The Impact of Substance User Treatment Participation on Legal Employment and Income Among Probationers and Parolees

Abstract

Employment is essential for recovery. But treatment could conflict with work schedules, and employment gains could be short lived. This study examined how employment and income varied during and after treatment, what aspects of treatment impacted on employment, and whether treatment improved income. Baseline and follow-up data were analyzed for 760 probationers and parolees in 11 US cities that participated in the 1992–1995 Drug Abuse Treatment Outcomes Study. Results showed that only residential/inpatient treatment was associated, temporarily, with employment. Retention, compliance, and self-efficacy were correlated to posttreatment employment. However, treatment had no impact on income, which was determined by education and work history.

RÉSUMÉ

L'impact de la participation au traitement de la toxicomanie sur l'emploi legal et les revenus des ex-prisonniers libres ou sous controle judiciaire

Etre employe est essentiel au retablissement d'un toxicomane. Mais le traitement peut interferer avec les horaires de travail, minimalisant les avantages d'un l'emploi. Cette etude examine comment l'emploi et le salaire varient durant et apres le traitment, quels aspects du traitement ont un impact sur l'emploi et si le traitement ameliore les revenus d'un employe. Des donnees de depart ainsi que des donnees collectees post-traitement sont analysees pour 760 ex-prisonniers libres ou sous controle judicaire dans onze villes participant de 1992 a 1995 au “Drug Abuse Treatment Outcomes Study” (Etude des consequences de la toxicomanie sur l'emploi). Les resultats montrent que seuls les traitements en hospital de jour ou l'hospitalisation a temps complet interferent, temporairement, avec l'emploi. L'abstinence, le respect du traitement et l'autonomie du sujet facilitent la reprise de l'emploi apres le traitement. Toutefois, le traitement de la toxicomanie n'a pas d'impact sur les revenus, qui sont determines par le niveau d'instruction et l'experience de travail.

RESUMEN

El Impacto de la Participación en el Tratamiento del Abuso de Sustancias sobre el Empleo y el Ingreso entre Ofensores en Libertad Probatoria o Libertad Condicional

El empleo es esencial para la recuperación del abuso de sustancias. Pero el tratamiento podría entrar en conflicto con los horarios de trabajo, y las mejoras en el empleo podría ser de corta duración. Este estudio examinó como el empleo y el ingreso variaron durante y después del tratamiento, qué aspectos del tratamiento impactaron sobre el empleo, y si el ingreso mejoró después del tratamiento. Se analizaron datos de base y de seguimiento para 760 ofensores en libertad probatoria o en libertad condicional en once ciudades de EE.UU. que participaron en el Estudio de los Resultados de Tratamientos para el Abuso de Drogas entre 1993 y 1995. Los resultados mostraron que solamente el tratamiento residencial u hospitalario afectó, temporalmente, con el empleo. La retención en el tratamiento, la adherencia terapéutica y la auto-eficacia contribuyeron al empleo después del tratamiento. Sin embargo, el tratamiento no tuvo ningún impacto sobre el ingreso, el cual fue determinado por la educación y la historia del trabajo.

Keywords :

• employment
• income
• substance use
• treatment
• criminal offenders
• recovery

THE AUTHORS

Doris C. Chu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography at Arkansas State University. She received her Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University at Albany, State University of New York in 2003. Her research interests include religiosity and desistance, policing, and comparative criminal justice. Her recent articles have appeared in International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Families in Society, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, Police Quarterly, and Criminal Justice and Behavior. She is the editor of a book entitled Crime and Punishment Around the World, Vol. 3, Asia/Pacific. (Gen. Ed. Graeme R. Newman. 4 vols.) Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO: 2010.

Hung-En Sung is Associate Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has published three books and more than 35 refereed journal articles on substance abuse and its treatment, policing, corruption, gender issues in criminal justice administration, and the impact of democratization on crime and justice.

Notes

3 This study sample of 760 subjects represented 24.6% of the 3,093 probationers and parolees who participated in the initial baseline interviews, 37.4% of the 2,033 who took part in the 1-month in-treatment interview, and 79.7% of the 953 who completed the 12 months posttreatment follow-up. (Not all those who completed the 12-month follow-up interview had full data for the previous two time points). Although probationers and parolees did not differ in their attrition rate in any statistically significant manner, clients of long-term residential treatment and short-term inpatient treatment demonstrated much higher attrition rates, or much lower retention rates, than clients of methadone maintenance and outpatient drug-free treatments (see Table 2).

4 Specifically, probationers were significantly more likely to be mandated to long-term residential and short-term inpatient programs, whereas parolees were overrepresented in methadone and outpatient drug-free programs (see Table 3).