Women in jail: is substance abuse treatment enough?

Abstract

This study examined the self-reported needs of women in jail who indicated a need for drug abuse services. A total of 165 interviews were conducted of women held in a large, urban county jail in Ohio in May 1999. Drug-abusing women were more likely to report a need for housing, mental health counseling, education, job training, medical care, family support, and parenting assistance when released from jail. The provision of drug abuse treatment referrals to women in jail may not break the continual cycle of drug use and incarceration if other needs cannot be addressed.