Client drop out from treatment is of great concern to the substance abuse field. Completion rates across modalities vary from low to moderate, not ideal since length of stay has been positively and consistently associated with better client outcomes. The study explored whether client characteristics shown to be related to retention were associated…

The purpose of this study was to assess staff and client perspectives on the Internet-based Journey Mapping program evaluation tool. A drug court program was chosen for a case study research design. Six staff and 10 clients participated in interviews and observations, and also responded to a questionnaire. A staff survey provided additional data.…

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…

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…

Developed a comprehensive methodology for a series of process evaluations of seven therapeutic communities for drug-involved offenders. The methodology used stakeholder interviews, official measures of program implementation, and a new structured observation technique. Discusses the type and quality of information provided by each technique. (SLD)

Studied the effects of placement of a vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC) in methadone maintenance clinics for 333 and 358 patients. Results suggest that placement of a VRC in clinic settings is a cost effective change to vocational and educational services. (SLD)

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…

Research on vocational services for methadone clients is reviewed, and preliminary results of an evaluation of a training and employment program for 249 methadone treatment clients in 3 community-based programs are presented. Results suggest the usefulness of vocational services in increasing training access and use. (SLD)

The effectiveness of an innovative outpatient drug-free treatment facility serving felony drug offenders who are placed on probation is evaluated. Treatment included educational and group therapy as well as acupuncture. Background characteristics, levels of treatment, and selected outcomes are described. Principles of successful interventions are…

A summary is provided of a large-scale needs assessment research project in Colorado that tested the validity of several statistical procedures or models for indirectly estimating the need for alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services across geographic subregions using a Colorado Social Health Survey sample of 4,745 adults. (SLD)

A stratified probability sample of 4,745 adults in Colorado was surveyed to determine the need for alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services. Findings that variation in need prevalence across 48 subareas of the state substantially challenge the assumptions of a uniform rate of need in a state. (SLD)

The multivariate generalizability of the Role Functioning Scale (RFS), which serves as a replacement for the global ratings of the Social Adjustment Scale, was studied with 396 severely disturbed clients of a public mental-health bureau. Generalizability of single subscales was less than that of the combined subscales. (SLD)

Results of empirical validation studies of six statistical models available for indirectly estimating the need for alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services across a large geographic area are presented. Models were evaluated using Colorado Social Health Survey data for 4,745 adults from 48 subareas of Colorado. (SLD)

A cost analysis is presented for developing a training and employment (TEP) program at four methadone treatment centers in a quasi-experimental pilot study. Average annual costs for TEP per client were derived. The methodology can be used in other projects to compare standard and TEP-enhanced substance-abuse treatment. (SLD)

Three methods of designating everyday-dysfunction cases in the Colorado Social Health Survey are compared for a sample of 4,745 adults. The clinical judgment approach was chosen as the primary method of identification, with the statistical deviation criterion a backup. The patient criterion group approach was less useful. (SLD)