Process Evaluation of the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution, 1999-2000 (ICPSR 3153)

Version Date: Mar 30, 2006

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Principal Investigator(s):
Mary K. Stohr, Boise State University; Craig Hemmens, Boise State University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03153.v1

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Summary

This study is a process evaluation of a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI), addressing the following research questions: (1) Did the SICI RSAT program as delivered conform with its stated goals and objectives? (2) Did the program result in reduced recidivism, abstinence from drug and alcohol use, and reduced costs of incarceration? (3) Did the referral process identify the targeted population? (4) Would the SICI RSAT data, management, staffing, and design be suitably established within two years to allow for a full outcome evaluation? (5) Were there communication issues among the IDOC, Parole Commission, and contract providers that might interfere with program implementation and delivery? and (6) Were there any cooperative remedies that had been, or might be developed to address implementation and delivery difficulties? Researchers conducted field observations (Part 1, Observational Data) of program delivery by program leaders using both the Cognitive Change Program Module and the Minnesota Model-Based Chemical Dependency Treatment Modules in each of the three phases of the therapeutic community environment. Researchers administered questionnaires to inmates (Part 2, Inmate Interview Data) and staff (Part 3, Staff Interview Data) regarding their perceptions of program operations. Variables for Part 1 include the date and time of observation, nature of observation, clarity, organization, and substance of program delivery, the program leader's involvement and the quality of that involvement with inmates, how prepared the program leader was, and the general therapeutic atmosphere of the program. Demographic variables for Part 2 include the race, age, ethnicity, and level of education of each inmate. Other variables include use of alcohol and illegal drugs prior to incarceration, inmates' perceptions of the treatment personnel, their levels of involvement with the group meetings and cognitive self-change groups, the atmosphere of therapy, ratings of communication and delivery of treatment, quality of service, and the strengths and weaknesses of the RSAT program. Variables for Part 3 include staff's perceptions of the RSAT program and whether they felt the program content and delivery were well organized and easy to understand, perceptions of the program leader's preparation and involvement, perceptions of communication and consistency issues, the quality of service, and the strengths and weaknesses of the RSAT program.

Citation

Stohr, Mary K., and Hemmens, Craig. Process Evaluation of the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution, 1999-2000. [distributor], 2006-03-30. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03153.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (99-RT-VX-K004)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

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Time Period(s)

1999 -- 2000

Data Collection Notes

  1. The user guide, codebook, and data collection instruments are provided by ICPSR as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The PDF file format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web site.

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Study Purpose

Establishing effective methodologies to achieve habilitation and rehabilitation of persons prone to substance abuse and subsequent involvement in high-risk and crime-related activities is key in reducing the incidence of crime. The literature on substance abuse and related programming is replete with research evaluations that indicate successful treatment programming can be designed and implemented in the correctional environment. The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution (SICI), which began accepting inmate clients in May 1997, was designed to fill some of the need for substance abuse treatment for Idaho correctional populations. The program was actually delivered by the Boise Care Unit (Compcare), a private contract provider of alcohol/drug treatment. A unique characteristic of the program was that parole violators with substance abuse problems were targeted for treatment. Additionally, the Idaho Parole Commission and the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) were engaged in a cooperative arrangement whereby successful completion of the program was likely to result in an inmate receiving a parole date. This agreement also extended to the involvement of the parole revocation hearing officer in the selection of candidates for the program. This study is a process evaluation of a RSAT program at the SICI, addressing the following research questions, (1) Did the SICI RSAT program as delivered conform with its stated goals and objectives? (2) Did the program result in reduced recidivism, abstinence from drug and alcohol use, and reduced costs of incarceration? (3) Did the referral process identify the targeted population? (4) Would the SICI RSAT data, management, staffing, and design be suitably established within two years to allow for a full outcome evaluation? (5) Were there communication issues among the IDOC, Parole Commission, and contract providers that might interfere with program implementation and delivery? and (6) Were there any cooperative remedies that had been, or might be developed to address implementation and delivery difficulties?

Study Design

The RSAT program design included an intensive 9- to 12-month treatment regimen for chronic substance abusers that addressed both addiction and criminality in a structured therapeutic environment. An important and distinguishing feature of the RSAT plan was the use of a combination of modalities including cognitive self and behavioral change and 12-step programming in a curriculum that was divided into three-month phases. Researchers conducted field observations (Part 1) of program delivery by program leaders using both the Cognitive Change Program Module and the Minnesota Model-Based Chemical Dependency Treatment Modules in each of the three phases of the therapeutic community environment. The Cognitive Change Program Module was based on cognitive self-change and behavioral strategies that provided inmates with the ability to consider the thinking errors that led to substance use/abuse and to provide them with the means to move down an alternate and less self-destructive path. Inclusion of the Minnesota Model of Chemical Dependency (a 12-step program) was also key to the RSAT regimen. The components of this aspect of the program included the use of group meetings and the use of recovering alcoholics/addicts as counselors. The program also utilized individual counseling with professional staff, lectures, group reading, life history work, 12-step work, and recreational and physical activity. Researchers administered a questionnaire to inmates (Part 2) regarding their perceptions of program operations. The questionnaire was designed to measure the inmates' perceptions of the RSAT program. A questionnaire was also administered to SICI staff (Part 3) regarding their perceptions of program operations. This questionnaire allowed staff to anonymously comment on all aspects of the program content, delivery, and effect. The 75-item questionnaire also included an open-ended section for further commentary. The survey instrument was developed in light of research regarding the appropriate content and delivery of substance abuse programming in a therapeutic environment.

Sample

Not applicable.

Universe

Individuals (staff and inmates) involved with the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individuals.

Data Source

direct observation and self-enumerated questionnaires

Data Type(s)

Description of Variables

Variables for Part 1 include the date and time of observation, nature of observation, clarity, organization, and substance of program delivery, the program leader's involvement and the quality of that involvement with inmates, how prepared the program leader was, and the general therapeutic atmosphere of the program. Demographic variables for Part 2 include the race, age, ethnicity, and level of education of each inmate. Other variables include use of alcohol and illegal drugs prior to incarceration, inmates' perceptions of the treatment personnel, their levels of involvement with the group meetings and cognitive self-change groups, the atmosphere of therapy, ratings of communication and delivery of treatment, quality of service, and the strengths and weaknesses of the RSAT program. Variables for Part 3 include staff's perceptions of the RSAT program and whether they felt the program content and delivery were well organized and easy to understand, perceptions of the program leader's preparation and involvement, perceptions of communication and consistency issues, the quality of service, and the strengths and weaknesses of the RSAT program.

Response Rates

Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales

Several Likert-type scales were used.

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Original Release Date

2003-04-11

Version History

2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
  • Stohr, Mary K., and Craig Hemmens. PROCESS EVALUATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT (RSAT) PROGRAM AT THE SOUTH IDAHO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION, 1999-2000. ICPSR version. Boise, ID: Boise State University/Boise, ID: Idaho Department of Corrections, Bureau of Offender Programs [producers], 2001. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2003. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03153.v1

2006-03-30 File CQ3153.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.

2006-03-30 File UG3153.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.

2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.