Interventions for female drug-using offenders

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• This review is part of a series examining interventions for offenders.
• Focuses on strategies to reduce drug use and criminal activity among female offenders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of interventions in reducing criminal activity and/or drug use in female drug-using offenders.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of 12 electronic databases up to February 2019.
• Inclusion of 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2560 participants.
• Data collection and analysis followed Cochrane methodological standards.

Main Results:

• Most interventions, including collaborative case management, buprenorphine, interpersonal psychotherapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and computerised interventions, showed no significant reduction in drug use or criminal activity.
• Cognitive behavioural skills (CBS) demonstrated a significant reduction in non-parole violations in one study.
• Intensive discharge planning and case management showed a significant reduction in arrests but not drug charges or incarceration.

Conclusions:

• The majority of interventions reviewed were not effective in reducing drug use or criminal activity among female offenders.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) showed a significant reduction in arrests for non-parole violations.
• High heterogeneity, small sample sizes, and unclear reporting limit the certainty of evidence, necessitating larger, well-designed trials.