Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Effects of Personalized Feedback Interventions on Drug-Related Reoffending: a Pilot Study

  • Published:
Prevention Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Addiction is serious problem that requires effective treatment. Previous studies support personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) as an effective treatment for drinking; however, the potential beneficial effects of this treatment on illegal drug use have not been explored. The present study examined the effects of PFIs in a sample of repetitive drug-related offenders. Participants were 50 repetitive drug-related offenders incarcerated in a Japanese prison. They were randomly assigned to the PFIs (n = 20) or control (n = 30) group. The PFIs group received six letters for 3 months, whereas the control group did not undergo any interventions. We defined relapse and recidivism as drug-related reoffending and reentering prison after release, respectively. In the 3.6-year follow-up analysis (range, 0.1–5.8 years), participants’ criminal records were examined, and results indicated a decreased risk of relapse and recidivism for the PFIs group relative to the control group, even when controlling for age, educational level, number of prison terms, and sentence length. Thus, our findings suggest that PFIs reduce the likelihood of relapse and recidivism in drug-related offenders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Budney, A. J., Fearer, S., Walker, D. D., Stanger, C., Thostenson, J., Grabinski, M., & Bickel, W. K. (2011). An initial trial of a computerized behavioral intervention for cannabis use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 115, 74–79.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dimeff, L. A., Baer, J. S., Kivlahan, D. R., & Marlatt, G. A. (1999). Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS): A harm reduction approach. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupont, W. D., & Plummer, W. D. (1990). Power and sample size calculations: A review and computer program. Controlled Clinical Trials, 11, 116–128.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gendreau, P., Cullen, F. T., & Goggin, C. (1999). The effects of prison sentences on recidivism. Ottawa: Solicitor General Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kay-Lambkin, F. J. (2008). Technology and innovation in the psychosocial treatment of methamphetamine use, risk and dependence. Drug and Alcohol Review, 27, 318–325.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langan, P. A., & Levin, D. J. (2002). Recidivism of prisoners released in 1994. Federal Sentencing Reporter, 15, 58–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. M., Neighbors, C., Kilmer, J. R., & Larimer, M. E. (2010). A brief, web-based personalized feedback selective intervention for college student marijuana use: A randomized clinical trial. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 24, 265–273.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKay, J. R., Van Horn, D. H. A., Oslin, D. W., Lynch, K. G., Ivey, M., Ward, K., & Coviello, D. M. (2010). A randomized trial of extended telephone-based continuing care for alcohol dependence: Within-treatment substance use outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 912–923.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Messina, N. P., Wish, E. D., & Nemes, S. (1999). Therapeutic community treatment for substance abusers with antisocial personality disorder. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 17, 121–128.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Police Agency (2015). Drug and gun situations in 2014. Tokyo. Author. (in Japanese).

  • Neighbors, C., Lee, C. M., Lewis, M. A., Fossos, N., & Walter, T. (2009). Internet-based personalized feedback to reduce 21st-birthday drinking: A randomized controlled trial of an event-specific prevention intervention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 51–63.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nurco, D. N., Hanlon, T. E., & Kinlock, T. W. (1991). Recent research on the relationship between illicit drug use and crime. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 9, 221–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palfai, T. P., Saitz, R., Winter, M., Brown, T. A., Kypri, K., Goodness, T. M., & Lu, J. (2014). Web-based screening and brief intervention for student marijuana use in a university health center: Pilot study to examine the implementation of eCHECKUP TO GO in different contexts. Addictive Behaviors, 39, 1346–1352.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice. (2006). White paper on crime 2006. Tokyo: Kokuritsu Insatsu Kyoku (In Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice. (2009). White paper on crime 2009. Tokyo: Jijitsushin Shuppan Kyoku (In Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Research and Training Institute of the Ministry of Justice. (2012). Heisei 24 white paper on crime. Tokyo: Nikkei insatsu (In Japanese).

  • Schoenfeld, D. A., & Richter, J. R. (1982). Nomograms for calculating the number of patients needed for a clinical trial with survival as an endpoint. Biometrics, 163–170.

  • Stevens, D. J., & Ward, C. S. (1997). College education and recidivism: Educating criminals is meritorious. Journal of Correctional Education, 48, 106–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Towe, S. L. (2012). The Impact of Personalized Feedback on Marijuana Use: Examining a Brief Intervention Delivered via the Internet (Unpublished doctoral thesis). USA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters, S. T., & Neighbors, C. (2005). Feedback interventions for college alcohol misuse: What, why and for whom? Addictive Behaviors, 30, 1168–1182.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, S. T., & Woodall, W. G. (2003). Mailed feedback reduces consumption among moderate drinkers who are employed. Prevention Science, 4, 287–294.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, H. R., Mun, E. Y., & Morgan, T. J. (2008). Do brief personalized feedback interventions work for mandated students or is it just getting caught that works? Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 22, 107–116.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2010). ATLAS on substance use: Resources for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Geneva: Author.

  • Yokotani, K. (2014). Treatment effects of solution-focused group therapy on repeated drug-related offenders. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Conference.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the prison staff members for their cooperation and assistance. We also thank Dr. Tai Kurosawa and Mr. Matachi Koichiro for their insightful feedback on our draft. The present study was funded by the Nikkoso Foundation for Safe Society (SZ2014A–004). The early draft of the present study was orally presented at the 50th Japanese Correctional Education conference in Tokyo, the 16th International Society of Addiction Medicine Annual meeting in Yokohama, and the 2014 Global Addiction meeting in Rio.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenji Yokotani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yokotani, K., Tamura, K. Effects of Personalized Feedback Interventions on Drug-Related Reoffending: a Pilot Study. Prev Sci 16, 1169–1176 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0571-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0571-x

Keywords

Navigation