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Evaluating Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for Adolescent Probationers

NCJ Number
208532
Date Published
2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effectiveness of one widely used community-based substance abuse treatment program for adolescent probationers.
Abstract
While the number of criminal justice referrals for adolescents to substance abuse treatment programs has risen sharply in recent years, relatively little information is available concerning the effectiveness of the substance abuse programs commonly available to adolescent probationers. The current study examined the effectiveness of the Phoenix Academy adolescent therapeutic community treatment program in Los Angeles as an example of one commonly available treatment program for adolescent probationers. A total of 12 Phoenix Academies are offered in 7 States. The program offers a highly structured residential model that is organized around school, community meetings, lectures, group work, counseling, recreation, and jobs. Treatment generally spans 9 to 12 months. The evaluation compared the substance abuse, psychological functioning, and criminal activities of 175 adolescent probationers who received treatment at the Phoenix Academy with those of 274 adolescents who received some other type of disposition of their case. Results indicated that overall, the Phoenix Academy participants had better outcomes on all measures compared to the control adolescents. Further studies need to be conducted on the range of treatment options available to adolescents, particularly those serving the corrections community. Footnotes