The Development and Implementation of a Jail-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Abstract

Many jail inmates have high rates of substance use and abuse disorders, as well as a range of other social problems. Yet, the majority of jails do not offer substance abuse treatment programs. Few studies detail the development and implementation of these programs that can serve as a guide to social workers and others who seek to start them. To address this void, we describe the development and 7-year implementation of the Choices program, a jail-based substance abuse treatment program located in a suburban county jail. We conclude with recommendations for developing and implementing jail-based substance abuse treatment programs that draw on the experiences of Choices and other jail-based programs reported in the literature.

KEYWORDS:

• coerced treatment
• corrections
• jails
• mandated treatment
• social work
• substance abuse treatment

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Emmett J. and Mary Martha Doerr Center for Social Justice Education and Research in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University.