Barriers to Evaluating the Effectiveness of Drug Treatment behind Bars

The delivery of substance abuse treatment within correctional settings marks one of the criminal justice system's primary opportunities to disrupt the drugs-crime nexus. Federally funded residential substance abuse treatment programs were rapidly introduced across the nation, although implementation problems increased their operational variability. This article examines how implementation barriers interrelate with other types of obstacles & multiply to hinder determinations of program effectiveness. Specific barriers were identified from a case study of process & outcome evaluations of the South Carolina Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program. A conceptual framework groups barriers by type into four interrelated domains wherein additive effects & reciprocal consequences that can undermine effective program assessment are illustrated. 1 Figure, 1 Appendix, 37 References. [Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.]