The Role of Social Support as a Predictor of Women's Prison-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes.

In recent decades the number of women under criminal justice supervision has increased considerably. Approximately a quarter of all women under the care or custody of adult criminal justice authorities have been convicted of a drug offense. Additionally, beyond being arrested and convicted for a drug offense, women in prison are more likely than their non-institutionalized counterparts to suffer from a substance abuse disorder. While there is a growing body of research concerning women offenders' drug abuse and treatment needs, few studies have examined the substance abuse treatment outcomes of women in the criminal justice system. Using data from the Forever Free Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program at the California Institution for Women, this study expands upon previous literature by looking at the influence of social support, family functioning, and substance abuse by friends and family on women's substance abuse relapse within 12 months following prison-based treatment. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]