Effectiveness of Prison-based Drug Treatment Programs: A Systematic Review of Meta-analyses

Objectives: Drawing upon existing meta-analytic reviews, this paper aims to systematically review the state of research on the effects of prison-based drug treatment programs on drug use and recidivism after imprisonment. Method: A systematic search was carried out through the Cochrane Library, the Campbell Collaboration Library of Systematic Reviews and Google scholar. Results: Based on the eligibility criteria set forth, three meta-analytic studies on the effects of prison-based drug treatment programs on drug use and recidivism were retrieved. All three meta-analyses consistently point to the positive effects of therapeutic communities both on drug use and recidivism. Findings regarding the positive effects of other incarcerationbased drug treatment programs (e.g., counselling, narcotic maintenance programs, etc.) are less clear. Limitations as well as implications of the findings for research, policy and practice in Turkey are discussed.

Citation: Topçuoğlu, T. (2016). Effectiveness of prison-based drug treatment programs: A systematic review of metaanalyses. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions 3, 110-124.