Implementing Evidence Based Practices In Community Corrections And Addiction Treatment

Community corrections programs are emerging as an effective alternative to incarceration for drug-involved offenders, to reduce recidivism and improve public health and public safety. Since evidence-based practice is gaining recognition as a success factor in both community systems and substance abuse treatment, a merger of the two seems logical and desirable. But integrating evidence-based addiction treatment into community corrections is no small feat—costs, personnel decisions, and effective, appropriate interventions are all critical considerations. Featuring the first model of implementation strategies linking these fields, Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Community Corrections and Addiction Treatment sets out criteria for identifying practices and programs as evidence. The book’s detailed blueprint is based on extensive research into organizational factors (e.g., management buy-in) and external forces (e.g., funding, resources) with the most impact on the adoption of evidence-based practices, and implementation issues ranging from skill building to quality control. With this knowledge, organizations can set realistic, attainable goals and achieve treatment outcomes that reflect the evidence base. Included in the coverage: Determining evidence for “what works.” Organization change and technology transfer: theory and literature review. The current state of addiction treatment and community corrections. Unique challenges of evidence-based addiction treatment under community supervision. Assessing suitability of evidence-based practice in real-world settings. A conceptual model for implementing evidence-based treatment in community corrections. Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Community Corrections and Addiction Treatment is a breakthrough volume for graduate- and postgraduate-level researchers in criminology, as well as policymakers and public health researchers.

"Implementing Evidence-Based Practices for Treatment of Alcohol and Drug Disorders" provides managers and clinicians with results from Practice Improvement Collaboratives (PIC) that demonstrate how substance abuse treatment can be improved by increasing the exchange of knowledge between community-based service providers and the research community. The book examines improvement collaboratives and mentoring strategies for adopting and using evidence-based practices. Contributors address how to determine the best treatment processes to serve clients, how to deal with the hurdles faced in preparing and training counsellors, and how to affect the needed changes in agency activities. This unique professional resource responds to an Institute of Medicine report that found a substantial disconnect between research and practice in treatment for drug and alcohol dependence. Focusing on how to make the changes necessary to support the adoption and use of evidence-based practices, the book documents the activities of four sites to illustrate how investigators and treatment practitioners worked together to implement evidence-based practices. Contributors examine the development and early implementation of Practice Improvement Collaboratives, the investigator-provider-policymaker model, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, the use of Opinion Leaders in training, and targeted strategies that take into account the differences in clinician demographics and training. "Implementing Evidence-Based Practices for Treatment of Alcohol and Drug Disorders" is an essential tool for alcohol and drug counsellors, directors of alcohol and drug treatment clinics, and instructors in counsellor training and academic programs.

The Handbook on Risk and Need Assessment: Theory and Practice covers risk assessments for individuals being considered for parole or probation. Evidence-based approaches to such decisions help take the emotion and politics out of community corrections. As the United States begins to back away from ineffective, expensive policies of mass incarceration, this handbook will provide the resources needed to help ensure both public safety and the effective rehabilitation of offenders. The ASC Division on Corrections & Sentencing Handbook Series will publish volumes on topics ranging from violence risk assessment to specialty courts for drug users, veterans, or the mentally ill. Each thematic volume focuses on a single topical issue that intersects with corrections and sentencing research.

Treatment and recovery of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) can vary. These individuals may have co-occurring disorders, live in diverse parts of the country, and face a variety of socio-economic factors that help or hinder their treatment. All these factors bring complexities to evaluating the effectiveness of services, treatments, and supports.Despite variations, substantial evidence is available to understand the types of services, treatments, and supports that reduce substance use, lessen mental health symptoms, and improve individuals' quality of life. Communities are eager to take advantage of what has been learned to help individuals in need.

In response to recognition in the late 1960s and early 1970s that traditional incarceration was not working, alternatives to standard prison settings were sought and developed. One of those alternatives—community-based corrections—had been conceived in the 1950s as a system that might prove more progressive, humane, and effective, particularly with people who had committed less serious criminal offenses and for whom incarceration, with constant exposure to serious offenders and career criminals, might prove more damaging than rehabilitative. The alternative of community corrections has evolved to become a substantial part of the criminal justice and correctional system, spurred in recent years not so much by a progressive, humane philosophy as by dramatically increasing prison populations, court orders to "fix" overextended prison settings, and an economic search for cost savings. Although community correction programs have been in place for some 40 years now, to date no comprehensive reference resource has tackled this topic. Accessible and jargon-free and available in both print and electronic formats, the one-volume Encyclopedia of Community Corrections will explore all aspects of community corrections, from its philosophical foundation to its current inception. Features & Benefits: 150 signed entries (each with Cross References and Further Readings) are organized in A-to-Z fashion to give students easy access to the full range of topics in community corrections. A thematic Reader's Guide in the front matter groups entries by broad topical or thematic areas to make it easy for users to find related entries at a glance. In the electronic version, the Reader's Guide combines with a detailed Index and the Cross References to provide users with convenient search-and-browse capacities. A Chronology in the back matter helps students put individual events into broader historical context. A Glossary provides students with concise definitions to key terms in the field. A Resource Guide to classic books, journals, and web sites (along with the Further Readings accompanying each entry) guides students to further resources in their research journeys. An Appendix offers statistics from the Bureau of Justice.