
The logic for coerced treatment is that substance abusers have limited internal motivation and consequently need to be externally motivated to enter treatment in order to change their behaviors. Expected change includes reduced arrests, reduced crime, and no drug use.
What is mandatory drug treatment?
Mandatory treatment is defined as “treatment ordered, motivated, or supervised under the criminal justice system.” 1 Going beyond the more common drug court approaches that offer a person charged with a crime the choice of treatment instead of incarceration,...
What is coerced or compulsory treatment?
What comes to mind when hearing the term “coerced” or “compulsory” treatment is typically “the kind of person who’s thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but is forced into a program anyway,” Dr Farabee observed. In fact, “our research has demonstrated many offenders actually want treatment, even if they are court mandated to go,” he said. 10,20
What is coercive treatment for drug addiction?
Coercive treatment approaches for drug addiction have been applied consistently throughout the twenti- eth century, beginning with the morphine maintenance clinics in some communities during the 1920s. The 1930s marked the establishment of the federal nar- cotics treatment facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, and
Can drug and Alcohol offenders be coerced into treatment?
Drug and alcohol offenders coerced into treatment: A review of modalities and suggestions for research on social model programs. Substance Use and Misuse. 2001;36:589–608. doi: 10.1081/JA-100103562.

What is correctional setting coercive treatment?
“Coercion” can be used to refer to such actions as a probation officer's rec- ommendation to enter treatment, a drug court judge's offer of a choice between treatment or jail, a judge's re- quirement that the offender enter treatment as a con- dition of probation, or a correctional policy of sending inmates ...
What is compulsory drug treatment?
Compulsory drug treatment can be defined as the mandatory enrolment of individuals, who are often but not necessarily drug-dependent, in a drug treatment program.
What are 3 options for drug abuse treatment?
There are many options that have been successful in treating drug addiction, including:behavioral counseling.medication.medical devices and applications used to treat withdrawal symptoms or deliver skills training.evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.More items...•
Is coerced treatment as effective as voluntary treatment?
Another four studies found there was no difference in outcomes between people who were forced into treatment and those who entered treatment voluntarily. These studies measured treatment completion, criminal involvement, social functioning and other criteria.
What is compulsory confinement of drug dependents?
In case of compulsory confinement, the family member of a drug dependent must execute an affidavit indicating that they are submitting the alleged drug dependent for treatment and rehabilitation. DDB will prepare a petition for confinement and file the same with the RTC.
When is drug therapy used?
Drug therapy involves the administration of drugs to treat or prevent disease. It is used to treat a variety of illnesses and diseases ranging from psychiatric illnesses to the treatment of cancer. This type of therapy is also referred to as pharmacotherapy.
What are the 6 types of drug dependence?
Within the above categories are six types of drug dependency: alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, hypnotics/sedative dependence, cannabis dependence, hallucinogen dependence, and cocaine abuse.
What is typically the first step in the substance abuse treatment process?
Typically, the first step in treatment and recovery from an addiction is known as detoxification. Which involves clearing the substance from the body and limiting withdrawal reactions – in many cases, detoxification treatment will involve medications to reduce and mitigate the withdrawal symptoms.
What is the first step in treating a drug abuse problem?
Detoxification is normally the first step in treatment. This involves clearing a substance from the body and limiting withdrawal reactions. In 80 percent of cases, a treatment clinic will use medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Does Michigan have Casey's Law?
Casey's Law is currently in Kentucky and Ohio. We believe its needed in every State to help our loved ones. Charlotte Wethington wishes to get this passed at the federal level and she needs your help.
What is coerced treatment?
Coerced treatment is considered within the context of the relationship between drugs and crime that has been well documented. For example, since the mid-1970s, both the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Justice have supported projects to understand the drug-crime connection, with findings that suggest that drug use enhances criminal careers. In fact, a survey of inmates in state and federal correctional facilities indicates that 83 percent of state prisoners reported previous drug use and 57 percent reported using a drug in the month before their offense (BJS, 1998). The Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) system, renamed ADAM (Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program) has consistently reported that 51 to 83 percent of male arrestees in major urban cities test positive for drugs (ADAM Annual Report, 1998). In fact, two-thirds of prisoners are drug abusers whereas over 60 percent of persons who come into contact with jails and lock-ups use a drug other than alcohol at the time of arrest (ONDCP, 1995).
Can substance abuse be relapsing?
It is easy to forget that drug abuse can be chronic and relapsing. Without proper follow-up and treatment, substance abusers often return to drug use. It is no secret that recovery is a difficult process that is not completely understood, with or without coerced treatment. Intervention and treatment efforts need to focus on those factors that keep individuals drug free. These options can range from urine testing to methadone treatment. Nevertheless, many people believe that substance-abuse treatment does not work. They cite professional and/or personal experiences about individuals who immediately return to drug use during treatment and/or supervision. However, after discussion it becomes clear that the proper blend of treatment combined with follow-up supervision, relapse prevention, and self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous was not used, and/or attendance was minimal.
What is mandatory treatment?
Mandatory treatment is defined as “treatment ordered, motivated, or supervised under the criminal justice system.”. Mandatory treatment is defined as “treatment ordered, motivated, or supervised under the criminal justice system.” 1 Going beyond the more common drug court approaches that offer a person charged with a crime the choice ...
Why is mandatory drug treatment important?
Researching the role of mandatory drug treatment is essential because it has wide-reaching policy applications. Of the 2.3 million incarcerated individuals in the United States, 1.5 million meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition(DSM-IV) criteria for substance abuse disorder, and another 458,000 do not meet strict ...
What comes to mind when hearing the term "coerced" or "compulsory" treatment?
What comes to mind when hearing the term “coerced” or “compulsory” treatment is typically “the kind of person who’s thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but is forced into a program anyway,” Dr Farabee observed.
What is compulsory drug treatment?
8 Compulsory drug treatment can be defined as “the mandatory enrollment of individuals, who are often but not necessarily drug-dependent, in a drug treatment program.” 8. Although compulsory drug treatment most frequently consists of “forced inpatient treatment,” it can ...
How does contingency management work?
Contingency management uses rewards to “positively reinforce abstinence from or reduced use of drugs during treatment for opiate addiction.” 11 Unlike other psychological interventions such as motivational interviewing, which focus on an introspective analysis of discrepancies between goals or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on behavioral modification of flawed cognitive processing, contingency management influences the reinforcement mechanisms involved in addiction directly. 11 A recent meta-analysis found it to be efficacious for treating most drug use during treatment for opiate addiction. 11 It has also been used successfully for alcohol and other drug disorders. 12
Is motivational interviewing a stand alone treatment?
Motivational interviewing “has been widely validated as a stand-alone treatment, as a precursor to more extensive treatment, or integrated with other components, such as tailored feedback.” 14 Motivational interviewing has shown good outcomes in criminal justice settings and is a “tool for promoting evidence-based practice in the criminal justice system.” 14
Is pharmacotherapy underused in criminal justice?
Pharmacotherapy. Evidence-based pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders are underused in criminal justice settings. 15 However, research suggests their efficacy in settings of incarceration.
Which system is the most critical for coerced treatment?
The most critical venue for coerced treatment is the criminal justice system , where forced 12-step participation has been the rule for a half century. This despite an uninterrupted stream of court decisions ruling that such coercion violates the First Amendment’s religious freedom clause.
What are the sources of coercion?
Here is an overview of the five main sources of such coercion. 1. Criminal Courts. Throughout the US, people are routinely forced to go to AA, 12-step rehab, MAT, or other forms of treatment in order to avoid prison, to get out of prison, or to maintain or to restore their driver’s licenses.
What is DPA treatment?
DPA announces: Harmful and coercive drug addiction treatment interventions — such as forced detox, civil commitment, and drug and other treatment courts—are proliferating with wide public and government support, despite a myriad of negative consequences for both individuals and society.
Where does coercion come from?
Coercion into the 12 Steps comes from five main sources: criminal courts; family courts and family services; healthcare systems; families; and employers. The most critical venue for coerced treatment is the criminal justice system, where forced 12-step participation has been the rule for a half century. Now, the same agencies are coercing treatment ...
Is there coercion in addiction?
T he range and intensity of coercion in addiction treatment isn’ t well recognized. Yet coercion through Alcoholics Anonymous is long-established in America, and is now expanding to fight the opioid-involved death crisis. Both of these existential intrusions are built on the disease theory of addiction.
Is mandatory MAT a form of coercion?
As noted, compulsory MAT has the potential to expand this form of coercion on a huge scale. And while women are not as often diagnosed with alcohol and drug use disorders as men, it is notable that so many of these stories of being shunted off to unwanted treatment involve women.
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Abstract
A striking phenomenon in many western countries is the increasing use of the criminal justice system as a means of channelling and coercing drug users into treatment. Despite somewhat equivocal research evidence about its effectiveness, this approach has continued to expand, including in Britain.

The Drug-Crime Relationship
- Coerced treatment is considered within the context of the relationship between drugs and crime that has been well documented. For example, since the mid-1970s, both the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Justice have supported projects to understand the drug-crime connection, with findings that suggest that drug use enha...
Control Versus Treatment
- The relationship between treatment and control can cloud the overall perception of coerced treatment. Most community treatment providers perceive treatment and control as opposites with treatment on one side, as "the good guys," and control from the criminal justice system on the other side. In fact, many community treatment providers point to criminal justice authority as dis…
Controversies
- Coerced treatment and the use of court authority within the criminal justice system have not been without controversy, particularly since many community drug treatment providers believe that substance abusers should enter treatment voluntarily. As one early example of this controversy, Robert L. DuPont as Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when addressing the Feder…
Community Substance-Abuse Treatment
- Drug abusersin community treatment are involved with community corrections. They are frequently on diversion, probation, parole, or mandatory release. Early data from the Client Oriented Data Acquisition Process (CODAP) indicates that 17 percent of clients who entered drug-abuse treatment were on probation, parole, or mandatory release. By 1982, CODAP reported an i…
Coerced Treatment Outcomes
- Drug treatment provided through the criminal justice system has had successes. As a result, coerced drug treatment, for example, has been separated into categories, including Civil Commitment (supervision of parolees with urine testing), Criminal Justice Authority (community corrections), urine testing, offender community treatment services (community drug abuse treat…
Drug Courts
- The current interest in drug courts developed in response to the overlap between substance abuse and crime in order to provide treatment for defendants. The interest in drug courts increased recently with the expanded number of courts that grew to 275 jurisdictions in 1998 from the first drug court in Dade County, Florida, in 1989 (Belenko, 1998). The benefits of drug c…
Chronic and Relapsing Nature of Substance Abuse
- It is easy to forget that drug abuse can be chronic and relapsing. Without proper follow-up and treatment, substance abusers often return to drug use. It is no secret that recovery is a difficult process that is not completely understood, with or without coerced treatment. Intervention and treatment efforts need to focus on those factors that keep individuals drug free. These options c…
What Is “Mandatory” Or “Coercive” Treatment?
Does Compulsory Treatment Work?
- Results of trials of compulsory treatment in criminal justice settings are mixed. Farabee et al conducted a literature review of 11 studies and found that it “supported the use of the criminal justice system as an effective source of treatment referral, as well as a means for enhancing retention and compliance.”7 Another trial found that offenders who were mandated to communi…
Types of Treatment
- “The question isn’t only the pros and cons of coercing people into treatment, but what treatment they’re being coerced into, because the word ‘treatment’ in the substance abuse world is often a meaningless term,” Dr Farabee said. “We all assume that treatment is a real thing, but it’s actually an inchoate array of services, which don’t necessarily have any effect and can consist of anythin…
No Assumptions
- What comes to mind when hearing the term “coerced” or “compulsory” treatment is typically “the kind of person who’s thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but is forced into a program anyway,” Dr Farabee observed. In fact, “our research has demonstrated many offenders actually want treatment, even if they are court mandated to go,” he said.10,20 Creating a therapeutic environm…