Comparison of Youth Released From a Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center to Youth at a Traditional Juvenile Correctional Center in Virginia, 1998-2000

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of thestructured substance abuse treatment program at Barrett JuvenileCorrection Center in Virginia by comparing the outcomes of youthadmitted to Barrett with the outcomes of youth who were eligible foradmittance to Barrett but were detained at one of the traditionaljuvenile correctional centers in Virginia. The effectiveness ofBarrett's program was also assessed by comparing the outcomes of youthwho were admitted to Barrett but who differed according to how many ofthe four phases of treatment, focused on modifying negative attitudesand behaviors, they completed. Barrett differs from the six otherjuvenile correctional centers in Virginia in that it provides a highlystructured substance abuse treatment program to all admittedyouth. Youth are considered for admission to Barrett if they are male,aged 11 to 18, have a sentence of six to 18 months, and have arecommended or mandatory need for substance abuse treatment asdetermined by the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), whichassesses youths' needs prior to sentencing. Barrett's treatmentprogram takes a therapeutic community approach, which emphasizesaltering negative attitudes and behaviors through the completion offour sequential phases of treatment. In contrast, the goal of thetraditional institutions was to achieve public safety while meetingthe disciplinary, medical, recreational, and treatment needs of theyouth. These facilities offered some treatment programs but only on an"as needed" basis. The sample for this study consists of all 412 youthreleased from Barrett Juvenile Correctional Center from July 1, 1998,to June 30, 2000, and a matched sample of 406 youth released fromother juvenile correctional centers in Virginia during the sameperiod. The treatment staff at Barrett submitted information onyouths' treatment progress at the time of discharge. The RDC provideddemographic, criminal history, and assessment information for allyouths. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice providedinformation concerning actual time served and recidivism at thejuvenile level. The Virginia State Police supplied additionalrecidivism data, including information on adult recidivism. Paroleofficers also provided data on recidivism and on progress towardmeeting the conditions of parole. Demographic variables included inthe dataset are race of the offender and his age atcommitment. Clinical variables for Barrett youth only are SubstanceAbuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and Intelligence Quotient(IQ) scores, total number of categories for which the youth scored yeson the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourthedition (DSM-IV), the length of the sentence, whether the youth had arecommended or mandatory need for substance abuse treatment, and thehighest phase of treatment completed. Parole officers supplied data atthree, six, and 12 months after release on whether they judged youthsto be currently using a substance and whether youths were meeting theconditions of parole. These conditions included curfew, counselingservices, educational programs, the employment requirement, and theelectronic monitoring requirement. Also included are arrests andsubstance-related charges as reported by the Virginia Department ofJuvenile Justice, the Virginia State Police, and parole officers. Avariable for total reconvictions is included as well.