California's voter-initiated Proposition 36 offers non-violent drug offenders community-based treatment as an alternative to incarceration or probation without treatment. This article reports short-term treatment outcomes subsequent to this major shift in drug policy. Data are from 1104 individuals randomly selected from all Proposition 36…

Event-history analysis was applied to the life history data of 581 male narcotics addicts to specify the concurrent, postintervention, and durational effects of social interventions on relapse to narcotics use. Results indicate the advisability of supporting methadone maintenance with other prevention strategies. (SLD)

The influence of program-related constructs on perceived quality of treatment programs was assessed using a latent variable modeling approach and the responses of key personnel from 294 drug treatment facilities in Los Angeles County (California). A clear philosophy and emphasis and greater frequency of services significantly predicted greater…

Compliance during drug treatment reflects treatment engagement. Examines self-assessed compliance, behavioral compliance, and their influences, among adolescents in treatment. Stepwise logistic regression showed that desire for help was significantly related to more compliance. Discusses the implications of these findings for adolescent treatment…

A repeated measures design was used to evaluate methadone maintenance (MM) treatment effects for 720 heroin addicts who entered MM in Southern California in 1971-1978. Compared to pretreatment measures, results show significant improvement for methadone users. Level of improvement was affected by sex, ethnicity, and treatment duration. (TJH)

Studied the effects of program and patient characteristics on patient retention in residential, out-patient, and methadone maintenance drug treatment programs. Data for 26,047 patients in 87 programs show that threshold retention rates were generally low for all 3 program types, although program practice and service provision played important…

Relationships between risk factors and outcomes were examined for Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents participants. For outpatient drug-free participants, drug use severity predicted less treatment retention; family drug involvement predicted more alcohol use after treatment. For residential participants, family drug involvement…

Examined criminal activity among 1,167 adolescents who participated in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents (DATOS-A). Found that among adolescents who had engaged in criminal activity 12 months prior to treatment entry, reduced alcohol or marijuana use were independently associated with significant reductions in the likelihood…

Examined the effect of drug treatment on reducing HIV-related risky sex behavior among 796 adolescents entering drug treatment programs in four U.S. cities. Found that 54 percent reported reductions in risky sex behavior after treatment. Lack of improvement was associated with conduct-disorder diagnosis, abuse history, unmet physical and emotional…

Five counties (Kern, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco) that demonstrate both variations and similarities in their implementation of Proposition 36 (e.g., treatment approaches, urine testing) and patient mix have been selected to participate in a study assessing how California's Proposition 36 is affecting the drug treatment system…

The severity and diversity of problems for which drug-using clients (N=182) seek treatment is investigated during assessment and follow-up using cluster analysis. Five clusters in eight life-functioning domains were identified at each point. The constellations and severity of problems reported indicate changes over time in service needs. (EMK)

This article discusses the literature on drug treatment counselor practices and effectiveness and discusses relevant issues in a multilevel framework by considering client outcome in relation to varying characteristics of clients, counselors, and programs. A conceptual model is presented for understanding counselor effects on client outcomes. (SLD)