Funding to Support Aftercare Study of Ex-Offenders with Substance Abuse History

Leonard A. Jason, director of DePaul University’s Center for Community Research, and co-principal investigator Brad Olsen have received a $3.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to conduct a comparative study of aftercare programs for ex-offenders with a history of substance abuse.

Jason’s previous groundbreaking studies, released in 2005 and 2006, showed that Oxford House, a network of 1,200 self-governed recovery homes operating in 16 states, was able to double the abstinence rates of residents for up to two years after they were discharged from alcohol and drug abuse treatment settings. The research group included Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul, and Margaret Davis, Josefina Alvarez, John Majer and Olsen, all of whom are now conducting research at other educational institutions.

The new study will try to determine whether the same could hold true for specific populations living in recovery homes or, what are known as, “therapeutic communities.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, each year some 600,000 prison inmates—many of whom have drug addictions—are released back into the communities. “Without adequate housing, employment and support, the majority of these ex-offenders will return to prison,” said Jason.

The current study will explore the role of aftercare in the outcomes of criminal offenders and assess whether recovery homes and therapeutic communities can substantially reduce recidivism and illicit drug use. “We are seeking answers that will help to establish more enlightened post-release aftercare policy affecting ex-offenders,” explained Jason.

Ultimately, knowing which treatment strategy is more effective will impact how treatment is matched, managed and financed. “If self-governed residential recovery houses prove more effective and cost-efficient as a method of substance abuse treatment for offenders leaving prison, then such findings could guide public health and criminal justice resource allocation decisions,” Jason said.

The funding was received from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the NIH and will be distributed over a five-year period.

DePaul’s Center for Community Research was established in 2001 to provide a permanent dedicated space for externally funded applied faculty research projects in a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, urban planning and policy studies.