Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Mar:74:54-64.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2016.12.011. Epub 2016 Dec 30.

A randomized study of the use of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for drug and alcohol use with jail inmates

Michael L Prendergast  1 , Kathryn McCollister  2 , Umme Warda  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized study of the use of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for drug and alcohol use with jail inmates

Michael L Prendergast et al. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based practice that has been shown to reduce alcohol and drug use in healthcare, educational, and other settings, but research on the effectiveness of SBIRT with populations involved in the criminal justice system is limited. These populations have high rates of substance use but have limited access to interventions.

Methods: The study randomized 732 jail inmates from a large urban jail to the SBIRT intervention or to the control group. Using the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), the intervention assessed the risk level for drug and alcohol misuse by inmates and provided those who were at low or medium risk with a brief intervention in jail and referred those at high risk to community treatment following release, including the opportunity to participate in a brief treatment (eight sessions) protocol. Using interview and records data from a 12-month follow-up, analyses compared the two groups with respect to the primary study outcomes of reductions in drug and alcohol use and the secondary outcomes of participation in treatment, rearrest, reduction in HIV risk behaviors, and quality of life. In addition, the costs of delivering the SBIRT intervention were calculated.

Results: When baseline differences were controlled, the groups did not differ at follow-up on any of the primary or secondary outcomes.

Conclusions: Future research should develop and evaluate SBIRT models that are specifically adapted to the characteristics and needs of the jail population. Until more favorable results emerge, attempts to use SBIRT with jail inmates should be implemented with caution, if at all.

Trial registration number: NCT01683643.

Keywords: Costs; HIV risk behaviors; Jail; Quality of life; Recidivism; Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT); Substance use.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Enrollment and follow-up flow diagram for screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for jail inmates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anderson P, Aromaa S, Rosenbloom D, Enos G. Screening and brief intervention: Making a public health difference. Boston, MA: Join Together, Boston University School of Public Health; 2008.
    1. Babor T, McRee B, Kassebaum P, Grimaldi P, Ahmed K, Bray J. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT): Toward a public health approach to the management of substance abuse. Substance Abuse. 2007;28:7–30. - PubMed
    1. Baker A, Lee NK, Claire M, Lewin TJ, Grant T, Pohlman S, Carr VJ. Brief cognitive behavioural interventions for regular amphetamine users: A step in the right direction. Addiction. 2005;100:367–378. - PubMed
    1. Beers T. Brief treatment manual. Los Angeles: Integrated Substance Abuse Programs; 2012.
    1. Begun AL, Rose SJ, LeBel TP. Intervening with women in jail around alcohol and substance abuse during preparation for community reentry. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. 2011;29(4):453–478.

Publication types

Associated data