Oxford recovery housing: Length of stay correlated with improved outcomes for women previously involved with the criminal justice system

ABSTRACT

Background: Housing plays a crucial role in providing resources for and aiding an individual's reentry into the community following incarceration and substance use treatment. As such, this study examined the influence of recovery homes on a sample of former female substance-using women with criminal justice involvement. Methods: Two hundred women who had been involved with the criminal justice system within the preceding 2 years were recruited from multiple sites in metropolitan Chicago. These women were assigned to either 1 of 2 conditions: Oxford House (OH) recovery homes or usual aftercare (UA). Results: Those with longer stays in OH (6 months or more) had better outcomes in terms of alcohol and drug use, employment, and self-efficacy than those with shorter stays. Outcomes for those who stayed in OH were not appreciably different than the UA condition on substance use and employment, but fewer deaths occurred for those in the OH condition. Conclusions: Findings suggest that length of stay of 6 or more months is critical for those in recovery homes, but it is important for us to better understand the processes through which longer stays influence better outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Incarcerated women
• Oxford House
• recovery homes
• substance abuse disorders

Author contributions

L.J. and D.S. were involved in the research conception and design. All 3 authors were involved in the collection of data, data analysis, interpretation of the results, writing, and revision.

Funding

The authors appreciate the financial support from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (grant MD002748). This grant supported the authors during the design and conduct of the study, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.