Objective: This study assessed the effectiveness of mutual aid groups for high school students. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was applied to 242 adolescents, where every other adolescent was assigned to the intervention or the control condition. The study evaluated the influence of implementing mutual aid groups in decreasing perceived risk of substance use, favorable attitudes toward substance use, and reducing substance use while increasing group engagement. Participants were assessed at baseline, during Sessions 2 and 7, and treatment exit. General linear mixed-effects models were used to detect significant differences between treatment and control conditions. Results: Findings indicated mutual aid groups significantly reduced favorable attitudes toward drug use and decreased alcohol and marijuana usage compared to the control group. In addition, the adolescents in treatment significantly increased their group engagement. Conclusions: Results support mutual aid group work models for reducing alcohol use and increasing group engagement for high school youth.

Concern for offenders with co-occurring disorders is increasing, and few studies have examined the degree of discharge planning provided for this population. The study explored how well the selected factors (medication, community support, and resources) predict the degree of discharge planning for offenders with co-occurring disorders. A secondary dataset using a national sample of administrators in criminal justice treatment programs (N ¼ 147) was used for the analysis. Provision of medication upon release was the strongest predictor. Furthermore, the findings suggested collaborations with external groups and having dedicated staff may impact the level of discharge planning.A growing number of offenders with co-occurring disorders, particularly mental illness and substance use disorders, presents significant challenges to both criminal justice and community-based service settings (Sacks et al., 2007;Sacks & Pearson, 2003). While concern for this population is increasing and most criminal justice organizations have difficulties in providing adequate discharge planning, little is known about discharge planning for this population and factors that affect discharge planning. This study aimed to further the understanding of treatment systems and services for offenders with co-occurring disorders with a special focus on discharge planning in the service systems. More specifically, the study explored how well the selected factors (medication, community support, and resources) predict the degree of discharge planning.