Perceptions of a prison-based substance abuse treatment program among some staff and participants

Almost 90% of all State and Federal prisons in the U.S. offer some form of substance abuse counseling, and one in eight prisoners have participated in a substance abuse treatment program while incarcerated. Evidence indicates that these programs can be successful in stopping prisoners’ substance abuse. While some data are available about the success of these programs, little is known about program administrators’, counselors’ and participants’ experiences with and perceptions of these treatment programs. These experiences and perceptions remain important because they may be helpful for understanding areas of agreement and conflict in staff-participant relationships. The more understanding we have for these relationships, the more likely it is that we will be able to improve staff-participant communications, program effectiveness, and participant success. The results suggest similarities and differences between staff and participants in the areas of participant motivation, staff-participant communication, race, institutional support, and counselor contacts. Implications of the results of this inquiry for prison-based substance abuse treatment programs are discussed.