318566
Reflections of Male and Female Young Adult Offenders on Their Experiences in a Drug Court Treatment Program
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Kathleen Moore, PhD,
Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Jennifer Lanza,
School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Drug court treatment programs have grown rapidly since they began in 1989 across the United States and abroad, offering offenders a needed connection to substance abuse treatment and other health services. The effectiveness of drug court treatment programs has been measured primarily through quantitative examinations of recidivism rates among program participants. Although frequency of published qualitative studies on the topic is increasing, there is still a lack of program participant voices in the literature as well as an exploration of any gender differences in the experiences of young adult offenders participating in drug court treatment programs. To learn more about the perceptions of a drug court treatment program and its effects on participants’ lives, this study consisted of semi-structured qualitative interviews with male and female offenders ages 18-26 years who were in drug court treatment for at least seven months. Additionally, the effects of gender on participants’ experiences were explored. Findings indicated that a common theme among all of the narratives shared by participants was a transition from negative to positive, whether they were talking about their perceptions of the program, attitudes in treatment, or aspects of their lives over the course of their involvement in drug court. Women discussed more involvement with their peers and the need for individual counseling than men. This exploratory study builds on the existing qualitative literature with findings that support those in previous studies and by contributing new information as a basis for future study. Additional research is needed that explores the qualitative experiences of drug court treatment program participants; this is an area in which the literature needs to be expanded. There should be further exploration of the similarities and differences in experiences and perspectives by gender including a focus on community building among program participants and the perceived benefit of individual counseling.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
Describe the main purpose and overall structure of drug courts and the YouCan! Program's qualitative findings from drug court participants
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I worked with Dr. Kathleen Moore (the listed presenter) for 10 weeks during the summer of 2014 to carry out all parts of this study, from design to writing, as part of the Summer Research Institute at the Florida Mental Health Institute (SRI @ FMHI). SRI@FMHI is a rigorous academic program, during which students perform mentored research and attend courses in research methods and ethics.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
