Selected Projects: Policy Development

Impact of Proposition 36-Like Diversion Programs: Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
Marlowe and NADCP colleagues submitted briefings to California policy makers citing empirical evidence of higher recidivism rates and return to drug use for some offenders diverted into treatment programs with minimal judicial supervision. California Governor Schwarzenegger’s FY 2006 budget and message embraced the recommendations by proposing a series of reforms to the Proposition 36 program, including mandatory drug testing, use of “drug court models” and judicial authority to impose jail sentences.

Conference on Evidence Based Interventions for Crime and Addiction (CEICA): Steven Belenko, Ph.D.; Harry Wexler, Ph.D.
With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in late 2006 Drs. Belenko and Wexler hosted a multidisciplinary conference of practitioners, researchers and policy makers to discuss the most relevant treatment interventions for substance-abusing offenders, emphasizing feasibility, sustainability, dissemination and policy development. Read Conference Report. The goal of CEICA was to place equal emphasis on research and practice, explicitly focus on implementation and sustainability of evidence based practices in criminal justice treatment, and be sufficiently balanced in representing the views of researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and clients.

Legality of Court Imposed Sanctions in Family Dependency Proceedings: Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.
An Amicus Curiae brief authored by Marlowe and colleagues on behalf of NADCP and its California chapter cites research findings suggesting that graduated sanctions, including the threat of jail detention, are necessary to the success of family dependency courts. Reunification models with minimal judicial intervention fail to improve patient outcomes or enhance exposure to treatment, according to the brief filed before the California Supreme Court. Olivia J. and Otis J. v. San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency, objecting to the brief imposition of jail sanctions in dependency proceedings, remains under consideration. Download Brief.

Economic Benefits of Substance Abuse Treatment: Steven Belenko, Ph.D.
In a comprehensive review of empirical evidence, Belenko and others find that substance abuse treatment, especially when it incorporates evidence-based practice, results in clinically significant reductions in alcohol and drug use and criminal activity. Economic studies consistently show positive economic benefits of treatment, including from reduced crime including savings in costs for incarceration and lower victimization rates. Download Report.

Narcotics on the Internet: David Festinger, Ph.D.
This NIDA-funded inquiry expands upon the project that first led TRI to document the availability of drugs for purchase on the Internet. Read story. Now the team is testing a wider variety of search terms to assess the prevalence of websites where controlled substances may be purchased without a prescription. A database with descriptive information for all “Opioid No Prescription Drugs” will also be developed.