Although no two clients are alike, this one seems almost archetypal. He is a young male. He is poor. He comes from a dysfunctional home with a history of substance abuse. And, based on the odds, there's a good chance he will be in and out of the corrections system for years to come.
Substance abuse acts as a kind of hinge on the revolving door of the criminal-justice system.
Five percent of state prison inmates tested positive in random testing conducted in fiscal year 1999. One of Langevin's most important and most difficult tasks is to try to keep his clients clean of drugs and alcohol, which are not only against the rules, but often put clients back in prison. The N.H. Department of Corrections is looking for new ways to deal with these challenges. Other programs, such as First Step and Transformations, begin the process of turning convicted felons into responsible citizens. As the national prison population has risen to 1.9 million inmates, many states, including New Hampshire, have been forced to make their rehabilitation programs more effective, said University of New Hampshire Professor Ted Kirkpatrick, who heads a consortium called Justiceworks.