| Popis: |
Publisher Summary The link between substance abuse and criminal behavior is well-recognized and has become better understood during the past 20 years as the courts, jails, prisons, and community corrections have been inundated with growing numbers of drug-involved offenders. In many cases, criminal behavior such as property crime, prostitution, and drug sales results directly from attempts to support a drug habit. There are multiple challenges in developing substance abuse treatment services within the criminal justice system. Many prisons and jails are not architecturally or environmentally conducive to effective treatment, neither are they staffed at appropriate levels. Illicit drugs are available in many correctional facilities despite existing security measures and periodic drug testing. Accumulating research evidence over the past two decades, however, indicates that treatment provided within the criminal justice system reduces substance abuse and recidivism. Research indicates that the most successful offender treatment programs are those that combine treatment in the institution with treatment for at least three months following release to the community. Within the international community, there are a wide variety of civil and criminal approaches to providing substance abuse treatment services for those with drug and alcohol problems. A number of countries, especially in Europe and Scandinavia, employ civil commitment to substance abuse treatment and court-ordered treatment as a result of a criminal offense. |
