Motivational Assessment Program to Initiate Treatment

Substance abuse treatment in the criminal justice system can reduce drug use and related
criminal behavior. Although drug and alcohol treatment are common mandates in criminal
justice programs, only a minority of clients actually initiate treatment. This proposal will
compare two intervention formats that target motivation to initiate and engage in treatment
among a group of probationers who have drug or alcohol treatment conditions. Six hundred
drug and alcohol offenders in two probation sites (Baltimore, MD and Dallas, TX) will be
randomized to receive: 1) an in-person motivational interviewing session (MI), 2) a
motivational computer program (MC), or 3) supervision intake and monitoring as usual (SAU).
The MI condition will be structured along the lines of the "Check-Up" format which consists
of an assessment and personalized feedback delivered in an MI style; the content of the MC
condition will be drawn from previous literature on effective motivational computer
programs. Both interventions will be delivered at the start of the probation process, with
follow-up assessments at 2 and 6 months. Primary outcomes include engagement and
participation in substance abuse treatment; secondary outcomes include drug and alcohol use,
probation progress, criminal behavior, and HIV testing and care. This project will be the
first to develop and test two interventions for encouraging criminal justice clients to
follow through with treatment recommendations, with the goal of increasing treatment
initiation, and reducing subsequent drug use and criminal behavior. It also contributes to
ongoing partnerships with two large probation agencies—the Dallas County Supervision and
Corrections Department and the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation.