1

 The Federal fiscal years run from October 1 through September 30.

62

CHAPTER 4: DESCRIPTION OF DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS

AND SERVICES

This chapter describes the nature of the BOP’s drug treatment programs and the changes that

occurred since the inception of the TRIAD evaluation project. In addition, we provide a brief

description of the post-release treatment services available for inmates released with conditions of

supervision. 

Paths to Treatment Service

Inmates interested in drug treatment receive services through various means. Treatment services

for BOP inmates are available at three different stages: while incarcerated, during a halfway house

placement, and while under supervision by a Probation officer. Services can be offered during the

latter two stages only if the individual received a halfway house placement or was released with a

condition of supervision. Treatment services for study subjects ranged from none to services at all

three stages. The treatment available while incarcerated consisted of the residential DAP in

combination with non-residential outpatient services and self-help groups. Treatment provided

during a halfway house stay is referred to as “transitional drug abuse treatment” and consists of

outpatient counseling services. Transitional drug abuse treatment was required for all DAP

graduates. 

Treatment provided while an individual was under supervision is referred to as post-release

treatment. This treatment consists of a wide range of services, including both outpatient and

residential/inpatient services, with an emphasis on outpatient services. It also includes

participation in self-help groups.

Program Development by Location

The residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs offered treatment for alcohol and other drug

problems, and were implemented in two distinct categories: pilot programs and comprehensive

programs. Later, all programs were referred to as residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs.

Pilot programs offered 1,000 hours of treatment over a 12-month period, with a staff-to-inmate

ratio of 1:12. Comprehensive Drug Abuse Treatment Programs provided 500 hours of treatment

over a 9-month period, with a staff-to-inmate ratio of 1:24.

The first eight programs were approved for activation in FY’s 1989 and 1990.1 During FY’s 1989

and 1990, the BOP implemented its first three residential Drug Abuse Treatment Pilot Programs
2FMC refers to a Federal Medical Center, FCI to a Federal Correctional Institution, and

FPC to a Federal Prison Camp (see Glossary of Terms).

3

 A comprehensive history of DAP development between 1988 and 1995 is contained in an

unpublished report — “BOP Residential Drug Treatment Program Development: 1988 to 1995 ”

— available upon request. A narrative description summarizing the selection of the research sites

is contained in Chapter 5 under the section entitled “A Chronological History of the Selection of

Subjects.”

63

at FMC Lexington, FCI Butner, and FCI Tallahassee.2 By the end of FY 1996, 39 programs had

been approved for implementation. Figure 3 shows when each DAP was approved for activation

and indicates which of the programs were included in this study and which were eliminated as

research sites during the study.3 We note that between 1997 and 2000 another 17 programs have

been activated and 9 programs were closed since 1996. At the beginning of 2000 there were 44

programs operational. 

Admission Criteria 

All admissions into the BOP’s residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs were voluntary.

Initially, residential programs required inmates to have (1) a drug problem and to have completed

the BOP’s Drug Abuse Education Course; (2) no outstanding legal concerns to interfere with

Community Corrections Center (CCC) placement; (3) no serious medical or mental health

problems; (4) no violent behavior within the last 12 months; and (5) between 24 and 36 months

remaining on their sentences. By the time the first policy was issued, however, a number of these

criteria had changed.

 

Inmates could apply for program admission at any time, with priority given to those inmates with

less time remaining on their sentences. All program participants had to have at least 15 months

remaining until their release dates (18 months for pilot program participants). An inmate was

accepted into a program if:

! the inmate had a history of moderate to severe drug abuse, as reflected in the

psychological assessment score on the Inventory of Substance Use Patterns

(ISUP) administered by Psychology Services (or as reflected in the presentence

investigation report);

! the inmate had no history of violence or assaultive behavior during the current

incarceration;

! the inmate was fluent in the English language;

! the inmate had no serious medical, psychiatric, or psychological problems that would

interfere with full program participation;

! the inmate was not a State boarder;
4

 As will be noted in Chapter 5, this site was dropped between 1991 and 1993.

64

Figure 3

Chronological History of DAP’s and DAP Research Sites 

DAP Research

Site

FY Approved for

Activation

Date Selected as 

Research Site

Date

Discontinued as

Research Site

Butner FCI 1990 03/90 06/96

Fairton FCI 1990 03/90 06/96

Lexington FCI* 1989 03/90 02/94

Oxford FCI 1990 03/90 06/96

Rochester FCI 1990 03/90 08/91

Seagoville FCI 1990 03/90 06/964

Sheridan FCI 1990 03/90 06/96

Tallahassee FCI 1990 03/90 06/96

Danbury FCI 1991 03/93 06/96

Dublin FCI* 1991 08/93 06/96

El Reno FCI 1991 not selected not selected

Englewood FCI 1991 not selected not selected

Leavenworth USP 1991 not selected not selected

Marianna FCI 1991 02/92 06/96

Phoenix FCI 1991 03/93 08/93

Bastrop FCI 1992 not selected not selected

La Tuna FCI 1992 03/93 02/93

Bryan FPC* 1992 not selected not selected

Atlanta USP 1992 not selected not selected

Lompoc USP 1992 not selected not selected

Lompoc FCI 1992 03/93 06/96

Allenwood FPC 1992 not selected not selected

McKean FCI 1992 03/93 06/96

Alderson FPC* 1992 03/93 06/96

Morgantown FCI 1992 03/93 06/96

Yankton FPC 1992 03/93 06/96

Terminal Island FCI 1992 03/93 06/96

Terre Haute USP 1992 not selected not selected

Three Rivers FCI 1992 03/93 06/96

Talladega FCI 1992 not selected not selected

Fort Worth FCI 1994 not selected not selected

Dublin FPC* 1995 not selected not selected

Sheridan FPC 1995 not selected not selected

Fort Dix FCI 1995 not selected not selected

Cumberland FPC 1996 not selected not selected

Talladega FPC 1996 not selected not selected

Texarkana FPC 1996 not selected not selected

Florence FCI 1996 not selected not selected

Milan FCI 1996 not selected not selected

Notes: Sites having female inmates are denoted by an asterisk (*). Also, Tallahassee and Danbury

converted to all-female institutions in 1995, and Lexington converted to all-male in 1994.

! the inmate did not have a State or Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
5

 Bureau of Prisons, Operations Memorandum 132-90 (5330), September 20, 1990. 

Inmate Drug Abuse Program.

6

 Self-reported drug use does not qualify as a verifiable, documented problem.

65

detainer or pending charges, and the inmate qualified for Community Corrections

Center placement where transitional drug abuse treatment would be provided;

! the inmate was willing to sign an agreement to participate in the residential Drug Abuse

Treatment Program; and

! the inmate successfully completed the Drug Abuse Education Program (described

below).5

After several programs had admitted cohorts of inmates to drug treatment, the admission criteria

were reviewed and modified in a number of ways. Inmates with detainers, State boarders, and

inmates ineligible for Community Corrections Center placement became eligible to participate in

residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs, as did inmates who spoke Spanish (as more bilingual

staff became available).

In October 1993, new BOP policy dictated a further modification in the admission criteria.

Individuals now had to meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-III-R

— American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria for substance abuse or dependence.

After the passage of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (VCCLEA), drug

program policy required a number of changes as the VCCLEA made demands on the BOP’s

residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs. The VCCLEA provided the Bureau with an

incentive for inmate participation: the BOP Director was allowed to provide up to a 1-year

sentence reduction for non-violent inmates who successfully completed a residential Drug Abuse

Treatment Program. In addition, the VCCLEA required that by the end of FY 1997 the Bureau

provide residential drug abuse treatment for all inmates who were “eligible.”

In May 1995, the BOP revised its policy in accordance with the VCCLEA. Additional admission

criteria required inmates to have a verifiable, documented6 drug abuse problem. This criterion was

established to prevent inmates who did not have drug problems from volunteering for drug

treatment solely to obtain early release from prison. In addition, while inmates were always taken

into the program with priority placement given to those with the least amount of time to serve, the

time frame was generally limited to 36 months before release to account for a potential 1-year

reduction in custody.

The policy statement issued in May 1995 also implemented more specific criteria for program

expulsion. While in the residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program, an inmate could be expelled if

he or she was found to have used or possessed alcohol or drugs, exhibited violence or threatened

violence against staff or another inmate, committed a serious rule infraction, or exhibited

disruptive behavior related to the program. Much of the greater specificity in discharge criteria —
7

 We note that financial incentives can also be viewed as having imposed a contingency

management situation into the treatment process. The effect of this particular aspect of the

treatment process cannot be disentangled from other aspects of the treatment process. 

66

especially those related to disruptive behavior in the program — was the direct result of

VCCLEA. Drug abuse treatment coordinators believed it necessary to define clearly expulsion

criteria because program expulsion was accompanied by loss of eligibility for an early release.

It should be noted that some institution residential Drug Abuse Treatment Coordinators did not

always apply the admission criteria as dictated by policy. Clinical judgment used as one of the

selection filters into treatment is a process that must be acknowledged by researchers. This

process, which we referred to in the literature review as the administrative selection process, can

affect the profile of individuals being admitted to the treatment program. The question is, “to what

extent do clinicians reject individuals who meet the admission criteria?” Although there were no

systematic data available to shed definitive light on this process, some information was available

from the field notes of researchers located at six of the initial research sites. While there were

some programs with twice as many applicants as admitted individuals, the primary reasons for

rejection were that staff had made referrals for inmates who id not volunteer or that the inmates

did not meet the admission criteria. However, there was evidence that staff occasionally would

reject an applicant due to a lack of motivation, because the inmate was disliked by staff, or

because the individual was considered a management problem. 

Incentives for Program Participation 

At the earliest implementation, there were no incentives for DAP participation. However, initially

low numbers of DAP volunteers despite increased funding and scrutiny by external agencies and

Congress led the BOP Executive Staff to approve residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program

incentives in October 1991.

Financial achievement awards7 were approved as a means of overcoming the “disincentive” of pay

losses incurred by inmates who, by participating in treatment, were no longer able to work fulltime. Achievement awards were dispensed quarterly and were based on program performance —

no unexcused absences from program activities, a 95-percent promptness rate for all scheduled

program activities, no guilty findings for disciplinary infractions, and successful completion of all

program assignments (including readings, homework, and self-evaluations).

The second incentive approved by the Executive Staff was consideration for a full 6 months in a

Community Corrections Center for all successful residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program

graduates. 

The third incentive involved tangible and intangible benefits granted to treatment participants by

local institution staff. Wardens received the latitude to offer such items as shirts, caps, and pens
8

 This early release provision presents issues of disparity for Bureau inmates. The disparity

arises when, for example, two inmates convicted of the same offense receive different prison

terms because the inmate who has been diagnosed with a substance abuse problem receives a 1-

year reduction in his or her sentence and the inmate without a substance abuse problem serves the

entire sentence. In effect, many perceive this 1-year reduction as a reward for drug-abusing

behavior.

67

with program logos to program participants in good standing. Other local incentives included the

assignment of participants to preferred living quarters and to units with washer/dryer access,

special recreation privileges, and special dining privileges.

The incentives for drug treatment changed with the passage of the Violent Crime Control and

Law Enforcement Act. This law allowed eligible inmates who successfully completed the

Bureau’s residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program to earn as much as a 1-year reduction from

their statutory release dates (the qualification for early release was limited to inmates who had not

committed a “crime of violence”).8 Successful completion of drug treatment was defined as

completion of all phases of the drug treatment program — the residential program, the

institutional aftercare program (when applicable), and the transitional drug abuse treatment

component received while housed in a Community Corrections facility (described below).

A final change in DAP incentives came in 1995, with the discontinuation of tangible incentives for

residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program participants. This was modified as part of an overall

BOP policy to reduce the quantity of inmates’ personal belongings.

Program Design and Content

In-Prison Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (DAP)

All residential DAP’s are unit-based; that is, all residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program

participants live together — separate from the general population — for the purpose of building a

treatment community. Each unit has a capacity of approximately 100 inmates, based on a staff-toinmate ratio of 1:12 or 1:24. Ordinarily, treatment is conducted on the unit for a half-day in two

2-hour sessions. During the other half day, inmates participate in typical institution activities (e.g.,

work or school). During these times, as well as during meals, treatment participants interact with

general population inmates.

Program specifications originally were geared toward the 9-month residential Drug Abuse

Treatment Programs, with the 12-month programs following the same guidelines but adding

increased flexibility in terms of hours not devoted to required program content. At the outset, the

9-month programs were to include 40 hours of comprehensive assessment and treatment-plan

development, 280 hours of group/individual counseling, 100 hours of wellness lifestyle training,

and 40 hours of study devoted to transitional-living issues. The individual/group therapy focused
9

 Full-team reviews include all members of the unit team (unit manager, case manager, and

case counselor), as well as representatives from Education and Psychology Services. During

these meetings, the following items are discussed: custody and security classification, work

assignment and performance, leisure time activities, overall institutional adjustment, education and

other program activities, plans for release, and Financial Responsibility Program involvement.

10Although priority was placed on admitting individuals near release from custody,

individuals with time left to serve after program completion were initially admitted in order to fill

the DAP treatment beds. 

68

primarily on behavioral-skill building, cognitive-skills development, family issues,

vocational/educational issues, criminal-thinking confrontation, pro-social values development, and

relapse prevention. The program also provided support groups and elective self-help groups.

Individualized treatment plans were required, based on assessments of the subjects’ needs. Fullteam reviews were scheduled every 90 days, with a treatment plan review every 30 days.9

Urinalyses were to be conducted more frequently than was the case with the general population.

In July 1991, residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program content became standardized. All

residential Drug Abuse Treatment Coordinators were brought together, and they agreed that

residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs would include specific core components, including

screening and assessment, treatment orientation, criminal-thinking confrontation, cognitive skill

building, relapse prevention, interpersonal skill building, wellness, and transitional programming.

Together, these components accounted for 350 hours of programming, both in didactic and

process groups. The remaining program hours were to be divided at the discretion of the

individual coordinators.

In FY 1993, a workgroup chaired by the BOP national clinical coordinator developed the

residential “Drug Abuse Treatment Program Handbook,” standardizing 450 hours of the required

500 hours of treatment. These manuals were distributed during staff training conducted in the

summer of 1994. As a result of this handbook — and modifications required by VCCLEA — the

BOP policy, issued in May 1995, required post-testing of each module covered in the handbook.

Finally, due to the changing admission criteria, and because not all inmates were released to

Community Corrections Centers or from custody shortly after completing the program,10 an

institutional transition program was established in 1992. The program originally required 25 hours

of “refresher” treatment in the last 4 months prior to an inmate’s release from the institution.

However, in 1995 that policy changed and required each successful residential Drug Abuse

Treatment Program graduate to receive no less than one hour of individual or group counseling

per month for the first 12 months out of the residential unit or until transfer to a Community

Corrections Center or release, whichever came first.
69

Non-Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Services/Self-Help Groups

Although a few non-residential programs existed from the start, these programs were not defined

clearly in drug treatment program policies. By June 1992, non-residential programs were better

defined and it became mandatory to make these programs available in every BOP institution. This

level of programming now provides individual and group counseling to inmates with substance

abuse histories. Non-residential programs provide alcohol and other drug abuse treatment services

to inmates who are not eligible or not interested in residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs or

who may have overriding mental health problems that preclude the inmate’s full residential Drug

Abuse Treatment Program participation. Non-residential drug abuse treatment also provides

inmates with institutional transitional services. Self-help groups are available in all types of drug

abuse treatment in the BOP, but they are most often associated with non-residential drug abuse

treatment. However, self-help groups alone do not constitute non-residential drug abuse treatment

as defined in BOP policy.

Drug Education Course

Drug Abuse Education is the only drug abuse program service that is mandated by BOP policy.

Inmates are required to participate in this program if they meet any of the following criteria:

! there is evidence in the presentence investigation report (PSI) that alcohol or other drug

use contributed to the commission of the offense for which the inmate is currently

incarcerated;

! alcohol or other drug use was a reason for a violation of supervised release — including

parole — or BOP community status (CCC placement) for which the inmate is

currently incarcerated; or

! the inmate was recommended by the sentencing judge for drug programming during the

current incarceration.

Participants in the 40-hour drug abuse education course receive information about alcohol and

drugs, as well as the physical, social, and psychological impact of these substances. Participants

must complete an assessment of their lives, including an accounting of the costs that their drug

use has had on their health, on the lives of their families, and on the community. 

Inmates required to take the Drug Abuse Education course who refuse, or who fail to complete

the course successfully are remanded to the lowest pay-grade for the remainder of their

incarceration and are ineligible for community programs. It should be noted, however, that

inmates may also volunteer for this course.
11 This program involves a system of deductions from an inmate’s pay in order to meet the

requirements of court-ordered fines (e.g., child support, restitution).

70

Community Corrections Centers

Ordinarily, inmates are transferred to a Community Correction Center (i.e., a “CCC,” or halfway

house) prior to their release to the community or release to supervision. CCC placements provide

inmates with structured environments in which to find a job, reunite with their families, and

receive vocational and behavioral counseling.

Approximately 9 months before an inmate’s probable release date, BOP staff determine an

inmate’s eligibility for CCC placement. A recommendation for CCC placement is based on the

inmate’s needs for services, the consideration of public safety, and the proper management of the

BOP inmate population as a whole. An inmate may be referred to a CCC for as many as 6

months, but the average length of stay for all inmates is approximately 4 1⁄2 months.

An inmate will most likely be determined ineligible for a CCC placement if he or she meets any of

the following conditions:

! is a deportable alien;

! is serving a sentence of less than 6 months;

! has pending charges or detainers;

! requires psychological or psychiatric treatment or inpatient care;

! refuses to participate in the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program;11

! is deemed an aggressive sex offender; or

! poses a significant threat to the community.

Home confinement is another community option available to the BOP. In cooperation with the

Federal Corrections and Supervision Division (probation services) of the Administrative Office of

the U.S. Courts (AO), some inmates may be allowed to be placed at home while remaining under

BOP custody. Home confinement provides inmates with increasing responsibility while remaining

under supervision. Inmates on home confinement status are allowed to work, but are required to

stay at home during non-work hours of the day. Where available, electronic monitoring equipment

is used to ensure compliance with these conditions. The length of home confinement placement is

limited to the last 10 percent of an inmate’s sentence or 6 months — whichever is less. 

Individuals receiving a CCC placement may spend some of their time in home confinement.

When an individual is arrested for a new offense or is found guilty of a serious disciplinary

infraction, he or she may be sanctioned and transferred to a local jail or to a Federal correctional

facility and thus not successfully complete his or her CCC placement. 
12 The Transitional Drug Abuse Treatment treatment would thus build upon the core

components of the residential in-prison treatment program and provide continuity of care.

71

Transitional Drug Abuse Treatment During Halfway House Placement

At the outset of program planning in 1989, transitional drug abuse treatment was to consist of

two phases. The first phase, pre-release services, would include 6 months in a CCC, with

specialized programming provided either by a contractor or directly by BOP staff. The second

phase — aftercare services — would consist of 6 months during which community services would

be coordinated jointly by the BOP and the requisite U.S. Probation or Parole office, or provided

directly by CCC staff if community resources were unavailable.

This initial plan was not implemented. Rather, in working closely with the AO’s Federal

Corrections and Supervision Division, in July 1992, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

was signed between the BOP and the AO concerning the provision of transitional drug abuse

treatment. The agreement specified that for individuals with CCC placements, a planning

conference involving CCC contract staff, a community-based drug counselor, and the inmate

would be held within the first week of the inmate’s arrival at the CCC. Because most Probation

offices had community-based treatment contracts for offenders under Federal supervision, the

MOU allowed the BOP to use the same contractors — in other words, to “piggyback” on the

probation services agreements. This “piggyback” effort ensured that inmates would continue to

receive treatment services from the same providers as they moved from BOP custody to

Probation supervision.

Transitional drug abuse treatment generally includes community-based treatment with

philosophies similar to those of institution-based treatments.12 Initially, the intensity of transitional

drug abuse treatment services was to be standardized, with each individual receiving 4 hours of

services per week during his or her stay at the Community Corrections Center. However, soon

after implementation, the community-based treatment provider began to direct the individual’s

course of treatment and, typically, now inmates receive, on average, 2 hours of Transitional Drug

Abuse Treatment Services each week.

At the outset, transitional drug abuse treatment services were granted only to graduates of the

DAP. In early 1993, the range of inmates who could receive transitional services during CCC

placement was expanded to include any inmate in a CCC who was identified as needing drug

treatment, even if he or she had not participated in an in-prison residential drug treatment

program. This expansion resulted, in part, from recruitment problems in the early residential Drug

Abuse Treatment Programs, which left funding available for an expanded community-based

treatment population.

Although some transitional drug abuse treatment participants who had not been DAP participants

received these services voluntarily, most did not. Most of these latter transitional drug abuse

treatment participants became involved as a result either of community corrections staff
13 In the event that the necessary services were not offered by one of the contract agencies,

these services may have been provided by a non-contract agency or the Probation officer.

72

recommending treatment as a condition of the CCC placement or of two new community

corrections programs initiatives implemented in 1994. The first initiative provided for the creation

of Comprehensive Sanction Centers (CSC’s), which were CCC’s designed to offer more gradual

and structured release experiences to individuals who might not be appropriate for the traditional

CCC experience. All CSC residents were required to be screened for drug treatment needs and

then referred, if appropriate, to Transitional Drug Abuse Treatment Services. CSC’s had been

fully implemented at 12 different sites in the country by January 1994, and they housed 4 percent

of all the Transitional Drug Abuse Treatment Services participants.

The second initiative was called the Enhanced Transitional Drug Abuse Treatment Services (ETS)

project. Within each of the six BOP regions, at least one CCC facility (not already designated as a

CSC) was selected as an ETS site. ETS sites were similar to CCC’s but contained special

provisions for transitional drug abuse treatment services. ETS individuals were required to

participate in community-based treatment (i.e., transitional drug abuse treatment) if they were

identified by a BOP community corrections manager as having a substance abuse problem and

were determined by a community-based treatment provider to need treatment. Four ETS

programs were implemented between January and March 1994, and another four began between

April and August 1994. In the beginning of 1994, 26 percent of all the Transitional Drug Abuse

Services participants were in ETS programs.

As of the end of 1996, with the implementation of the VCCLEA initiative, 62 percent of BOP

inmates receiving transitional drug abuse treatment during their CCC placement were residential

Drug Abuse Treatment Program graduates.

Supervised Release 

Approximately 86 percent of the TRIAD research subjects were released from BOP custody with

provisions for supervision by a U.S. Probation officer. The system of selecting individuals who

were to receive treatment services as part of post-release supervision varied among each of the 94

judicial districts. Individuals with an identified history of drug abuse may have been required to

receive treatment services while under supervision. Individuals under the supervision of a U.S.

Probation officer may have undergone urinalysis tests and have had drug treatment services

provided under the “Contract Services Program Plan” when the services were required as a

condition of supervision.13 However, urine testing was required of most individuals flagged as

having a drug problem.

Urine testing involved a combination of regularly scheduled collections (fixed-interval testing) and

unscheduled collections (random testing). Many, but not all, of the Probation offices follow a

three phase urine testing program: 
73

! Phase I — This phase involved six urinalysis (UA) collections monthly with at least two

unscheduled collections. During this phase, the treatment contractor, when

requested, should have provided four 30-minute counseling (or alternative

treatment) sessions each month. This phase usually lasted 6 months.

 ! Phase II — When an individual completed 6 months of Phase I satisfactorily, he or she

moved on to Phase II, where the urine collections were reduced to four per month,

with at least two of these unscheduled. During this phase, if treatment services

were required, there were three counseling sessions of at least 30 minutes each

month. This phase generally lasted 3 months.

! Phase III — This phase reduced the monthly urine collections to two unscheduled urine

tests. Counseling sessions were reduced to two sessions of at least 30 minutes each

month. Usually, the type of treatment provided by a contractor consisted of either

individual or group counseling. However, when necessary, intensive outpatient

counseling, detoxification services, and residential services were provided.

Individuals who have positive urinalyses or violate other conditions of supervision, including

being arrested for a new offense, may be revoked and transferred to a Federal prison or other

correctional facility. Revocations are made at the discretion of the Probation officer and the

judicial official presiding over a revocation hearing. Thus, in some districts an individual will be

revoked for one positive urinalysis whereas in other districts an individual may have several

positive urinalyses before being revoked. There are however, a few acts, such as possession of a

firearm and possession of a controlled substance, that call for mandatory revocation.

Summary

In summary, it is clear that throughout the TRIAD drug treatment evaluation effort various

components of the BOP’s drug treatment programs underwent changes. The number of programs

grew from 8 in fiscal years 1989 and 1990 to 39 in fiscal year 1996. The incentives for program

participation changed from financial incentives to offset the loss of pay resulting from program

participation to a 1-year reduction in sentence for successful program completion. Admission

criteria became more stringent, eventually requiring an official DSM diagnosis of drug abuse or

dependence that was verifiable and documented. Program content became more standardized over

time. 

Transitional drug abuse treatment provided during a CCC placement was initially limited to

individuals who had completed the in-prison residential drug treatment program. Later these

services became available to other drug-abusing individuals. Furthermore, several new community

corrections initiatives mandated such services for individuals with histories of drug use. 

Some of the program changes did not affect the research design for the TRIAD evaluation.

However, the rapid growth in programs did notably affect the research design. Chapter 5 provides

a description of the research design and how it was affected by the program changes.
74