Correctional Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Communities

Chapter 1: Prevalence of Substance Abuse Among Juvenile Offenders This chapter will review the prevalence of substance abuse among juvenile offenders and problems that these arrests cause the juvenile justice system. Specifically, while the number of juvenile arrests has decrease, the number of juveniles being formally processed through the court system has increased. Furthermore, these juveniles are being processed for drug offenses and being placed on detention and residential centers. In response to the link between substance abuse and criminal behavior, states have received monies to implement residential substance abuse treatment programs. With the money received from the federal government, some states have implemented various kinds of treatment programs including a therapeutic community to assist adolescent males. While much research has been conducted on this type of treatment modality, little insight has been given on the effectiveness of therapeutic communities for juveniles. As such, this study will present the results of a three-year follow-up to examine the effectiveness of therapeutic communities for drug-involved adolescents. Chapter 2: Treating Juvenile Substance Abusers This chapter will describe the mission of the juvenile justice system through reviewing the history and development of the juvenile justice system. Specific attention will be given to the idea of "child saving" though rehabilitation and treatment. Next, the attack on rehabilitation and the juvenile justice system will be addressed by examining the social context of the time and how it helped to shape the perceptions of the citizens of the United States. While a movement to punish juveniles developed, a review of the literature reflects the fact that the public still supports rehabilitation, specifically for juveniles. Next, the concept of therapeutic communities and how they derived in the United States will be presented along with the research on their effectiveness in reducing recidivism. Furthermore, a review of the literature to reveal predictors of success to help determine why therapeutic communities reduce recidivism will be presented. The last section of the chapter will review methodological problems that existed with the previous research and how these problems will be addressed in the current study by: 1) including multiple outcome criteria; 2) following the juveniles for a period up to three years after program completion; 3) using a matched (i.e., risk and need) comparison group drawn from a sample of youth that did not receive treatment; 4) using multivariate designs which will identify significant predictors of recidivism; and 5) using a standardized instrument to measure program quality. Chapter 3: The Current Study: A Therapeutic Community for Juvenile Offenders This chapter will focus on the methods that will be used to evaluate a therapeutic community for juvenile offenders. A quasi-experimental design will be used to determine if participation in the treatment program resulted in a significant decrease in probability of recidivism three years after termination from the program. Specifically, the study will use a matched group design to compare juvenile males who participated in a therapeutic community to juvenile males who were adjudicated to the Department of Youth Services and did not receive intensive treatment services. The individual characteristics that will be used in the analyses include: background characteristics, risk level, severity of substance abuse problem, psychological and social functioning, cognitive distortions, and type of termination and length of stay in the facility. This chapter will also examine the measures for both the intermediate outcomes (i.e., changes in psychological and social functioning and changes in cognitive distortions) and long-term outcomes (i.e., any new period of incarceration and length of time to new incarceration). Statistical tests conducted will be described followed by limitations of the study. Chapter 4: Did the Therapeutic Community Change Attitudes and Behaviors for Juvenile Substance Abusers Chapter Four will present the results of the study. Specifically, the background characteristics of the sample will be presented. The data that will be reported include: demographic data, risk level, substance abuse level, the youth's cognitive distortions, and responsivity issues such as: anxiety levels, depression, self-esteem, self-efficacy, decision-making abilities, and hostility levels. Information pertaining to the type of termination (successful or unsuccessful completion) will be examined along with factors predicting successful completion of treatment. Lastly, recidivism data such as: percentage of juvenile offenders returning to a secure facility and factors predicting return to a secure facility will be explored to address the issue of effectiveness of the therapeutic community for juvenile offenders. Chapter 5: Now What? Policy Implications and Future Directions for Working with Juvenile Offenders Chapter Five will present the discussion and limitations of the study. The chapter will begin by reviewing the major findings and limitations of the study. In addition, explanations will be given concerning the major findings of the study. Furthermore, policy implications will be suggested concerning the use of therapeutic communities for juvenile offenders along with suggestions for future research.