Evaluation of the Texas Correctional Substance Abuse Treatment Initiative: The Impact of Policy Research

Abstract

An evaluation of the first Texas correctional therapeutic community substance abuse program indicated that recidivism was significantly reduced for offenders completing treatment. However, a large number of offenders did not complete treatment and those persons had recidivism rates comparable to those not participating. Rapid expansion of these programs caused problems associated with client selection, program consistency, and retention in treatment. Research showed that the operational “nuts and bolts” were not in place to effectively expand these programs from 5,000 beds to the originally planned 14,000 beds. Based on these findings, the Texas Legislature decided against expansion.