Enhancing services for offenders: the impact on treatment completion.

Because of high drop out rates, it is important to determine if enhancing standard substance treatment services will impact treatment completion rates among those in need of specialized services who are involved in the criminal justice system. The purpose of this research was to understand the impact of providing mental health services and gender-specific services for women in a modified therapeutic community setting. In the study, those who received mental health services and/or gender-specific treatment services, in additional to the substance abuse services, had similar rates of treatment completion as compared to those who received only substance abuse services. Logistic regression results indicated that controlling for other variables, age and length of time using one's primary drug were the only statistically significant predictors of treatment completion. The results suggest that the treatment model described in this article is a potentially cost-effective method of maximizing existing resources for treating substance abusing criminal offenders in community-based treatment settings.

Perpetrators as victims: understanding violence by female street-walking prostitutes.

Little is known about the perpetration of violence by women who engage in street prostitution. While some researchers have examined the incidence of abuse among this population, the association between receipt of abuse and violence and later perpetration of violence is unclear. This study presents data from a recent evaluation of a case management program for street-walking prostitutes. A description of the program clients is provided, and factors that are associated with assaultive behavior against clients are examined. Bivariate analyses revealed statistically significant differences between assaultive and nonassaultive women with regard to history of psychiatric hospitalization, history of sexual abuse, history of physical abuse, history of emotional abuse, and whether they had been assaulted on the streets. However, logistic regression on variables related to abuse and violence indicates that controlling for other variables, the only statistically significant predictor of assaultive behavior was history of physical abuse. These results indicate the need for further research on this population as well as access to treatment for these women to address their own abuse and victimization.