Substance-Abusing Women and Their Children: A Cost-Effective Treatment Option to Incarceration

ABSTRACT

Low-level drug offenses are presently the top reason women are sent to jail. Because more than 70% of these incarcerated women are the primary caretakers of children, incarceration has resulted in a sharp rise in foster care demand. Research suggests that incarcerated women who remain with their children are more likely to enter and complete treatment. This paper reviews the effects of incarceration and the available treatment options for substance-abusing women with children. A self-supported, self-run, alternative treatment model known as Oxford House is suggested as an option for women with children to gain financial and emotional stability.

KEYWORDS:

• Women and children in recovery
• substance abuse
• Oxford House
• communal living