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Finding: Many high-need inmates (e.g., relatively high prior offense severity scores and high need
for drug treatment) were assigned to less intensive Outpatient programs rather than TC. These
findings suggest that Outpatient programs are being used for many high-need inmates who are
unwilling, unsuitable or unable (for other reasons) to participate in more intensive TC programs.
Recommendation:
4. Correctional administrators should carehlly monitor the implementation of assessment,
screening and program placement procedures specified by treatment policies.42 VerlfL that
AOD staffat each institution understand and implement these guidelines. Monitor drug
treatment program placements at each institution to ensure that high-need inmates are
assigned to high-intensity treatment programs. DOC officials should examine variations in
the level of need for drug treatment assessed at the Diagnostic and Classification Center
(DCC) to determine how many TC beds are needed throughout the state.
An unexpected hding concerned inmate eligibility and selection criteria for AOD
programs (see Table 6). Minimum time remaining to release date was stated as a major criterion
for admission into all AOD treatment programs including TC (Welsh, 20004 2000b). However,
there was substantial variation on this criterion. Many inmates (especially those placed in
Outpatient programs) were long past their minimum release dates; others still had several years
remaining until their minimum release date.
According to DOC policy (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, 2001), minimum
release date is one critical screening criterion for AOD programs, along with an inmate’s assessed
need for treatment and the availability of different types of treatment slots at each institution. As
42 While newly developed DOC standards regarding drug treatment content, structure, duration
and intensity are generally clear (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, 2001), standards
e applicable to Outpatient programming remain less clear than standards governing TC and
137
This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.