Criminology
JF - Journal of Experimental Criminology
SN - 1573-3750
IS - 2
ER -