RT Article
T1 Diversion Programs for Individuals Who Use Substances: A Review of the Literature
JF Journal of drug issues
VO 51
IS 3
SP 483
OP 503
A1 Lindquist-Grantz, Robin
A1 Mallow, Peter
A1 Dean, Leah
A1 Lydenberg, Michelle
A1 Chubinski, Jennifer
A2 Mallow, Peter
A2 Dean, Leah
A2 Lydenberg, Michelle
A2 Chubinski, Jennifer
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1759180904
AB Diversion programs connect individuals to treatment instead of criminal sanctions and are used more frequently to address substance use. This systematic scoping review included 31 published empirical studies to examine evaluations of diversion programs that address substance use and misuse. We assessed the program characteristics and implementation settings, as well as the outcomes measured and study methods used. We identified five prevalent study outcomes categories: (a) Service utilization (program retention and completion), (b) Recidivism/criminality, (c) Substance use, (d) Psychosocial functioning, and (e) Other outcomes (e.g., trauma, quality of life, and housing). Findings demonstrated limited but promising evidence for improvements in recidivism, substance use, and psychosocial outcomes. The limited evidence may be partly due to heterogeneity in diversion program implementation, study designs used, and differences among subpopulations. Most studies examined postbooking diversion programs; therefore, further examination of alternative approaches such as prebooking diversion programs is needed to fully understand diversion program impacts.
K1 Criminal Justice
K1 drugs and alcohol
K1 Substance Abuse
K1 Substance Use
K1 Diversion programs
DO 10.1177/00220426211000330