mh/jas.pr                     Contact:  Mary Anderson, 301-217-1702   
                              
MONTGOMERY COUNTY ANNOUNCES
RESULTS OF STUDY INTEGRATING 
CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM AND DRUG
TREATMENT; RECIDIVISM BY
OFFENDERS GREATLY REDUCED          For Immediate Release:  October 1, 1996 


     Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today joined national
substance abuse treatment officials in announcing the results of a local study
which found that participation by offenders in a jail-based addiction
treatment program reduced recidivism by 45 percent two years after release. 
The study also found that if treatment continues in the community, rearrest is
reduced nearly 60 percent two years after release.
      These findings are significant and show that integrating drug and
alcohol treatment services into the criminal justice system will likely reduce
the offender’s criminal behavior and substance abuse problem,  said Duncan. 
 Jail-based substance abuse services, along with continued care in the
community, are an important component in a system of treatment designed to
control crime in the community. 
     The study, authored by Dr. Faye Taxman from the University of Maryland
(College Park) and Dr. David Spinner with the University of North Carolina
(Charlotte), confirmed an earlier one-year study that indicated success of the
treatment model.    
     "The results of this program are very important," said Dr. Alan I.
Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National
Institutes of Health.  "This and other such studies show clearly that, if 
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JAIL ADDICTION SERVICES STUDY                          2-2-2-2

properly implemented, treatment in criminal justice settings can reduce
recidivism and later drug use.  Montgomery County's comprehensive approach, 
treating both drug abuse and criminal behavior, is a model for communities
throughout the country." 
     The Jail Addiction Services Program (JAS) was designed by the Department
of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Department of Health and Human Services 
and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission.   In 1990, the program
received a three-year grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
(CSAT) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to demonstrate the
efficacy of a jail-based substance abuse treatment program.  Montgomery County
joined Cook County, Illinois ; King County, Washington (Seattle); and Pima
County (Tucson), Arizona as a demonstration project.
     Since the completion of the grant funding in 1993, Montgomery County has
continued funding the project through the Department of Health and Human
Services, Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.  The program's
budget for FY'97 is $355,000.
     Montgomery County’s program includes two components:  an intensive eight
week jail-based program and case management services.  The jail program is
designed to transition offenders into community treatment after release from
the correctional facility.  The comprehensive treatment approach addresses
both the substance abuse and criminal behavior of the offenders.
     The 24-month study was conducted on 296 offenders participating in the
JAS program and 232 similar offenders in a comparison group.  Evaluation 
results demonstrate that the JAS program significantly reduces recidivism for 
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JAIL ADDICTION SERVICES PROGRAM                        3-3-3-3

chronic offenders with substance abuse problems.  The evaluation found that:
     o    61.5 percent of the JAS participants were not arrested within two
     months of release from the jail;
     o    38.5 percent of JAS participants were rearrested within two years
     of release from the jail, compared to 48.7 percent of the comparison
     group, a statistically significant difference according to the authors;
     o    For those offenders who did recidivate, the average number of days
     until arrest was 255.32 in the JAS group compared to 212.88 in the
     comparison group;
     o    Participation in a jail-based substance abuse treatment program
     reduces the probability of re-offending; and,
     o    Jail treatment (JAS) motivates offenders and assists them in
     continuing treatment in the community.  Nearly 50 percent of the JAS
     offenders continued treatment in community correctional or substance
     abuse programs as compared to six percent of the comparison group.
      These two-year results are overwhelming,  said Department of
Corrections director Devon Brown.   It really shows the importance of linking
the criminal justice system with the addiction treatment system.  The end
result is reduced crime in the community and that’s good for everyone. 
    ###

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