Therapeutic Communities In Correctional Settings
Therapeutic Communities of America, (TCA), through its criminal justice task force has launched a project to develop minimum standards for operating modified therapeutic community (TC) programs in prison settings. The project consists of three continuous phases: Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III. Phase I activities, supported by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS), developed an initial draft of standards and outlined procedures for assessing compliance with standards. Phase II activities, supported by The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), were a field validation of the assessment procedures (i.e. the review protocol) to inform a final revision of standards. Phase III, the final phase of the project, will translate the TC standards into a format appropriate for accreditation of modified TC programs in correctional settings.
Phase I of the project yielded a draft of the standards and a preliminary field standards assessment protocol (see TCA, Phase I Project Report, 1997). Phase II of the project has been successfully completed. The present report summarizes the work scope, conclusions, and recommendations of the Phase II working committee. It includes the Revised Prison TC Standards based upon the activities of Phase II.
