Cost-Effectiveness of Connecticut's In-Prison Substance Abuse Treatment

Abstract Over the past two decades, the criminal justice population in the US has grown by over 200%, most of this due to an increase in drug-involved offenders. Although there is good evidence that prison-based substance abuse treatment programs can be effective in reducing rearrest, few cost-effectiveness studies have been conducted. Using data from the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), we compared the cost-effectiveness of four tiers (levels) of substance abuse treatment programs for a sample of 831 offenders who were released during FY1996-FY1997. Effectiveness, measured by reductions in the likelihood of rearrest within six months, one year and 18 months post-release, was compared for inmates who had received treatment while incarcerated (n = 358) and those who had not (n = 473). At all intervals, offenders who attended any of the higher tier programs (two, three and four) had significantly lower rates of rearrest when...