In-Jail Therapeutic Community Drug Treatment: Impact on Rearrest Rates James K. Cunningham, Ph.D. Research and Education on Addiction and Community Health (REACH) Department of Family and Community Medicine The University of Arizona 4 th Annual Drug Abuse Symposium Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

Research Question Is participation in a 90-day in-custody therapeutic community drug treatment program associated with a reduction in arrests?

Setting & Program Theo Lacy Jail in Orange County, CA Jail for males only Program Type—Therapeutic Community Program Period—Calendar Year 2006

Research Design Rearrest rates of program participants (n = 186) were compared to rearrest rates of inmates who applied to the program (n = 256) but were not accepted. Both groups were followed for 12 months post release.

TreatmentComparison White46.2%49.1% Latino47.8%41.9% African American4.8%4.2% Married17.2%18.9% Single78.5%75.8% Median Age Violence Charge8.6%14.3% Property Charge37.1%27.5%

Treatment and Comparison Groups During 12 Months Post Release: Percentage Rearrested 61.5% 48.6%

Conclusion In contrast to the comparison group, treatment participants had lower rearrest rates throughout the year following release. This is consistent with the proposition that the program is helping to reduce rearrests among its participants.