David Farabee

Early Victimization, Drug Use, and Criminality: A Comparison of Male and Female Prisoners

Comparative analysis of the relative victimization of 1,030 adult male prisoners and 500 adult female prisoners in Texas reveals significant gender differences in childhood and adult maltreatment and subsequent substance use and criminality. Female inmates report significantly more maltreatment as children than do male inmates. Moreover, the maltreatment of women increases when they become adults, whereas the maltreatment of men drops sharply. The study found childhood maltreatment to be more strongly associated with adult depression and substance dependence among women than among men. The severity of substance misuse and problems associated with it are stronger predictors of female rates of criminal activity than male rates. Recent literature from the social sciences is presented to account for the findings. A female empowerment treatment model to help women attain control over their lives is suggested.

Barriers to Implementing Effective Correctional Drug Treatment Programs

During the past several years, a number of aggressive federal and state initiatives have been undertaken to expand substance abuse treatment within correctional settings. These efforts have been fueled by the high rates of substance involvement among offenders and the growing body of research literature suggesting that intensive, prison-based treatment efforts can significantly reduce postprison substance use and recidivism. However, the rapid expansion of these programs increases their vulnerability to common implementation problems that could lead to pessimistic, and erroneous, assumptions about their effectiveness. This article summarizes both the research literature and the experiences of the authors regarding six common barriers to developing effective correctional treatment programs and offers potential solutions for each.

Methamphetamine Use, Self-Reported Violent Crime, and Recidivism Among Offenders in California Who Abuse Substances

This study uses data from 641 state prison parolees in California to examine the associations between methamphetamine use and three measures of criminal behavior: (a) self-reported violent criminal behavior, (b) return to prison for a violent offense, and (c) return to prison for any reason during the first 12 months of parole. Methamphetamine use was significantly predictive of self-reported violent criminal behavior and general recidivism (i.e., a return to custody for any reason). However, methamphetamine use was not significantly predictive of being returned to custody for a violent offense. These trends remained even after controlling for involvement in the drug trade (i.e., sales, distribution, or manufacturing).

Addiction Careers and Criminal Specialization

For many drug users, the initiation of drug use and the subsequent transition to an addiction career is accompanied by criminal activities. However, the use of general crime and drug use categories often obscures important features of their relationship. In the present study, data from the national Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies sample of 7,189 clients in substance abuse treatment were analyzed to explore the relationships between several addiction career variables and the likelihood of lifetime participation in predatory, victimless, and nonspecialized criminal behaviors. The order of initiation of addiction and criminal careers was significantly related to participation in certain types of crimes, with those beginning criminal careers after beginning their addiction careers being more likely to engage exclusively in victimless than in predatory crimes. Likewise, dependence on cocaine, heroin, or both, relative to alcohol, was associated with greater criminal diversity but a reduced likelihood of participating specifically in predatory crimes.

The Effect of Drug Treatment on Criminal Behavior among Adolescents in DATOS-A

This study examined criminal activity among 1,167 adolescents who participated in a community-based substance abuse treatment study (Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents) (DATOS-A). The primary goals of this study were to assess the effect of substance abuse treatment on adolescent crime and to identify the patient characteristics that were most closely associated with reductions in crime during the posttreatment period. Results confirmed that among adolescents who had engaged in criminal activity during the 12 months prior to entering DATOS-A treatment, reductions in alcohol or marijuana use were independently associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of committing crimes during the 12-month follow-up period. The present study also provides further support for emphasizing dynamic rather than static patient characteristics to predict the likelihood of continued drug-related offending among substance-abusing adolescents.

Accessing Drug-Abuse Treatment: Perceptions of Out-of-Treatment Injectors

The Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic (1988) developed a 10-year plan in 1987 that recommended: “Expanded drug abuse treatment programs sufficient to admit all IV drug users who desired services and, until that occurred, short-term detoxification and low-dose methadone for those on waiting lists.” This study presents data collected from a sample of 2,613 out-of-treatment and non-incarcerated injection drug users in 21 U.S. cities to examine their drug-treatment access during the past year. Analyses on injectors who tried but were unable to enter treatment revealed that program-based reasons (e.g., no room, too costly, or stringent admission criteria) are the most commonly given barriers to drug treatment (72%). However, a notable number of injectors (20%) also reported that individual-based reasons are important for not accessing drug treatment. Injectors giving program- and individual-based reasons for not entering treatment are profiled using logistic regression.

Methamphetamine Use and HIV Risk Among Substance-Abusing Offenders in California

Abstract Recent epidemiological surveys of illicit substance use show a particularly high prevalence of methamphetamine use in the western and southwestern United States—most notably California. Moreover, in their analysis of 1995 Drug Use Forecasting data, Anglin and colleagues (1998) found that methamphetamine was a preferred substance among California arrestees. The present study uses data from 807 state prison inmates in California (32% of whom reported using methamphetamine prior to incarceration) to examine the associations between methamphetamine use and HIV risk behaviors. Methamphetamine users in this sample were significantly more likely than nonusers to have injected drugs during the six months prior to their current incarceration. Among injectors, however, injection-related risks (such as dirty needles and needle sharing, etc.) were not significantly associated with methamphetamine use. However, past six-month sex-related risks were dramatically higher for methamphetamine users. These patterns persisted even after controlling for background differences between the two groups. The results of this study underscore the importance of addressing the higher sex-related HIV/AIDS risk among methamphetamine users undergoing prison-based drug treatment.

Treating drug-abusing offenders. Initial findings from a five-county study on the impact of California's Proposition 36 on the treatment system and patient outcomes.

Five counties (Kern, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco) that demonstrate both variations and similarities in their implementation of Proposition 36 (e.g., treatment approaches, urine testing) and patient mix have been selected to participate in a study assessing how Californias Proposition 36 is affecting the drug treatment system and patient outcomes. Except for San Francisco, treatment admissions increased during the first year of Proposition 36 implementation over the prior year (27% in Kern, 21% in Riverside, 17% in Sacramento, and 16% in San Diego), mostly in outpatient drug-free programs. Compared to non-Proposition 36 patients, Proposition 36 patients were more likely to be men, first-time admissions, treated in outpatient drug-free programs, employed full-time, and users of methamphetamine or marijuana. They were less likely to be treated in residential programs or methadone maintenance programs and fewer reported heroin use or injection drug use. Guided by the multilevel open systems framework, the study examines key issues of Proposition 36 that influence treatment systems and outcomes and empirically identifies “best practice” approaches in treating drug-abusing offenders.

Prediction of Substance Use in the Workplace: Unique Contributions of Personal Background and Work Environment Variables

Relationships of personal and job factors with employee substance use in a sample of municipal workers were assessed. Logistic regression results showed that personal and job domains each significantly predicted substance use at and away from work, although the best fit was provided by a model including both domains. The profile of the employee most likely to be a substance abuser was a young male with low self-esteem and an arrest history, who came from a family with substance abuse problems, and associated with substance-using peers. The drug-using employee was also likely to be estranged from work and to work under risky job conditions.

Influence of Perceived Coercion and Motivation on Treatment Completion and Re-Arrest among Substance-Abusing Offenders

The effects of perceived coercion and motivation on treatment completion and subsequent re-arrest were examined in a sample of substance-abusing offenders assessed for California’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA) program. Perceived coercion was measured with the McArthur Perceived Coercion Scale; motivation was measured with the subscales of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). At treatment entry, clients were more likely to believe that they had exercised their choice in entering treatment than that they had been coerced into treatment. SACPA clients scored relatively low on Recognition and Ambivalence regarding their drug use but relatively high on Taking Steps to address their drug problem. Correlations between perceived coercion and motivation measures at treatment entry indicated that these are separate constructs. In logistic regression models, the Recognition subscale of the SOCRATES significantly predicted “any re-arrest,” and Ambivalence and Taking Steps predicted “any drug arrest.”