Impact of Alcohol or Drug Use and Incarceration on Child Care in Santa Clara County, California, 2003
Description
This pilot study was conducted in an attempt to better
understand the jailed population in terms of the number of families at
risk and the relationship between parental substance use and
incarceration and its impact on the children of the incarcerated. The
aim of the study was to describe the jailed population, their needs in
relation to substance abuse and parenting issues, to explore
children's risk factors resulting from having a parent with substance
abuse and/or criminal justice involvement, and ultimately to offer a
point of intervention for parents and children at risk. Participants
included 229 men and 52 women aged 18 and older, who were in their
first 48 hours of incarceration in the Santa Clara County Department
of Corrections in August 2003 and who where voluntary participants in
the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) Arrestee Drug Abuse
Monitoring (ADAM) Program (ARRESTEE DRUG ABUSE MONITORING (ADAM)
PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES, 2003 [ICPSR 4020]). Male subjects were
chosen through a random selection process, while female participants
were taken from a convenience sample. The pilot study used a
questionnaire completed as an addendum to the ADAM program main
interview. Major types of variables included in this study are type
and duration of alcohol/drug use, family history of incarceration,
number and ages of children for whom the respondent was the primary
caregiver, social consequences for the child due to the incarceration
of the respondent, and if the child had any problems with drugs and/or
alcohol.