Economic evaluation of a prerelease substance abuse treatment program for repeat criminal offenders

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Volumn 38, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 31-41

  French, Michael T ^a   Fang, Hai ^b   Fretz, Ralph ^c  

^a Health Economics Research Group   (United States)

^b Department of Biology   (United States)

^c Community Education Centers ^*  (United States)

Author keywords

Cost; Economic benefits; Substance abuse treatment

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ARTICLE; CIRCLING BEHAVIOR; CONTROLLED STUDY; DRUG DEPENDENCE TREATMENT; ECONOMIC EVALUATION; HEALTH CARE FACILITY; HEALTH ECONOMICS; HEALTH PROGRAM; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; OFFENDER; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PRISON; QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS; RECIDIVISM; SOCIAL STATUS; TAX; UNITED STATES; VICTIM;

ADULT; CONTINUITY OF PATIENT CARE; HEALTH CARE COSTS; HEALTH EDUCATION; HUMANS; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; NEW JERSEY; PRISONERS; PRISONS; PROGRAM EVALUATION; PROPORTIONAL HAZARDS MODELS; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT CENTERS; SUBSTANCE-RELATED DISORDERS; SURVIVAL ANALYSIS; TREATMENT OUTCOME;

EID: 71149096291     PISSN: 07405472     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2009.06.001     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Andrews D.A., Zinger I., Hoge R.D., Bonta J.L., Gendreau P., and Cullen F.T. Does correctional treatment work? A clinically relevant and psychologically informed meta-analysis. Criminology 28 (1990) 369-404
2. Antonowicz D.H., and Ross R.R. Essential components of successful rehabilitation programs for offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 38 (1994) 97-104
3. Aos S., Miller M., and Drake E. Evidence-based public policy options to reduce future prison construction, criminal justice costs, and crime rates (2006), Washington State Institute for Public Policy, Olympia: WA. http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/06-10-1201.pdf (Document ID: 06-10-1201). Available at:
4. Ax R.K., Fagan T.J., Magaletta P.R., Morgan R.D., Nussbaum D., and White T.W. Innovations in correctional assessment and treatment. Criminal Justice and Behavior 34 (2007) 893-905
5. Balsa, A. I., French, M. T., Maclean, J. C., & Norton, E. C. in press From pubs to scrubs: Alcohol misuse and health care use. Health Services Research. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2009.00987.x
6. Belenko S., Patapis N., and French M.T. Economic benefits of drug treatment: A critical review of the evidence for policy makers (2005), University of Pennsylvania, Treatment Research Institute, Philadelphia
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation calculator (2008). http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl Available at:
8. Butzin C.A., Martin S.S., and Inciardi J.A. Evaluating component effects of a prison-based treatment continuum. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 22 (2002) 63-69
9. Caldwell M.F., Vitacco M.J., and Van Rybroek G.J. Are violent delinquents worth treating? A cost-benefit analysis. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 43 (2006) 148-168
10. Clements C.B., Althouse R., Ax R.K., Magaletta P.R., Fagan T.J., and Wormith J.S. Systemic issues and correctional outcomes: Expanding the scope of correctional psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior 34 (2007) 919-932
11. Cox D.R., and Oakes D. Analysis of survival data (1984), Chapman & Hall, London, UK
12. Daley M., Love C.T., Shepard D.S., Petersen C.B., White K.L., and Hall F.B. Cost effectiveness of Connecticut's in-prison substance abuse treatment. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 39 (2004) 69-92
13. De Leon G., Melnick G., Thomas G., Kressel D., and Wexler H.K. Motivation for treatment in a prison-based therapeutic community. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 26 (2000) 33-46
14. Farabee D., Prendergast M., Cartier J., Wexler H.K., Knight K., and Anglin M.D. Barriers to implementing effective correctional drug treatment programs. The Prison Journal 79 (1999) 150-162
15. Farrington D.P., Petrosino A., and Welsh B.C. Systematic reviews and cost-benefit analyses of correctional interventions. The Prison Journal 81 (2001) 339-359
16. Field G. From the institution to the community: Studies show the benefits of continuity of care in reduced recidivism, relapse rates. Corrections Today 60 (1998) 94-97
17. Field G. Continuity of offender treatment for substance use disorders from institution to community: Treatment Improvement Protocol Series 30. (Publication Number [SMA] 98-3245). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1998)
18. French M.T. Economic evaluation of alcohol treatment services. Evaluation and Program Planning 23 (2000) 27-39
19. French M.T., and Drummond M.C. A research agenda for economic evaluation of substance abuse services. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 29 (2005) 125-137
20. French M.T., Salomé H.J., and Carney M. Using the DATCAP and ASI to estimate the costs and benefits of residential addiction treatment in the State of Washington. Social Science and Medicine 55 (2002) 2267-2282
21. French M.T., Salomé H.J., Sindelar J.L., and McLellan A.T. Benefit-Cost analysis of addiction treatment: Methodological guidelines and empirical application using the DATCAP and ASI. Health Services Research 37 (2002) 433-455
22. Fretz R., Heilbrun K.S., and Brown D. Outcome research as an integral component of performance-based offender treatment. Corrections Compendium 29 (2004) 1-4
23. Greene W.H. Econometric analysis. (6th ed.) (2007), Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
24. Griffith J.D., Hiller M.L., Knight K., and Simpson D.D. A cost-effectiveness analysis of in-prison therapeutic community treatment and risk classification. The Prison Journal 79 (1999) 352-368
25. Heckman J.J., Ichimura H., and Todd P.E. Matching as an econometric evaluation estimator: Evidence from evaluating a job training programme. Review of Economic Studies 54 (1997) 605-654
26. Hepburn J.R. Recidivism among drug offenders following exposure to treatment. Criminal Justice Policy Review 16 (2005) 237-259
27. Hiller M.L., Knight K., and Simpson D.D. Prison-based substance abuse treatment, residential aftercare and recidivism. Addiction 94 (1999) 833-842
28. Homer J.F., Drummond M.C., and French M.T. Economic evaluation of adolescent addiction programs: Methodological challenges and recommendations. Journal of Adolescent Health 43 (2008) 529-539
29. Hubbard R.L., Marsden M.E., Rachal J.V., Harwood H.J., Cavanaugh E.R., and Ginzburg H.M. Drug abuse treatment: A national study of effectiveness. (NCJ Pub 120787) (1989), U.S. Department of Justice, Chapel Hill, NC. http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=120787 Available at:
30. Kleykamp M., Rosenfeld J., and Scotti R. Wasting money, wasting lives (2008), The Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey, New Jersey. http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/hiddencostsNJ.pdf Available at:
31. Knight K., Simpson D.D., and Hiller M.L. Three-year re-incarceration outcomes for in-prison therapeutic community treatment in Texas. The Prison Journal 79 (1999) 337-351
32. Lipton D.S. The effectiveness of treatment for drug abusers under criminal justice supervision. (NIJ Pub 157642) (1995), US Department of Justice, Rockville, MD. http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=157642 Available at:
33. Logan T.K., Hoyt W., McCollister K.E., French M.T., Leukefeld C., and Lisa Minton L. Economic evaluation of drug court: Methodology, results, and policy implications. Evaluation and Program Planning 27 (2004) 381-396
34. McCollister K.E., and French M.T. The relative contributions of outcome domains in the total economic benefit of addiction interventions: A review of first findings. Addiction 98 (2003) 1647-1659
35. McCollister K.E., French M.T., Inciardi J.A., Butzin C.A., Martin S.S., and Hooper R.M. Post-release substance abuse treatment for criminal offenders: A cost-effectiveness analysis. Journal of Quantitative Criminology 19 (2003) 389-407
36. McCollister K.E., French M.T., Prendergast M., Hall E., and Sacks S. Long-term cost-effectiveness of addiction treatment for criminal offenders. Justice Quarterly 21 (2004) 659-679
37. McCollister K.E., French M.T., Prendergast M., Wexler H., Sacks S., and Hall E. Is in-prison treatment enough? A cost-effectiveness analysis of prison-based treatment and aftercare services for substance-abusing offenders. Law & Policy 25 (2003) 63-82
38. Michalopoulos C., Bloom H.S., and Hill C.J. Can propensity-score methods match the findings from a random assignment evaluation of mandatory welfare-to-work programs?. Review of Economics & Statistics 86 (2004) 157-179
39. Monzingo J.E. Economic analysis of the criminal justice system. Crime & Delinquency 23 (1977) 260-271
40. New Jersey Law Enforcement Agency. Uniform crime reports 1980-2005 (2001). http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/njcrimn.htm Available at:
41. Pearson F.S., and Lipton D.S. A meta-analytic review of the effectiveness of corrections-based treatments for drug abuse. The Prison Journal 79 (1999) 384-410
42. Pelissier B., Rhodes W., Saylor W., Gaes G., Camp S.D., Vanyur S.D., et al. Triad Drug Treatment Evaluation Project. Federal Probation 65 (2001) 3-7
43. Robertson A.A., Grimes P.W., and Rogers K.E. A short-run cost-benefit analysis of community-based interventions for juvenile offenders. Crime & Delinquency 47 (2001) 265-284
44. Rosenbaum P.R., and Rubin D.B. The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects. Biometrika 70 (1983) 41-55
45. Rubin D.B. Estimating causal effects of treatments in randomised and non-randomised studies. Journal of Educational Psychology 66 (1974) 688-701
46. Smith J.A., and Todd P.E. Reconciling conflicting evidence on the performance of propensity-score matching methods. American Economic Review 91 (2001) 112-118
47. Stata Corporation. Stata 9.2 (2005), Stata Corporation, College Station, TX
48. Sviridoff M., and Thompson J.W. Links between employment and crime: A qualitative study of Rikers Island releasees. Crime & Delinquency 29 (1983) 195-212
49. U.S. Courts: The Federal Judiciary. Costs of incarceration and supervised release (2006). http://www.uscourts.gov/newsroom/prisoncost.html Available at:
50. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Direct expenditure by level of government, 1982-2005 (2008). http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/expgovtab.htm Available at:
51. Welsh B.C., and Farrington D.P. Correctional intervention programs and cost-benefit analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior 27 (2000) 115-133
52. Welsh W.N., and Zajac G. A census of prison-based drug treatment programs: Implications for programming, policy, and evaluation. Crime & Delinquency 50 (2004) 108-133
53. Western B., Kling J.R., and Weiman D.F. The labor market consequences of incarceration. Crime & Delinquency 47 (2001) 410-427
54. Wexler H.K., Falkin G.P., and Lipton D.S. Outcome evaluation of a prison therapeutic community for substance abuse treatment. Criminal Justice and Behavior 17 (1990) 71-92
55. Wooldridge J.M. Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data (2001), The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
56. Wormith J.S., Althouse R., Simpson M., Reitzel L.R., Fagan T.J., and Morgan R.D. The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. The current landscape and some future directions for correctional psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior 34 (2007) 879-892