Unsupervised short leave in forensic addiction treatment: Is there an influence on treatment progress?

Abstract

Abstract Short leave is an integral part of forensic addiction treatment in Germany. Individuals with addiction problems who have offended can be admitted to forensic addiction treatment institutions to receive treatment for their addiction disorder and reduce their risk of reoffending. During this treatment, short leave is implemented to allow the practising of an abstinent lifestyle, enhance treatment motivation, and enable the individual to stay connected with the community. A critical step is the unsupervised short leave, which comes with benefits but also risks for the individual and the community. Short leave (especially unsupervised short leave) bears the risk of incidents such as new offences, drug relapses or absconding. This study examines the influence of unsupervised short leave on treatment progress. It builds on the methodology from a previous study of patients in forensic psychiatric hospitals and uses a pre-post design with follow-up. Furthermore, the impact of incidents during short leave on treatment progress is analysed. The sample consists of 157 patients in forensic addiction treatment in Germany. The results suggest that unsupervised short leave can enhance the treatment progress of patients in forensic addiction treatment. However, incidents during short leave can have a negative effect on treatment progress.