| Summary: | The development of the CJ-DATS Targeted Intervention program, targeting a policy change to incorporate public health concerns into the parole and release process, has prompted this study to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention and to determine how it might best be integrated into the current corrections administration. Primarily, the study seeks to consider the effectiveness of one-on-one peer intervention against group intervention moderated by a peer. The study is set up to interview former inmates as they re-enter society through parole or work release. The first phase of the study is to determine their history of drug use, before incarceration and during their time in a corrections facility. These respondents were chosen because of the particular danger faced by those re-entering to engage in "make up for lost time" behavior as access to illicit activity becomes more readily available. Additionally, this portion tests the respondents' knowledge of HIV/AIDS and their utilization of resources designed to improve their health. Following this survey, as well as a blood examination to determine whether they have the illnesses associated with the study, the subjects engaged in counseling based on the subgroup to which they had been randomly assigned. The control group received a standard one-hour, non-interactive CDC intervention, while the experimental group received the CJ-DATS Targeted Intervention. The intention was to determine if individual intervention is more effective, given the need for brief, effective interventions as a result of the large volume of the relevant population. Following the interventions, followup interviews were issued at 30 and 90 days. The intention was to determine not merely if there was an aggregate change in behavior as a result of the intervention, but furthermore, if the intervention led to a negative trend. Of particular concern to the outcome of the study and its analysis was the relative effectiveness of the peer interventions, as well as how officers and administration within the corrections and parole process might incorporate an attitude of public health into the process.
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