Inmate Programs
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On this page you can find programs and practices related to Inmate Programs. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
Icon | Rating | Program Rating Description | Practice Rating Description |
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Effective | Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
Promising | Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s) | On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
No Effects | Implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome or may result in a negative outcome. |
Programs
Showing Results For:
Topic: inmate programsTitle | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | RCT | ||
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Program Profile: California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) |
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Prisons, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention | This is a training and production program for incarcerated individuals, with the overall goal of reducing recidivism. The program is rated Promising. Compared with individuals in the waitlist comparison group, individuals who participated in the program had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested, reconvicted, or returned to custody during the 3-year follow-up period. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Harlem (NY) Parole Reentry Court |
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Parole, Probation, Reentry courts, Prisons, Corrections, Specialty/problem-solving courts, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate programs | This is a reentry program designed to assist parolees transition from life in prison to life in the community. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group had statistically significant reductions in rates of reconvictions and parole revocations, increases in numbers of months employed, and a greater likelihood of receiving a high school diploma or GED, compared with the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in rate of rearrests or substance use. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Mentally Ill Offender Community Transition Program (Washington) |
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Parole, Probation, Mental health, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention | The program is targeted at individuals whose mental illnesses are seen as instrumental in their offenses, and who are likely to qualify for and benefit from publicly supported treatment in the community. The overall goal is to reduce recidivism . The program is rated Effective. Participants in the program were less likely to be convicted of any new offense and convicted of felony offenses, compared with the matched comparison group. The difference was statistically significant. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Cognitive Skills Training (Georgia) |
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Parole, Mental health, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Employment initiatives | Implemented by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, this is a cognitive–behavioral program for male parolees that aims to build psychosocial skills in areas such as self-control, interpersonal problem-solving, and critical reasoning. The program is rated No Effects. The authors found no statistically significant effect of program participation on recidivism and employment measures. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: College Program at Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC) |
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Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism | This program offered postsecondary education for incarcerated individuals to reduce or break the cycle of continued or repeated criminal behavior. The program is rated Promising. Participants in the program had a statistically significant lower rate of arrests for a new crime than comparison group members. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Wayne County (Michigan) Second Chance Reentry Program |
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Mental health, Reentry, Case Management, Comprehensive/wraparound services, Corrections, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice | This is a reentry program designed to reduce recidivism and increase reentry services for males, ages 13 to 18, who have committed offenses and are placed in a locked, residential treatment facility. The program is rated Promising. The program was shown to statistically significantly decrease recidivism rates among youths who participated in the program, compared with youths who received services as usual. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Regional Treatment Centre Sex Offender Treatment Program (Canada) |
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Sex offenders, Sex offender management, Corrections, Prisons, Reentry, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime, Crime prevention | This inpatient program provides group and individual therapy to those who have committed sexual offenses and have recently been released from prison in Ontario, Canada. The program is rated No Effects. There was no significant difference in sexual recidivism rates between the treatment group and the comparison group. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Challenge Incarceration Program (CIP) |
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Prisons, Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs | This boot camp intervention in Minnesota combines a traditional military institutional program for 6 months with two 6-month phases of intensive, supervised release aftercare. The program is rated Promising. Program participants had statistically significant lower rates of re-arrest, felony reconviction, and return to prison for a new offense than the comparison group, but no statistically significant difference in the rate of return to prison for any offense. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Enhanced Thinking Skills (England) |
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Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Reentry, Inmate programs | This is a prison-based, cognitive–behavioral skills enhancement program in England. The program is rated Effective. Program participants showed statistically significant reductions in reconviction rates and frequency of reoffending, compared with nonparticipants. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in severe offense reconviction rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Community Mediation Maryland Re-Entry Mediation |
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Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate programs, Crime prevention | This program brings together inmates, their families, and other supporters to discuss inmates’ past experiences and future expectations in a mediated session. The session is designed to facilitate communication, understanding, and a plan for reentry to help inmates successfully transition into the community after release. The program is rated Promising. This program showed a statistically significant reduction in rearrest, reconviction, and return to prison for program participants. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Lifestyle Change Program |
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Mental health, Reentry, Corrections, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism | This is a psychological intervention for incarcerated males, which addresses the lifestyle concepts around crime, drug use, and gambling. The main objective of the program is to reduce recidivism through introducing program participants to lifestyle changes centering on the identification of conditions, choices, and cognition of crimes. The program is rated Promising. The program participants were statistically significantly less likely to be rearrested and reincarcerated during the follow up. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: EMPLOY (Minnesota) |
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Prisons, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs | This is a prisoner-reentry employment program designed to reduce recidivism by helping participants find and retain employment after release from prison. The program is rated Promising. Participants had statistically significant lower rates of reconviction, rearrest, reincarceration, and revocations, and higher rates of employment and hours worked, compared with nonparticipants. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in hourly wage. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Postsecondary Correctional Education (New Mexico) |
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Prisons, Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs | The program provides postsecondary educational classes and programs to prisoners via one-way Internet courses or onsite vocational instruction. The goal of the program is to reduce arrests following release from prison. The program is rated Promising. This program was shown to statistically significantly reduce arrests within the 1-year follow-up period. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Minnesota Comprehensive Offender Reentry Plan (MCORP) |
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Prisons, Inmate programs, Corrections, Correctional facilities, Crime prevention, Recidivism | This was a case management program implemented in seven different correctional institutions across Minnesota. The program connected caseworkers in prisons with supervision agents in the communities to which participants return upon release from prison. The program is rated Promising. It statistically significantly reduced recidivism as measured by rearrest, reconviction, technical violation revocation, and reincarceration for any reason, but had no impact on new offense reincarceration. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Moving On (Minnesota) |
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Reentry, Corrections, Inmate programs | This is a curriculum-based, gender-responsive intervention created to address the different cognitive–behavioral needs of incarcerated women. The program is rated Promising. Participants in the program had a statistically significant lower likelihood to be rearrested and reconvicted, compared with the control group participants; however, the program did not have a significant impact on reincarcerations for a new offense and technical violation revocations. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Prison Industry Enhancement Certificate Program (PIECP) |
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Prisons, Correctional facilities, Inmate programs, Corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Inmate assistance programs, Employment initiatives | The program engages persons incarcerated in state prison in private sector jobs (which pay minimum wage or higher), in an effort to increase post-release employment and reduce recidivism. The program is rated Promising. Compared with those who worked in traditional prison industries and participated in other activities such as education and drug treatment, treatment group participants showed a statistically significant increase in post-release employment and a decrease in recidivism rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Offender Reentry Community Safety Program |
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Parole, Mental health, Prisons, Inmate programs, Corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism | Formerly called the Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Program, this is a reentry-planning and service program aimed at reducing recidivism for dangerously mentally ill people in Washington State. The program is rated Promising. Program participants had statistically significantly lower violent felony and overall felony recidivism rates compared with the matched control group 4 years following release from prison. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Washington State's Residential Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative |
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Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Courts, Drugs, Substance abuse | This program is an alternative to incarceration for felons with substance abuse problems. In lieu of confinement, they must successfully complete a residential, chemical-dependency treatment program in the community. The program is rated Promising. Residential DOSA was shown to statistically significantly reduce overall recidivism rates compared with prison-based DOSA. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Minnesota's Affordable Homes Program |
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Prisons, Inmate programs, Reentry, Corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs | This is a prison work crew program designed to increase the availability of affordable low-income housing while training inmates in construction-industry-specific occupational skills. The program is rated No Effects. The program had a statistically significant effect on participants’ likelihood of gaining employment in the construction field. However, there were no statistically significant effects on rearrests, reconvictions, and reincarceration. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) Therapeutic Community |
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Mental health, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs | A prison-based drug treatment program based on the principles of therapeutic communities with the overall goal of reducing the risk of drug relapse and recidivism once they return to the community. The program is rated No Effects. The program did not significantly impact participants’ rates of rearrests or drug relapse, and only had a small effect on reincarceration rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: InnerChange Freedom Initiative (Minnesota) |
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Prisons, Inmate programs, Corrections, Employment initiatives | This is a voluntary, faith-based prisoner reentry program that attempts to prepare inmates for reintegration into the community, employment, family, and other significant relationships through programming. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant reductions in rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration rates for the treatment group, compared with the comparison group. However, there was no statistically significant impact on revocations for a technical violation. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Project BUILD |
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Youth gangs, Violent offenders, Young juvenile offenders, Alternative schools, School climate, Access to education, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Corrections, Crime prevention, Juvenile detention, Drugs, Substance abuse, Intimate partner violence | This program comprises a violence prevention curriculum, which is designed to assist youth in detention to overcome obstacles such as gangs, violence, crime, and substance abuse. The program is rated Effective. Treatment group youth who participated in the program had lower rates of recidivism and took a longer amount of time to recidivate, compared with control group youth, at the 1-year follow up. These differences were statistically significant. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Minnesota Prison-Based Sex Offender Treatment Program |
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Sex offenders, Mental health, Prisons, Inmate programs, Reentry, Corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime | This is a program, provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, which offers treatment, therapy, and transitional services to convicted males in prison. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group inmates had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested for sex offenses, violent offenses, or any offenses, compared with comparison group inmates who did not receive any treatment. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: New South Wales (Australia) Prison Methadone Maintenance Program |
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Heroin, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Cocaine, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Drugs, Opioids | This is a prison-based, methadone maintenance program in Australia, which is designed to reduce recidivism, prevent the spread of blood-borne viral infections (HIV and hepatitis) in prison, and encourage continuation of treatment in the community following release. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant effects on rates of mortality, recidivism, or hepatitis C infections. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Phoenix (Ariz.) Repeat Offender Program |
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Background checks, Criminal history records, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Prosecution, Courts, Sentencing, Arrests | This program involved cooperation between police and prosecutors to increase the likelihood that high-risk individuals would be convicted and incarcerated. The program is rated Promising. The experimental group had a statistically significant greater likelihood of being sentenced to prison and having longer prison sentences, compared with the control group. However, there was no statistically significant difference for conviction rates between the groups. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Project Greenlight |
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Mental health, Prisons, Corrections, Inmate programs, Community corrections, Corrections, Reentry | This is an institution-based transitional services demonstration program, designed to be a short, intensive intervention, which could provide a greater number of individuals with reentry services at a lower cost. The program is rated No Effects. Program participants showed a statistically significant higher rate of parole revocation and rearrests for new offenses, compared with comparison group participants. However, there were no significant differences in felony rearrest rates between groups. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Prison-Initiated Methadone Maintenance Treatment |
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Heroin, Drug testing, Drugs, Crime prevention, Inmate programs, Illegal substances, Cocaine, Opioids | This is a methadone maintenance treatment designed for currently incarcerated individuals with a heroin addiction. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group participants spent a greater number of days in community-based drug treatment following release and improved opioid drug test results, compared with control group participants. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were mixed results regarding cocaine use, criminal activity, and frequency of heroin use. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: New Jersey Halfway Back Program |
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Parole, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Community corrections | This program serves an alternative to incarceration for technical parole violators or as a special condition of parole on release from prison. The program, which is run at secure residential facilities, provides paroled persons with an environment that is halfway between prison and ordinary parole release. The program is rated Promising. Program parolees showed statistically significant reductions in re-arrest, reconviction, and reincarceration, compared with the comparison group. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Amity In-Prison Therapeutic Community |
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Reentry, Corrections, Inmate programs, Drugs, Drug treatment | This program provides intensive treatment in a dedicated housing unit to male incarcerated persons with substance abuse problems during the last 9 to 12 months of their prison terms. The program is rated Promising. Participants had statistically significant lower reincarceration rates at the 24-month and 5-year follow-up periods, compared with the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in reincarceration rates at the 36-month follow up or in drug use at the 5-year follow up. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Minnesota Prison-based Chemical Dependency Treatment |
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Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Drugs, Drug treatment, Drug treatment programs, Inmate drug treatment, Inmate drug treatment assistance programs | This is a prison-based chemical dependency treatment for incarcerated persons who abuse chemicals or are chemically dependent. The main goal is to reduce their recidivism rates once they reenter the community. The program is rated Promising. Those who received treatment showed statistically significant lower rates of rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration, compared with the control group at the follow-up period. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Delaware KEY/Crest Substance Abuse Programs |
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Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Inmate programs, Reentry, Drugs, Rape and sexual assault | This program uses a drug treatment continuum of prison-based therapeutic community and residential work release for drug-involved convicted persons. The program is rated Promising. Results showed statistically significant increases in remaining drug-free after 3 years and increases in condom use after 6 months; however, there were no statistically significant effects in being injection-free (after 6 months) or arrest-free (after 3 years). Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) |
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Drug testing, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Courts, Diversion, Prosecution | This program is the first prosecution-led, residential drug treatment diversion program designed to divert people convicted of nonviolent felony drug offenses to community-based residential treatment. This program is rated Promising. Controlling for time spent in the community following release from prison, the intervention showed statistically significant positive effects on recidivism, time to first rearrest, and rearrest for program participants, compared with the control group. Date Posted: |
None |
Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | ||||||||||
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Practice Profile: Psychological Treatments for Adults With Histories of Violent Offending |
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Mental health, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Intimate partner violence | This practice consists of talk-based therapies aimed at reducing violent, aggressive, or antisocial behavior of adults with a history of violent offending. Therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy, anger management programs, and violence reduction programs. This practice is rated Promising for reducing trait anger and impulsivity and for improving social problem solving, and general social skills. This practice is rated No Effects for reducing antisocial cognitions. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Methadone Maintenance Therapy |
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Heroin, Inmate assistance programs, Prisons, Inmate programs, Correctional facilities, Drugs, Substance abuse, Illegal substances, Opioids | This practice involves a medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence. Methadone is a long-acting synthetic opioid analgesic that works as a pharmacologic intervention to prevent or reverse withdrawal symptoms, reduce opiate cravings, and bring about a biochemical balance in the body in order to reduce the illicit use of opioids. The practice is rated Effective for reducing use of heroin/opioids but rated No Effects for reducing criminal activity and mortality. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Adult Reentry Programs |
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Mental health, Reentry courts, Jails, Prisons, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Inmate programs, Probation, Community corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Problem-solving courts, Law enforcement | This practice involves correctional programs that focus on the transition of individuals from prison into the community. Reentry programs involve treatment or services that have been initiated while the individual is in custody and a follow-up component after the individual is released. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Gender-Specific Programming for Incarcerated Females |
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Mental health, Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs | The practice involves in-prison substance abuse and other types of treatment programs for incarcerated women with the goal of reducing recidivism. The practice is rated Promising. Women who participated in the treatment were significantly less likely to recidivate after release than women who did not participate in the treatment. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Therapeutic Communities for Adults |
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Corrections, Correctional facilities, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs | This practice uses a comprehensive, residential drug treatment program model for treating substance-abusing and addicted inmates to foster changes in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to substance use. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism rates after release for participants in therapeutic communities. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Incarceration-based Narcotics Maintenance Treatment |
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Heroin, Jails, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Drugs, Opioids | This practice attempts to reduce harms associated with drug dependency by prescribing synthetic opioid medication to opioid-addicted individuals who are in prison or jail. The practice is rated No Effects for reducing recidivism. A meta-analysis found that incarcerated persons in narcotics maintenance treatment have significantly greater odds of recidivating than comparison subjects. However, the practice is rated Promising for decreasing the odds of drug relapse post-release. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Opiate Maintenance Therapy for Persons for Persons Who Use Heroin and Cocaine |
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Cocaine, Heroin, Corrections, Drugs, Inmate programs, Illegal substances, Substance abuse, Opioids | A medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, including methadone, buprenorphine, and Levo-Alpha-Acetymethadol (LAAM). The overall goals are to help opioid-addicted patients alleviate withdrawal symptoms, reduce or suppress opiate cravings, and reduce the illicit use of opioids (such as heroin). The practice is rated Effective for achieving higher sustained heroin abstinence for persons who abuse heroin and cocaine abusers, but No Effects for cocaine abstinence. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Treatment for Adults Who Have Committed Sex Offenses |
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Child pornography, Sex offenders, Mental health, Sex offender management, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Rape and sexual assault, Violent crime | A variety of psychological interventions, cognitive–behavioral treatments, and behavioral therapies targeting adults convicted of sex offenses with the overall aim of reducing the risk and potential harm associated with releasing this population back into the community. The practice is rated Promising for reducing rates of general recidivism and sexual recidivism, but rated No Effects on violent recidivism rates. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Correctional Work Industries |
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Corrections, Correctional facilities, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention | Correctional work industries are designed to provide work experiences for incarcerated persons while they are incarcerated. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime and delinquency. Those who participated in correctional work industry programs were significantly less likely to recidivate than those who did not participate. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Corrections-Based Adult Basic/Secondary Education |
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Parole, Corrections, Community corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs | Adult basic education classes for incarcerated adults provide basic skills instruction in arithmetic, reading, and writing. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism (including reoffending, rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and technical parole violation); and Promising in employment and socioeconomic status - job placement outcomes. Those who participated in the education programs were significantly more likely to find employment. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Corrections-Based Vocational Training Programs |
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Prisons, Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Employment initiatives, Inmate assistance programs | Vocational training or career technical education programs in prison are designed to teach incarcerated persons about general employment skills or skills needed for specific jobs and industries. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism, and in having a significant impact on participants obtaining employment following release from prison. Their odds were 28 percent higher than those who had not participated in training. Date Posted: |
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Practice Profile: Postsecondary Correctional Education (PSCE) |
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Corrections, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention | Postsecondary correctional education is academic or vocational coursework taken beyond a high school diploma or equivalent that allows inmates to earn credit while they are incarcerated. The practice is rated Promising in reducing recidivism (including reoffending, rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and technical parole violation) for inmates who participated compared to nonparticipants. Date Posted: |