Associations among state and local organizational contexts: Use of evidence-based practices in the criminal justice system (original) (raw)
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A Rasch model analysis of evidence-based treatment practices used in the criminal justice system
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2008
This study used item response theory (IRT) to examine the extent to which criminal justice facilities and community-based agencies are using evidence-based substance abuse treatment practices (EBPs), which EBPs are most commonly used, and how EBPs cluster together. The study used data collected from wardens, justice administrators, and treatment directors as part of the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices survey (NCJTP;, and includes both adult criminal and juvenile justice samples. Results of Rasch modeling demonstrated that a reliable measure can be formed to gauge the extent to which juvenile and adult correctional facilities, and community treatment agencies serving offenders, have adopted various treatment practices supported by research. We also demonstrated the concurrent validity of the measure by showing that features of the facilities' organizational contexts were associated with the extent to which facilities were using EBPs, and which EBPs they were using. Researchers, clinicians, and program administrators may find these results interesting not only because they show the program factors most strongly related to EBP use, but the results also suggest that certain treatment practices are generally clustered together, which may help stakeholders plan and prioritize the adoption of new EBPs in their facilities. The study has implications for future research focused on understanding the adoption and implementation of EBPs in correctional environments.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
The correctional system does not include service provision as a primary goal, even though individuals in prison, jail, and on probation/parole have large unmet substance abuse treatment needs. In response to mandates in the U.S. Constitution for basic health care, services are provided for incarcerated offenders, but generally do not include substance abuse treatment. The system does little to extend any type of health care service to individuals in community settings. This leaves the majority of offenders (6 million under community supervision in the U.S.) basically unattended, even with substance abuse disorders that are four times greater than the general public. The challenge of adapting the correctional system to be part of an integrated service provision system-working in conjunction with the public and private community-based service delivery sector-has intrigued researchers and policy makers over the last two decades. A series of articles using data from the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices survey have examined factors that influence the adoption of a myriad of substance abuse treatment services for offender populations in various settings. These articles explore the factors that affect adoption and implementation, and provide guidance on issues relevant to organizational change and a dual mission of correctional agencies to advance public safety and public health. This special issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence is devoted to understanding organizational constructs and factors to improve health outcomes for offenders.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
In recent years, there has been an increased examination of organizational-level innovation adoption in substance abuse treatment organizations. However, the majority of these studies have focused on community-based treatment centers. One understudied area of the substance abuse treatment system is correctional institutions. This study uses the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS) cooperative's National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices survey (NCJTP) to examine the adoption of detoxification services and pharmacotherapies for the treatment of substance abuse across a nationally representative sample of correctional institutions (n=198). There were significant differences between jails and prisons in the percentage of organizations offering detoxification services and medications. Specifically, detoxification services were offered by 5% of prisons and 34% of jails; and, medications were offered by 6% of prisons and 32% of jails. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between these services and organizational characteristics, including context, resources, previously introduced practices, culture, and systems integration. Variables measuring organizational context and previously introduced practices were significant correlates of the provision of both detoxification services and medications. Multivariate results indicated that the differences between jails and prisons remained significant after controlling for other organizational factors. Although the adoption of detoxification services and pharmacotherapies may be a controversial topic for correctional institutions, these services have the potential to improve offender well-being and reduce public health risks associated with substance abuse.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
Objective to be addressed-The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural and organizational factors that contribute to the availability and increased capacity for substance abuse treatment programs in correctional settings. We used Classification and Regression Tree statistical procedures to identify how multi-level data can explain the variability in availability and capacity of substance abuse treatment programs in jails and probation/parole offices. Methods-The data for this study combined the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices survey (NCJTP) and the 2000 Census. The NCJTP survey was a nationally representative sample of correctional administrators for jails and probation/parole agencies. The sample size included 295 substance abuse treatment programs that were classified according to the intensity of their services: high, medium, and low. The independent variables included jurisdictional-level structural variables, attributes of the correctional administrators, and program and service delivery characteristics of the correctional agency. Results-The two most important variables in predicting the availability of all three types of services were stronger working relationships with other organizations and the adoption of a standardized substance abuse screening tool by correctional agencies. For high and medium intensive programs, the capacity increased when an organizational learning strategy was used by administrators and the organization used a substance abuse screening tool. Implications on advancing treatment practices in correctional settings are discussed, including further work to test theories on how to better understand access to intensive treatment services. This study presents the first phase of understanding capacity-related issues regarding treatment programs offered in correctional settings.
Competing values among criminal justice administrators: The importance of substance abuse treatment
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
This study applied latent class analysis (LCA) to examine heterogeneity in criminal justice administrators' attitudes toward the importance of substance abuse treatment relative to other programs and services commonly offered in criminal justice settings. The study used data collected from wardens, probation and/or parole administrators, and other justice administrators as part of the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices survey (NCJTP), and includes both adult criminal and juvenile justice samples. Results of the LCA suggested that administrators fell into four different latent classes: (1) those who place a high importance on substance abuse treatment relative to other programs and services, (2) those who place equal importance on substance abuse treatment and other programs and services, (3) those who value other programs and services moderately more than substance abuse treatment, and (4) those who value other programs and services much more than substance abuse treatment. Latent class membership was in turn associated with the extent to which evidence-based substance abuse treatment practices were being used in the facilities, the region of the country in which the administrator worked, and attitudes toward rehabilitating drug-using offenders. The findings have implications for future research focused on the impact that administrators' attitudes have on service provision as well as the effectiveness of knowledge dissemination and diffusion models.
Program use of effective drug abuse treatment practices for juvenile offenders
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2007
This study examined the extent to which organizational context predicted use of consensus-based elements of effective substance abuse treatment practices with juvenile offenders. Participants were either directors of substance abuse treatment programs located in residential facilities (institutional sample) or directors of community-based treatment agencies providing services to adolescents in their home communities (community sample). The two settings differed significantly in the number and types of effective practices they were using. Community programs were more likely to have staff qualified to deliver substance abuse treatment, involve families in treatment, and assess their treatment outcomes. In contrast, institutional programs were more likely to provide comprehensive services. Resources dedicated to training, internal support for new programming, and network connectedness with non-criminal-justice facilities were associated with greater use of effective practices. These findings highlight the importance of establishing corrections-community partnerships designed to promote continuity of care for juvenile offenders. D
Correlates of Interorganizational Service Coordination in Community Corrections
Criminal Justice and Behavior
Because weak interagency coordination between community correctional agencies (e.g., probation and parole) and communitybased treatment providers has been identified as a major barrier to the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for treating druginvolved offenders, this study sought to examine how key organizational (e.g., leadership, support, staffing) and individual (e.g., burnout, satisfaction) factors influence interagency relationships between these agencies. At each of 20 sites, probation/parole officials (n = 366) and community treatment providers (n = 204) were surveyed about characteristics of their agencies, themselves, and interorganizational relationships with each other. Key organizational and individual correlates of interagency relationships were examined using hierarchical linear models (HLM) analyses, supplemented by interview data. The strongest correlates included Adaptability, Efficacy, and Burnout. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.