Lifetime Benefits and Costs of Diverting Substance-Abusing Offenders From State Prison

Zarkin, Gary A.; Cowell, Alexander J.; Hicks, Katherine; Mills, Michael; Belenko, Steven; Dunlap, Laura; Keyes, Vincent

doi:10.1177/0011128712461904

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…They conclude that eligibility and sentencing rules may be the bottleneck. In a similar vein, Zarkin et al (2012) note that "Prisons hold a disproportionate number of society's drug abusers. Approximately 50% of state prisoners meet the criteria for a diagnosis of drug abuse or dependence; however, only 10% of prisoners receive drug treatment."…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drug court programs are designed to offer intervention beyond or instead of traditional adjudication and incarceration, with the purpose of reducing recidivism rates, usually defined as fewer re-arrests or reconvictions, through treatment and supervision. An allied benefit realized in many well-designed programs is a reduction in proximal and distal judicial and socio-economic costs, a positive net social benefit (Zarkin et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating the effectiveness of a misdemeanor drug diversion program using propensity score matching and survival analyses

Cotti

Haley

2014

The Social Science Journal

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a b s t r a c tThis study analyzes three years of data on misdemeanor drug offenders in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. A portion of these offenders opted into a Misdemeanor Drug Diversion Program (MDDP) offered instead of traditional adjudication. Recidivism in the treatment and comparison groups is estimated using standard binary response techniques augmented with propensity score matching to address selection bias. Results show that the MDDP reduces the probability of re-offense by 16%, after adjusting for possible selection bias. Cox proportional hazard modeling is also used to assess time-to-re-offense differentials between the treatment and comparison groups. The survival analysis indicates that the hazard rate of re-offense is 60% lower per day among those treated with the MDDP program than those who did not complete the program. The average number of days to re-offense among those that do re-offend is 297 days in the treatment group and 203 days in the comparison group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the effectiveness of a misdemeanor drug diversion program using propensity score matching and survival analyses

Cotti

Haley

2014

The Social Science Journal

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“…Most economic evaluations of SUD interventions will have at least a subset of these outcomes. The majority of CEAs, CBAs, and economic burden studies in this field estimate the economic consequences of SUDs from health care services, criminal activity, and labor market outcomes (e.g., (Bouchery et al, 2011; Ettner et al, 2006; McCollister & French, 2003; Zarkin et al, 2015)). Of these domains, the relative contribution of criminal activity to the total economic consequences of SUDs is typically the largest driver of social costs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Successful integration of economic analyses into randomized clinical trials and quasi-experimental studies of SUD interventions has produced a number of CEAs and cost-benefit analyses (CBAs), which largely show support for SUD interventions, especially those that reduce criminal activity along with substance use (Ettner et al, 2006; French, Salome, Sindelar, & McLellan, 2002; McCollister & French, 2003; Zarkin et al, 2015). Other economic studies, however, have evaluated programs where the cost of providing services outweighed the benefits (Alexandre, Salome, French, Rivers, & McCoy, 2002; Aos, Miller, & Drake, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monetary conversion factors for economic evaluations of substance use disorders

McCollister

Yang

Sayed

et al. 2017

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

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Aims Estimating the economic consequences of substance use disorders (SUDs) is important for evaluating existing programs and new interventions. Policy makers in particular must weigh program effectiveness with scalability and sustainability considerations in deciding which programs to fund with limited resources. This study provides a comprehensive list of monetary conversion factors for a broad range of consequences, services, and outcomes, which can be used in economic evaluations of SUD interventions (primarily in the United States), including common co-occurring conditions such as HCV and HIV. Methods Economic measures were selected from standardized clinical assessment instruments that are used in randomized clinical trials and other research studies (e.g., quasi-experimental community-based projects) to evaluate the impact of SUD interventions. National datasets were also reviewed for additional SUD-related consequences, services, and outcomes. Monetary conversion factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review of published articles as well as targeted searches of other sources such as government reports. Results Eight service/consequence/outcome domains were identified containing more than sixty monetizable measures of medical and behavioral health services, laboratory services, SUD treatment, social services, productivity outcomes, disability outcomes, criminal activity and criminal justice services, and infectious diseases consequences. Unit-specific monetary conversion factors are reported, along with upper and lower bound estimates, whenever possible. Conclusions Having an updated and standardized source of monetary conversion factors will facilitate and improve future economic evaluations of interventions targeting SUDs and other risky behaviors. This exercise should be repeated periodically as new sources of data become available to maintain the timeliness, comprehensiveness, and quality of these estimates.

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“…27 There are no available estimates of how many people have a felony conviction for drug possession, or the impact of old felony convictions for drug possession on prison sentences and time served, but treating drug possession as a misdemeanor offense could reduce criminal justice spending and eliminate the harmful impact of a felony conviction. 28…”

Section: Reclassifying Drug Possession To a Misdemeanormentioning

confidence: 99%

Reclassified

Elderbroom

Durnan

2019

Federal Sentencing Reporter

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Recognizing the harm caused by felony convictions and the importance of targeting limited correctional resources more efficiently, state policymakers and voters have made key adjustments to their drug laws in recent years. Beginning in 2014 with Proposition 47 in California, five states have reclassified all drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor. Following the California referendum, legislation in Utah (House Bill 348 in 2015), Connecticut (House Bill 7104 in 2015), and Alaska (Senate Bill 91 in 2016) passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities, and Oklahoma voters in 2016 reclassified drug possession through a ballot initiative (State Question 780) with nearly 60 percent support. The reforms that have been passed in recent years share three critical details: convictions for simple drug possession up to the third conviction are classified as misdemeanors, people convicted of drug possession are ineligible for state prison sentences, and these changes apply to virtually all controlled substances. This brief explores the policy details of reclassification, the potential impact of the reforms, and lessons for other states looking to adopt similar changes to their drug laws. Why Felony Convictions MatterOver the past four decades, the number of people convicted of a felony offense has grown substantially, driven in part by increasingly punitive drug laws. 1 As of 2010, an estimated 20 million people in the US had a current or prior felony conviction, about four times more than in 1980. 2

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Lifetime Benefits and Costs of Diverting Substance-Abusing Offenders From State Prison

Cited by 26 publications

References 35 publications

Estimating the effectiveness of a misdemeanor drug diversion program using propensity score matching and survival analyses

Estimating the effectiveness of a misdemeanor drug diversion program using propensity score matching and survival analyses

Monetary conversion factors for economic evaluations of substance use disorders

Reclassified

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