Evaluating corrections-based treatment for the drug-abusing criminal offender

The recent increase in drug abusers in the criminal justice system has led to the expansion of corrections-based drug treatment facilities. Although t hree key evaluations have provided consistent support for the effectiveness of drug treatment within the criminal justice system, direct comparisons o f outcomes across these evaluations are limited by variations in their meas urement systems and the structure of official records on which they are bas ed. This article addresses some of the issues relating to the assessment of treatment outcomes for the drug-abusing offender and provides several reco mmendations for future research.