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9<br />

serve, then they were removed fiom the pool and designated as members of the “no-treatment”<br />

control group. In reality, inmates in the “no-treatment” comparison group may have received<br />

some unknown mix of drug education, self-help, or outpatient services: “The control group did<br />

not receive any formal substance abuse treatment during their prison stay, although limited drug<br />

education and 12-step groups were available” (p. 325).<br />

Numerous questions remain about the effectiveness of prison-based substance abuse<br />

treatment programs. For example: How is quality of program implementation related to treatment<br />

outcomes? Studies of prison-based TC in Texas (Martin, Butzin, and Inciardi, 1995), California<br />

(Wexler and Williams, 1986) and Delaware (Inciardc Martin, Lockwood, Hooper, and Wald,<br />

1992) found numerous implementation problems, including inadequate numbers of trained and<br />

experienced counseling staff and lack of standardized screening, assessment, and selection<br />

processes (see also Farabee et al., 1999; Linhorst et al., 2001). Variations in TC implementation<br />

across different sites may significantly influence treatment outcomes such as recidivism.<br />

Relationships between inmate characteristics, treatment process and outcomes are not yet<br />

well understood (Pearson and Lipton, 1999). For example, how are drug and alcohol needs<br />

assessments conducted, and how do needs assessments influence treatment process and<br />

outcomes? Are inmates with different levels and types of need matched with appropriate<br />

treatment (Andrews et al, 1990)? To what degree does appropriate assessment and program<br />

placement moderate treatment effects? What kinds of inmates are best suited for TC’s?<br />

Finally, what magnitude of treatment effect is to be expected fiom TC if appropriate<br />

extraneous influences are controlled for in analyses (Pearson and Lipton, 1999)? So far, results of<br />

a<br />

prison-based TC have been based upon research conducted mainly in four states (Delaware,<br />

Texas, New York, and California), and it is unclear to what extent observed treatment effects<br />

35<br />

This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of <strong>Justice</strong>. This report has not<br />

been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)<br />

and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of <strong>Justice</strong>.

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