The Amity Prison TC Evaluation: Reincarceration Outcomes

This article is drawn from an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the Amity prison therapeutic community (TC) and aftercare program for substance abusers located in San Diego, California. Data collection consisted of face-to-face interviews and reviews of criminal justice records on a sample of 715 male inmates. Subjects were randomly assigned to the prison TC intent-to-treat group and no-treatment control group from a waiting list of inmates who had volunteered for substance abuse treatment in the Amity program. Reductions in reincarceration rates of more than 40% at 12 months and more than 50% at 24 months after release from prison were found for the group that completed prison TC plus aftercare. These improvements remained significant after controlling for client characteristics that have been identified as predictors of recidivism. The findings support the efficacy of prison TC plus aftercare in reducing reincarceration rates among inmates treated for substance abuse.