In doing so, treatment programs should give priority to those individuals who are ready to benefit from treatment. Individuals whose AOD abuse has caused a personal crisis that could motivate them to participate in treatment. This crisis may be the destruction of a personal relationship, the onset of a life-threatening stage of the addiction process, the loss of employment, or a judge's warning that the individual will face lengthy incarceration if brought into court for another criminal offense. Career criminals with AOD abuse problems. Focusing treatment resources on clients who are amenable to treatment has additional advantages.
Early treatment can prevent the individual's involvement in future AOD-related crime.
The needs of new offenders for education, employment, and other auxiliary services are not always as intensive as the needs of people whose lives have been devastated by AOD abuse problems. However, it is also important to provide a continuum of services to all AOD-abusing offenders. These services might emphasize education and motivation with the goal of preparing offenders to enter treatment. For example, staff members of a program that provides assessment and treatment placement services are often interested in seeking information about the offenders they screen from other sources, such as family, employers, and mental health providers. This section attempts to answer these questions and is divided into several subsections.