A Systematic Review of Motivational Interviewing to Address Substance Use with Justice-Involved Adults

Area of Science:

• Addiction treatment research
• Criminal justice behavioral health interventions

Background:

• Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a cost-effective substance abuse treatment.
• MI efficacy is established across diverse populations and outcomes.
• Limited research exists on MI effectiveness for justice-involved individuals with substance use issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on Motivational Interviewing (MI) for substance use reduction in justice-involved populations.
• To assess the extent of research on MI's efficacy within the criminal justice system.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of studies from 2008 to March 2020.
• Databases searched: Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, ProQuest.
• Identified five Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) involving justice-involved individuals.

Main Results:

• Studies included participants in prison, jail, probation, and with DWI charges, all monitored for substance use.
• All five RCTs found no statistically significant difference between groups in substance use rates.
• Potential moderators like substance use severity, type, and treatment/follow-up duration require further consideration.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence does not support Motivational Interviewing's effectiveness in reducing substance use for justice-involved individuals.
• There is a need for more standardized and rigorous research to evaluate MI in this specific population.