Study of the Use of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program Funds on Aftercare Services

This grant is funded under NIJ's 2013 solicitation for a Study of the Use of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program Funds on Aftercare Services, which states four research questions: What substance abuse treatment and related aftercare services are provided to offenders transitioning to the community generally? What specific substance abuse treatment and related aftercare services are supported through RSAT funding, and are they science-based? What are the characteristics of jail and prison reentry populations receiving substance abuse treatment and related aftercare services supported by RSAT funding? What challenges or facilitates (e.g., health care funding) the implementation of continuing care and recovery intervention models for offenders transitioning to the community including pre-release planning? Methods begin with a Snap Survey Software web survey of the program director and jail/prison clinical services administrator per site, for all RSAT subgrantees (est. n=240). Next is a telephone survey of n=60 aftercare providers to examine treatment and aftercare services in more depth, sampling all aftercare providers (est. n=35) with certainty and the remainder using stratified probability proportionate to size sampling per BJS (4 large corrections States and then NE/S/MW/W regions); interviews are digitally recorded for transcription and coding using Atlas.ti software. Last is a review of available client-level data from department of corrections, program intake, service referrals, and criminal history for cross-site analysis. Quantitative analysis using Stata will examine survey data for treatment and aftercare modality patterns and client-level data for variation in service access and program completion by offender characteristics, and content analysis using Atlas.ti to produce taxonomy and indices. Dissemination includes: submit report to RSAT grantees, Second Chance Act and RSAT TTA providers; prepare summary reports to National Sheriffs Association and other professional organizations; develop webinars and case study briefs with RSAT TTA; and present at RSAT and other professional conferences.

ca/ncf