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NCJRS Abstract


The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Library collection.
To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the NCJRS Abstracts Database.

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NCJ Number: NCJ 189244   Add to Shopping cart   Find in a Library
Title: Evaluation of the Breaking the Cycle Demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama: Final Report
Author(s): Adele Harrell ; Alexa Hirst ; Ojmarrh Mitchell ; Douglas Marlowe ; Jeffrey Merrill
Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
United States
Date Published: 06/2001
Page Count: 102
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice
US Dept Justice
Office of Justice Programs
United States
Grant Number: 97-IJ-CX-0013
Sale Source: The Urban Institute
2100 M Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
United States

NCJRS Photocopy Services
Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
United States
Document: PDF 
Agency Summary: Agency Summary 
Dataset: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03928
Type: Program/project evaluations
Language: English
Country: United States
Annotation: This report presents findings on the impact of the Breaking the Cycle (BTC) program in Birmingham, AL, on offenders and the criminal justice system, and analyzes the costs and benefits of BTC services intended to address offender drug abuse.
Abstract: Birmingham became the first site in the multi-site research and demonstration BTC project in 1996. The BTC model had four elements: (1) early intervention through identifying offenders eligible for drug treatment immediately after arrest, (2) close judicial oversight of participation in drug treatment, (3) the use of graduated sanctions and incentives to retain offenders in treatment, and (4) close collaboration between criminal justice agencies and drug treatment. The impact analysis used a quasi-experimental design to compare 137 offenders selected prior to full implementation to 245 offenders eligible for the full range of BTC interventions. The evaluation also examined changes in court system operations and the effects of these changes on case disposition, duration, and sentencing. Results revealed consistent indications of reductions in criminal activity and drug use among drug-involved defendants, although less indication of declines in drug-related problems such as physical or mental health problems. The analysis also noted that these results needed interpretation in terms of the actual services delivered, because BTC implementation diverged in important respects from the model initially envisioned. Findings also indicated that BTC made important contributions for the functioning of the justice system in Birmingham despite the implementation problems. Findings indicated the benefits of increased early intervention with drug-involved defendants, although these findings were from only one site and should be considered preliminary. Tables, figures, appended methodological information and instrument for measuring addiction severity, and 16 references
Main Term(s): Criminology
Index Term(s): Drug treatment programs ; Cost benefit analysis ; Involuntary treatment ; Diversion programs ; Drug offenders ; Alternative court procedures ; Intensive supervision programs ; Recidivism causes ; Treatment effectiveness ; Alabama
Note: Dataset may be archived by the NIJ Data Resources Program at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
 
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=189244

* A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's web site is provided.


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