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Treatment Compliance in the Trajectory of Treatment Progress Among Offenders

NCJ Number
213386
Journal
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 153-162
Author(s)
Hung-En Sung Ph.D.; Steven Belenko Ph.D.; Li Feng M.A.
Date Published
2001
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed incidents of drug treatment noncompliance among 150 criminal justice-mandated clients in a residential treatment setting.
Abstract
Overall, treatment noncompliance was frequent among the criminal justice-mandated clients, although for most clients these issues of noncompliance did not significantly hamper their recovery. Seven problem types and seven dimensions of noncompliance were identified. The seven problem types are: (1) psychological withdrawal; (2) conflicts or fights with peers; (3) incidents of disobedience or insubordination toward staff; (4) sexual acting-out; (5) theft; (6) drug relapse; and (7) leaving treatment without permission. The seven dimensions of treatment noncompliance were identified as: (1) prevalence; (2) frequency; (3) types; (4) specialization; (5) temporal distribution; (6) paths; and (7) correlates. Problems among clients were described as common, nonspecific, or sporadic. Client characteristics associated with drug treatment noncompliance included young age, poor educational attainment, and early involvement with the criminal justice system. Policy implications include the importance of designing treatment rules and regulations with more flexibility to encourage compliance and treatment retention. Research methods involved a retrospective analysis that combined original data collected for an ongoing program evaluation with secondary administrative monthly progress reports from the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program (DTAP). Participants were 150 consecutive admissions to DTAP beginning in May 1995. Data was analyzed using basic statistical techniques. Future research should identify the specific determinants of noncompliant behaviors and their effects on post-treatment outcomes. Tables, figure, references