Drug court treatment for methamphetamine dependence: Treatment response and posttreatment outcomes

Marinelli-Casey, Patricia; Gonzales, Rachel; Hillhouse, Maureen; Ang, Alfonso; Zweben, Joan; Cohen, Judith; Hora, Peggy Fulton; Rawson, Richard A.; Methamphetamine Treatment Project Corporate Authors,

doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2007.04.005

« Previous Next »Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
Volume 34, Issue 2 , Pages 242-248, March 2008

Drug court treatment for methamphetamine dependence: Treatment response and posttreatment outcomes

Patricia Marinelli-Casey, Ph.D.
- Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
- Corresponding author. 1640 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA. Tel.: +1 310 445 0874x310; fax: +1 310 312 0538.
Rachel Gonzales, M.P.H.
- Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
Maureen Hillhouse, Ph.D.
- Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
Alfonso Ang, Ph.D.
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
Joan Zweben, Ph.D.
- East Bay Community Recovery Project, Hayward, CA, USA
Judith Cohen, Ph.D., M.P.H.
- East Bay Community Recovery Project, Hayward, CA, USA
Peggy Fulton Hora, J.D.
- Superior Court of California, Hayward, CA, USA
Richard A. Rawson, Ph.D.
- Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
Methamphetamine Treatment Project Corporate Authors
- Acknowledgments detail Corporate list.

Received 3 November 2006; received in revised form 7 March 2007; accepted 5 April 2007. published online 28 June 2007.

Abstract

Relatively little is known about the impact of drug court treatment programs for methamphetamine (MA) dependence. This article examines treatment performance among a subsample of 287 MA-dependent adults who participated in the Methamphetamine Treatment Project from 1999 to 2001. To gain a preliminary indication of MA users' response to drug court intervention, we compared a group of 57 MA-dependent participants treated in outpatient treatment within the context of a drug court to a group of comparable MA-dependent individuals treated in outpatient treatment but not supervised by a drug court (n = 230). Analyses reveal that drug court participation was associated with better rates of engagement, retention, completion, and abstinence, compared to outpatient treatment without drug court supervision. Six- and 12-month outcome analyses indicated that participants who were enrolled in drug court intervention used MA significantly less frequently. These findings suggest that drug court supervision coupled with treatment may improve the outcomes of MA-dependent offenders beyond that seen from treatment alone.

Keywords: Drug court treatment, Methamphetamine, Treatment response and outcomes, Matrix Model