OPTIONS FOR RECOVERY - PROMOTING SUCCESS AMONG WOMEN MANDATED TO TREATMENT

In recent years imprisonment has been used increasingly for a wide ran ge of nonviolent and petty offenses committed by women. Among incarcer ated women, particularly those who are pregnant or parenting, substanc e use and its deleterious consequences are often exacerbated by impris onment. Women who have been identified as chemically dependent are als o at high risk for losing custody of their children. In California, th e Options for Recovery (OFR) treatment program provided an alternative to incarceration or relinquishment of custody of children for chemica lly dependent pregnant and parenting women. This three-year pilot proj ect offered alcohol and other drug abuse treatment and case management to these women, and included special training and recruitment of fost er parents for their children. Findings from a three-year, multimethod evaluation study showed that women who were mandated to OFR treatment programs were more likely to successfully complete treatment than wom en who had enrolled in OFR voluntarily. An economic analysis of the co sts associated with women in OFR compared with the combined costs of i ncarceration and alcohol and other drug abuse treatment produced a rat io in favor of OFR. Additionally, some innovative service alternatives for women mandated to treatment were developed during the project. Th e impact of such changes have implications for improving women's and f amily health.