0 - National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Conc/usion
The effects of TC were statistically significant and encouraging, although not unqualified.
TC significantly lowered the likelihood of reincarceration, although it did so only when successful
program graduates were isolated. The effects of TC on rearrest or drug relapse failed to reach
statistical significance. Post release employment emerged as the strongest predictor of recidivism.
Results suggest that policies regarding prison-based drug treatment should focus on
strengthening and enhancing TC quality and implementation so as to maximize treatment effects.
Guidelines formulated by professional associations and informed by both clinical practice and
research suggest that the bar could profitably be raised (DeLeon, 2000; Farabee et al., 1999;
Kressel, Zompa, and DeLeon, 2002; ONDCP, 1999; Taxman and Bouffard, 2002). Where TC is
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sufficiently intense but supportive, treatment engagement and completion should be intentionally
maximized. The benefits of TC, where they exist, appear to be restricted to those who
successfblly engage, complete and graduate. Further policy-relevant research should continue to
explore and evaluate productive strategies in these directions, while examining more detailed
interactions between inmate characteristics, treatment process, and post-release outcomes.
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This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.