Comparison of Youth Released From a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center to Youth at a Traditional Juvenile Correctional Center in Virginia, 1998-2000  

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the
structured substance abuse treatment program at Barrett Juvenile
Correction Center in Virginia by comparing the outcomes of youth
admitted to Barrett with the outcomes of youth who were eligible for
admittance to Barrett but were detained at one of the traditional
juvenile correctional centers in Virginia. The effectiveness of
Barrett's program was also assessed by comparing the outcomes of youth
who were admitted to Barrett but who differed according to how many of
the four phases of treatment, focused on modifying negative attitudes
and behaviors, they completed. Barrett differs from the six other
juvenile correctional centers in Virginia in that it provides a highly
structured substance abuse treatment program to all admitted
youth. Youth are considered for admission to Barrett if they are male,
aged 11 to 18, have a sentence of six to 18 months, and have a
recommended or mandatory need for substance abuse treatment as
determined by the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), which
assesses youths' needs prior to sentencing. Barrett's treatment
program takes a therapeutic community approach, which emphasizes
altering negative attitudes and behaviors through the completion of
four sequential phases of treatment. In contrast, the goal of the
traditional institutions was to achieve public safety while meeting
the disciplinary, medical, recreational, and treatment needs of the
youth. These facilities offered some treatment programs but only on an
"as needed" basis. The sample for this study consists of all 412 youth
released from Barrett Juvenile Correctional Center from July 1, 1998,
to June 30, 2000, and a matched sample of 406 youth released from
other juvenile correctional centers in Virginia during the same
period. The treatment staff at Barrett submitted information on
youths' treatment progress at the time of discharge. The RDC provided
demographic, criminal history, and assessment information for all
youths. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice provided
information concerning actual time served and recidivism at the
juvenile level. The Virginia State Police supplied additional
recidivism data, including information on adult recidivism. Parole
officers also provided data on recidivism and on progress toward
meeting the conditions of parole. Demographic variables included in
the dataset are race of the offender and his age at
commitment. Clinical variables for Barrett youth only are Substance
Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and Intelligence Quotient
(IQ) scores, total number of categories for which the youth scored yes
on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth
edition (DSM-IV), the length of the sentence, whether the youth had a
recommended or mandatory need for substance abuse treatment, and the
highest phase of treatment completed. Parole officers supplied data at
three, six, and 12 months after release on whether they judged youths
to be currently using a substance and whether youths were meeting the
conditions of parole. These conditions included curfew, counseling
services, educational programs, the employment requirement, and the
electronic monitoring requirement. Also included are arrests and
substance-related charges as reported by the Virginia Department of
Juvenile Justice, the Virginia State Police, and parole officers. A
variable for total reconvictions is included as well.