Date of Award

2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminal Justice

Abstract

This study identifies the inmate characteristics that are predictive of accessing prison-based substance abuse treatment services in Illinois. Substance abuse treatment has shown to effectively reduce recidivism; however, only a small proportion of those in need of treatment have access to it. This study found that of the roughly 50% of inmates who were recommended for treatment, only 16.6% received treatment in prison. Bivariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that being a female inmate who was more educated, not gang-affiliated, had fewer prior arrests, and who was serving between 6-30 months in custody were the most likely to receive treatment. The current research suggests that not only does sentencing impact the receipt of treatment, but the operational considerations within prisons play a major role in determining who receives treatment while in prison - regardless of the risk, needs, and responsivity principles.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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Criminology Commons

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