What treatment and other health services should be provided to drug abusers involved with the criminal justice system?
One of the goals of treatment planning is to match evidence-based interventions to individual needs at each stage of drug treatment. Over time, various combinations of treatment services may be required. Evidence-based interventions include cognitive-behavioral therapy to help participants learn positive social and coping skills, contingency management approaches to reinforce positive behavioral change, and motivational enhancement to increase treatment engagement and retention. In those addicted to opioid drugs, agonist/partial agonist medications can also help normalize brain function, and antagonist medications can facilitate abstinence. For juvenile offenders, treatments that involve the family and other aspects of the drug abuser’s environment have established efficacy. Drug abuse treatment plans for incarcerated offenders can anticipate their eventual re-entry into the community by incorporating relevant transition plans and services. Drug abusers often have mental and physical h
