Drug addiction treatment and relapse in incarcerated populations

Drug addiction is often correlated with criminal behavior, and some convicted criminals begin their prison sentence already addicted to drugs. In these cases, treatment is focused on not only helping the person overcome drug addiction, but also reducing criminal behavior upon parole. One prison decided to try to improve their current treatment options by providing additions to traditional addiction psychotherapy. They offered three different types of treatment, and investigated if those treatment types had different long-term outcomes. The first treatment included psychotherapy and medication while the individuals were incarcerated and when they were released on parole. The second treatment included psychotherapy while the individuals were in prison, and medication only once they were released on parole. The third treatment included psychotherapy while the individuals were in prison, and a referral to a clinic where individuals could get medication if they wanted it after they were released. Participants from each group were contacted a year after they were released from prison, and researchers were then able to calculate how many individuals in each treatment condition had returned to drug abuse. Table $1$‍ shows the percentage of people in each condition who were addicted to each drug one year after being released from prison.