Evaluating A Drug Testing and Graduated Sanctions Program in Delaware

NCT01187121 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 139855
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 800
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The objective of this three year project funded by the National Institute of Justice is to conduct a program evaluation of the "Decide Your Time" program at the Hares Corner Office of the Delaware Department of Probation and Parole. The program is intended to provide an alternative to incarceration by monitoring chronic drug offenders through increased, regularly scheduled, known urinalysis testing, coupled with increasing sanctions and referral to treatment for positive tests. The program was designed and is being implemented by the Delaware Department of Probation and Parole. Offenders will become eligible for the program when they test positive for drugs at their initial probation intake at the Hare's Corner Probation Office in New Castle, Delaware or are moved from standard probation to intensive supervision due to failed urine tests. Due to budgetary constraints, the office lacks sufficient resources to place all eligible offenders into the program. The Department of Probation thus intends to randomly assign eligible offenders to either intensive supervision probation (ISP)(n=400) or the Decide Your Time program(n=400). Those in ISP will receive the normal intensive supervision requirements, including weekly visits and random urinalysis. Those in the enhanced condition will receive regularly scheduled urinalysis coupled with referral to treatment, if required, and a program of graduated sanctions. The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies is conducting an evaluation of the program that involves examining data on effectiveness, and collecting and examining data on program implementation, and probation officer and client perspectives of how the program worked. It is hypothesized that those randomized to the Decide Your Time program will have fewer arrests, violations and positive urine screens upon program completion than those randomized to the control condition.

Conditions

Probationary Failure; Recidivism; Drug Relapse

Keywords

Graduated Sanctions; Probationary failure; recidivism; drug relapse; criminal justice

Study Arms (2)

Experimental

Those persons randomized to the Decide Your Time program.

Standard Pracitice

Those persons randomized to the standard probationary practice condition.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Delaware Probationers who fail a urine screen are randomly assigned to either intensive supervision probation (ISP)(n=400) or the Decide Your Time program(n=400).

You may qualify if:

• sentenced to intensive supervision and fails a urine drug screen at the HAres Corner Probation office in Delaware

You may not qualify if:

• Clinical Diagnosis of DSM-IV Mental Illness
• Judge ordered Zero Tolerance program
• Sex Offender
• Less than sixty days on probation

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Delaware: lead
• Delaware Department of Probation & Parole: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

New Castle Day Reporting Center at Hares Corner, 26 Parkway Circle

New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States

Location

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Recidivism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Criminal Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Daniel J O'Connell, PhD

  University of Delaware

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 20, 2010
• First Posted: August 23, 2010
• Study Start: June 1, 2010
• Last Updated: August 23, 2010

Record last verified: 2010-08

Locations

US (1)