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This preliminary small-scale research aims to achieve an insight into drug use offenders’ rehabilitation experiences both in and out of prison, as well as considering how perceptions of the public may inhibit their successful reintegration into society.

A mixed-methods approach was used, with five semi-structured interviews conducted alongside the distribution of the Attitude towards prisoners questionnaire among the general public (n = 106) in the North-West region of England.

Participants recalled a mixture of experiences, highlighting the presence of contraband in prisons to be an inhibiting factor of successful rehabilitation. Additionally, participants expressed the need for more support when preparing for release such as confirmation of accommodation and possible employment. Questionnaires also indicated the public to perceive offenders negatively (M = 76, SD = 16.99), thus presenting a further challenge in the resettlement of drug use offenders.

Findings highlight that improving practices to decrease the presence of contraband in prisons, monitoring an individual’s use of methadone, preparing an individual for their release from prison and educating the public would reduce some of the obstacles experienced by drug use offenders.

This study outlines some of the obstacles that drug use offenders experience when attempting to end their drug use activity and criminal engagement.

The purpose of this paper is to inquire into the role that sexuality plays in faith-based programs for the prevention and care of problematic drug use.

This paper conducts 25 semi-structured interviews with institutional staff and another 31 with people undergoing treatment in spiritual and religious drug rehabilitation programs in Argentina.

First, within these therapeutic devices, different sexual experiences are considered initial catalysts for drug use. Also, within these institutions, certain morally condemned sexual behaviors are seen as associated with consumption. Second, these institutions establish diverse rules and recommendations about intimate relationships for people in recovery to improve the outcome of treatments. Third, therapeutic institutions produce gender stereotypes related to the sexuality of drug users. Fourth, institutions assume heterosexuality within their target populations, thereby reinforcing the heteronormative frameworks of these therapeutic interventions.

This is a small qualitative study conducted in Argentina. Although its results cannot be generalized, they serve as a preliminary empirical input to analyze drug treatment programs in the country and other regions of the world.

This study addresses the relationships between problematic drug use, rehabilitation and sexuality from the perspectives of both professionals and men and women who consume drugs. This paper adopts a critical perspective on gender and sexual diversity to analyze how therapeutic institutions reproduce certain gender stereotypes and heteronormativity. In doing so, the research intends to contribute to discussions that can lead to more comprehensive policies regarding problematic drug use.

Drug use has numerous consequences on health, the economy, culture and the peace and security of families and communities. Drug users often engage in various criminal activities, including drug dealing, to sustain their drug use. Under Nepalese law, consumption, possession and sale of drugs are illegal, which increases the risk of incarceration for drug users.

Using a phenomenological/qualitative approach, the paper explores how various activities can lead to the arrest of drug users, how they cope without taking drugs in custody and prison and how they plan abstinence after release.

Participants engaged in various categories of criminal activity, including stealing, looting, etc. Most of the drug users were in custody and prison at least once. Drug use relapses led the participants to re-engage in criminal activities including drug dealing. Parents were often overburdened by their sons and daughter's drug use and were worried about their repeated relapses. Finally, some parents negotiated with their sons and daughters to keep them in prison where they would be able to stay without taking drugs and their involvement in crimes and conflicts would decrease.

Keeping substance abusers in prison does not appear to be an effective strategy, as many participants relapse after release from prison. However, a prison-based educational and health promotion strategy would be beneficial for drug users to develop knowledge and skills on staying drug-free. However, to date, no effort has been made to provide such services to drug users and develop their coping strategy after release.

Parallel with trends in the wider East Africa region, there has been an increase in the number of women involved in drug use, trafficking and drug-related crime in Kenya (Beckerleg, Telfer, & Hundt, 2005 ). Vulnerable populations, such as domestic labourers, ethnic minorities, those living in slums, bar attendants, sex workers and refugees, are recruited into criminal organisations and assigned roles that expose them to negative health outcomes, human rights violations and incarceration (NACADA, 2016 ). In cases where women do not directly participate in drug use or the drug trade, they often are responsible for mitigating the risks arising from drug use by family members and the community. This reflects their triple burden of care and support when family and social life deteriorates (Mburu, Limmer, & Holland 2019).

The Kenya Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 1994, criminalises possession and trafficking of illicit drugs. The enforcement of this legislation has led to an increase in the number of women incarcerated in Kenya for drug, but also (and mainly) alcohol offences. This goes against the recommendation of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in 2005 that States should adopt innovative measures and policies that prioritise treatment and rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration. In Kenya, prisons have adopted the Mandela and Bangkok Rules, enabling a paradigm shift in the provision of correctional services for women offenders, including remote parenting, family open days and linkages to aftercare services. However, these policies need to be anchored in the legal framework, with adequate resources to hasten the realisation of goals for the care and treatment of female drug and criminal offenders.

The paper covers:• nature of the drug problem ‐ drug dependence, prevalence of misuse, distribution of problematic drug‐users (PDUs) across NOMS and how drug‐related offending manifests itself• drug strategy in prisons ‐ demand reduction, supply reduction and establishing through‐care linkages, clinical services, counselling, assessment, referral, advice and through‐care services (CARATs), drug rehabilitation programmes, drug testing programmes, supply reduction initiatives, DIP linkages and wider resettlement agenda• assessing need and planning for the future ‐ needs analysis, development of the collaborative drug treatment vision, initiatives planned or under way to improve quality and amount of treatment available, and mainstreaming/integration of services to reduce re‐offending and make public environment safer.

The purpose of this paper is to inform the development of an evidence-based and effective rehabilitation programme to address substance use disorders in a population of patients with severe mental illness and mental disorders detained in a secure forensic psychiatric facility. A clinical review identified a high prevalence of substance use disorders in the patient population at a secure forensic facility in Sydney, Australia with only a limited number of patients being assessed and offered interventions for substance use problems.

A literature review was undertaken specifically looking at articles between 2009 and 2017 that considered models of care or approaches to substance use rehabilitation in patients with co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Articles were considered based on their relevance to the purpose and the environment of a secure forensic facility.

The literature review emphasised the need for a cohesive model of care integrating substance use rehabilitation with mental health care. Comprehensive assessment and individualised approaches that incorporated patient choice and stages of change were considered essential components to any dual diagnosis rehabilitation programme.

The literature regarding rehabilitation approaches for those with severe mental illness and co-morbid substance use disorders was reasonably consistent with the models of care used in relation to criminal offenders and mental illness generally. Integrated and individualised rehabilitation approaches for dual diagnosis patients could play a significant role in forensic settings.

Limited robust evidence for substance use rehabilitation has been published. The authors consider the existing evidence base and the underlying theory behind substance use rehabilitation to propose a model for rehabilitation in secure forensic settings. This is the first known review of substance use rehabilitation involving mentally ill offenders with dual diagnoses in secure forensic settings. This paper is the original work of the authors.

There is increased social discussion of the emerging issues of opioid use, health and well-being of young adults within contemporary Asian society. The purpose of this study is to contribute new knowledge of opioid-using young adults through ethnographic perspectives of the five main cultures of Pakistan. Furthermore, it tried to explore the values of opioid users.

It is a qualitative study. Semi-structured interview and observation techniques were used to gain the participants’ information, in a non-judgmental environment. Observation and life focus history interview methodology were used for data collection. The sample consisted of 18 male opioid users (approximately three from each area including: Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoon Khah, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). An interview script was used in interviews after written informed consent. After the detailed interview and observation of non-verbal behaviours, the researchers analysed the data by using the content analysis of qualitative method.

The result showed that poor relationships, conflicts over property, lack of social support and family problems increased with the use of opioids by individuals. The individual’s mental health, such as hopelessness, curiosity, mistrust and lack of interest in social activities, was the major cause of opioid addiction. Moreover, peer influences and friends may also have played contributing roles in opioids use among men.

The current study added to the understanding of the relationship of different environmental, behavioural and social factors involved in developing opioid use among young individuals. The homogeneity of the sample may have weakened the generalisability of the findings of the study as all participants in the study were male.

Clinicians and allied professionals have shown a great interest in early intervention with opioid users. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of young opioid users. That is why this study was done, to empower counsellors.

Opioids, including heroin, have strong addictive tendencies. They are easily available, particularly in unplanned urban areas of Pakistan. The present study tried to understand the lived experiences and beliefs of opioid users belonging to different cultures of Pakistan.

At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of adult opioid users. Therefore, this study presented 18 interview-based facts from the opioid users belonging to different areas of Pakistan residing in capital of Pakistan. The content of these vignettes was examined in the context of an ethnographic perspective, as it has a strong connection and contribution to drug abuse.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to use the particulars of a single case study (Vietnam) to underscore common pitfalls that several governments have made during the emerging and concentrated stages in their policy responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to underscore much needed actions in the HIV/AIDS prevention realm.

Methods – Literature syntheses, policy reports, interviews with in-country stakeholders, and a case study approach are used to explore key issues regarding common government missteps at the concentrated epidemic phase.

Findings – These include coverage of the history of social ills in the country and how these intersect with – first, myths about the spread of HIV within a given region; second, inadequate intervention with high-risk groups and lack of consideration of the ways in which high-risk groups interact with the general population (neglect of bridge populations); and third, poor emphasis on women and young women, who are disproportionately affected by key epidemic transitions, particularly the transition from emerging to the concentrated epidemic phase.

Contribution to the field – Documenting policy lessons in emerging and concentrated epidemics is urgent and can assist within and across nations to help control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize research conducted in long-term residential rehabilitation centers, including therapeutic communities (TCs), in order to further clarify the effectiveness of this treatment approach and to evaluate the quality of TC research conducted in the period 2000-2013.

The composite search engine UQ database Summon were used to find articles with “Therapeutic Community” as title words, and the search was limited to adult participants, peer-reviewed articles, published between January 2000 and June 2013 in the English language. The review was conducted using Cochrane Collaboration methods and reported under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses guidelines.

In total, 25 studies met inclusion criteria for the review and represented data from n=5,923 participants in the USA, Australia, Spain, England, and Belgium. Evidence supports the TC approach for a diverse range of individuals who misuse a range of substances. Several studies reported a relationship between retention and outcomes however dropout from treatment is a widespread issue. A paucity of research using multiple time points precludes any firm conclusions regarding the optimal length of treatment in a TC. There is a lack of research on the interplay between individual and community-level factors on client well-being, retention, and longer term outcomes.

This review highlights the need for TC research that includes multiple time points and follow-up assessments, and measures of change in theoretically meaningful constructs alongside standard measures of demographics, substance use, and psychiatric symptoms.

The reporting format of TC research should be better standardized in order to create a better basis for research comparison. More standardized reporting would also allow for effect size analysis, and create a more efficacious evidence base.

This updates the systematic review body of research.

This study aims to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of residential treatment which follows the therapeutic community (TC) model for Sri Lankan individuals with substance use disorder (SUD).

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in two selected residential treatment centers which follow the TC model as a rehabilitation approach. All the clients of the selected residential treatment centers were invited to take part in the study and data were collected from 75 consented male participants using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The perceived effectiveness of the residential treatment was assessed using the Treatment Effectiveness Assessment instrument. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Most of the participants were Sinhalese (98.7%, n = 74) with a mean age of 27.0 ± 6.0 years. The average duration in which participants stayed at selected centers was 8.0 ± 4.0 months. Most of the participants reported that the encouragement during the program was sufficient (89.3%, n = 67), psychological support was satisfactory (89.3%, n = 67), freedom (69.5%, n = 52) and facilities were adequate (76.0%, n = 57) within the program. A higher proportion of participants said that the counselors and program guides were friendly (80.0%, n = 60), and participants were allowed to communicate with their family with restrictions (92.0%, n = 69). The mean perceived effectiveness score (score range 1–40) was 34.0 ± 7.0 and the four domain scores (score range 1–10) were substance use (9.0 ± 2.0), health (8.0 ± 2.0), lifestyle (9.0 ± 2.0) and community (9.0 ± 2.0). The majority (88.0%, n = 66) of the participants perceived a high level of treatment effectiveness.

There is a paucity of empirical evidence on effectiveness of TC model for individuals with SUD in South Asian countries including Sri Lanka. The findings of this study highlight that the participants perceived higher effectiveness of the residential treatment which follows the TC approach for Sri Lankan individuals with SUD.