October 4, 2002

Substance Abuse Services and Staffing in Adult Correctional Facilities

In Brief

Approximately 94 percent of Federal prisons, 56 percent of State prisons, and 33 percent of jails provided on-site substance abuse treatment to inmates

In all types of adult correctional facilities with treatment, the most common setting for substance abuse treatment was in the general population of the facility

In most Federal and State prisons with treatment, substance abuse treatment providers were paid staff members rather than volunteer providers, although volunteers were more common in State prisons than in Federal prisons

The Uniform Facility Data Set 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities¹ collected information about the availability of drug and alcohol treatment and supplemental on-site services in the nation's correctional facilities, including Federal prisons, State prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities identified by the Department of Justice. Treatment was defined to include services such as detoxification, group or individual counseling, rehabilitation, and methadone or other pharmaceutical treatment. This report examines treatment services and staffing in adult correctional facilities only.²

The survey response rate of Federal prisons, State prisons, and jails was 100 percent, 94 percent, and 97 percent, respectively, for a total of 4,265 adult correctional facilities (129 Federal prisons, 1,069 State prisons, and 3,067 jails).³ Information was also used from an additional 114 State prisons and 47 jails already identified in the 1996 Uniform Facility Data Set as providing treatment.⁴

Treatment and Treatment Settings

Approximately 94 percent of Federal prisons provided substance abuse treatment, with close to 13,000 individuals receiving treatment in Federal prisons on the date of the survey. About 56 percent of State prisons provided substance abuse treatment, with nearly 100,000 individuals receiving treatment in State prisons on the survey date. Some 33 percent of jails provided substance abuse treatment, with more than 34,000 individuals receiving treatment in jails on the survey date.⁵

Facilities providing treatment were asked about individual counseling, group counseling, and family counseling services. Individual counseling was offered by 99 percent of Federal prisons, 90 percent of State prisons, and 77 percent of jails with treatment (Figure 1). Group counseling was offered by 99 percent of Federal prisons, 93 percent of State prisons, and 64 percent of jails with treatment. Family counseling was less common; family counseling was offered by 12 percent of Federal prisons, 26 percent of State prisons, and 19 percent of jails with treatment.

The survey characterized treatment in three distinct settings. Each facility with treatment was asked whether inmates received treatment while housed among the general population of the facility, while housed in specialized units within the facility but apart from the general facility population, or while housed in a hospital or psychiatric unit of the facility. Facilities could provide treatment in more than one setting.

Almost all (94 percent) Federal prisons that provided substance abuse treatment provided treatment within the general population of the facility, 41 percent provided treatment in specialized units, and 6 percent offered treatment in hospital or psychiatric units (Figure 2). The majority (82 percent) of State prisons that provided substance abuse treatment provided it within the general population of the facility, 33 percent offered treatment in specialized treatment units, and 6 percent offered treatment in a hospital or psychiatric unit. About 79 percent of jails that provided substance abuse treatment offered treatment within the general population of the facility, 31 percent offered treatment in specialized treatment units, and 8 percent offered treatment in hospital or psychiatric units.

Figure 1. Percent of Adult Facilities Offering Counseling*

Figure 2. Percent of Adult Facilities Offering Various Treatment Settings**

Source: 1997 SAMHSA Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS), Survey of Correctional Facilities.

Staffing

The survey collected information about paid and volunteer staff providing treatment in the correctional facilities. Among facilities providing substance abuse treatment, 87 percent of Federal prisons, 73 percent of State prisons, and 49 percent of jails responded to questions selected for this analysis pertaining to staff directly involved in counseling services (data not shown). The response rates to these questions, particularly that of jails, warrants caution in drawing conclusions about treatment staffing practices.

Of the Federal prisons that provided information about substance abuse services staff, 100 percent used paid staff to conduct counseling sessions (data not shown), and 97 percent employed a paid staff member to direct substance abuse treatment services (Figure 3). Approximately 91 percent employed master's or bachelor's level treatment providers, 87 percent employed psychologists or other Ph.D. level providers, and 6 percent employed physicians.⁶ In addition, 13 percent of Federal prisons used volunteer staff to conduct counseling sessions.⁷ Among the Federal prisons reporting both patients in treatment and paid treatment staff, the average ratio of patients to paid treatment staff was 7:1.⁸

Of the State prisons that provided information about substance abuse services staffing, 98 percent used paid treatment staff to conduct counseling sessions (data not shown), and 90 percent employed a paid staff member to direct substance abuse treatment services (Figure 3). About 88 percent employed master's or bachelor's level providers, 15 percent employed psychologists or other Ph.D. level providers, and 5 percent employed physicians.⁹ Volunteer staff were used to conduct counseling sessions in 24 percent of State prisons.¹⁰ Among State prisons reporting both patients in treatment and paid treatment staff, the average ratio of patients to paid treatment staff was 25:1.¹¹

Among jails that provided information about substance abuse services staffing, 98 percent used paid treatment staff to conduct counseling sessions (data not shown), and 62 percent employed a paid staff member to direct substance abuse treatment services (Figure 3). Approximately 30 percent employed physicians among the paid staff directly providing substance abuse treatment, 32 percent employed psychologists or other Ph.D. level providers, and 78 percent employed master's or bachelor's level providers.¹² About 33 percent of jails used volunteer staff to conduct counseling sessions.¹³ Among jails reporting patients in treatment and paid treatment staff, the average ratio of patients to paid treatment staff was 10:1.¹⁴

Figure 3. Percent of Adult Facilities with a Paid Staff Member to Direct Substance Abuse Treatment***

Source: 1997 SAMHSA Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS), Survey of Correctional Facilities.

Figure Notes

^*Substance Abuse Treatment in Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities: Findings from the Uniform Facility Data Set 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities (hereinafter 1997 Findings), Table 13; sample size is 121 Federal prisons, 716 State prisons, and 1,047 jails with on-site substance abuse treatment.
^**1997 Findings, Table 9; sample size is 121 Federal prisons, 716 State prisons, and 1,047 jails with on-site substance abuse treatment.
^***Sample size is 105 Federal prisons (87 percent item response rate), 522 State prisons (73 percent item response rate), and 518 jails (49 percent item response rate) with on-site substance abuse treatment.

End Notes

¹Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2000). Substance Abuse Treatment in Adult and Juvenile Correctional Facilities: Findings from the Uniform Facility Data Set 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities (DHHS Publication No. SMA 00-3380). Rockville, MD: Author. (hereinafter 1997 Findings)
²Approximately 98 percent of inmates in adult correctional facilities (Federal prisons, State prisons, and jails) were aged 18 or older (ad hoc analysis). Information about juvenile facilities can be found in the 1997 Findings and in The DASIS Report "Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Juvenile Correctional Facilities" (May 10, 2002).
³1997 Findings, Table 1.
⁴1997 Findings, Table 4.
⁵1997 Findings, Table 3 and Table 11.
⁶UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
⁷UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
⁸1997 Findings, Table 14.
⁹UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
¹⁰UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
¹¹1997 Findings, Table 14.
¹²UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
¹³UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, ad hoc analysis.
¹⁴1997 Findings, Table 14.

The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS), now known as the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), an annual survey of all facilities in the United States, both public and private, that provide substance abuse treatment.

The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Access the latest N-SSATS/UFDS reports at
www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm

Access the latest N-SSATS/UFDS public use files at:
http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/SAMHDA-SERIES/00058.xml

Other substance abuse reports are available at: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov

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This page was last updated on December 31, 2008.