Changes in legal referrals to specialty substance use disorder treatment from 2015–2019
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The policy landscape around substance use has changed dramatically in the past decade, which may have affected the number and characteristics of treatment episodes for substance use disorder (SUD). In this study, we examine changes in the volume of SUD treatment referrals from the legal system and compare changes in the composition of substances used by referral source. We used publicly available discharge data on specialty SUD treatment episodes in the U.S. from 2015-2019 and included episodes involving adults that are discharged from specialty SUD treatment facilities during the study. We calculated descriptive statistics of specialty SUD treatment discharges in each year and aggregated across all years by referral source and substance(s) reported upon admission. To test differences by year and referral source, we conducted z-tests of proportions. RESULTS: The proportion of referrals to specialty SUD treatment from the legal system declined between 2015 and 2019 (p < 0.001). However, referrals from probation/parole and diversionary programs grew over time (p < 0.001) in number and proportion over time. Legal referrals were most often associated with alcohol or cannabis use, though referrals for these substances declined from 2015-2019. CONCLUSIONS: This research lays the groundwork for future investigations to evaluate the effect of important policy changes on referral sources to specialty SUD treatment and the quality and outcomes associated with referrals to treatment from the legal system.
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“A study reported that the proportion of referrals to specialty SUD treatment from the legal system declined between 2015 and 2019; however, referrals from probation/parole and diversionary programs grew over time [24].”
- Authors
- Fry, C. E., Harris, J., & Burns, M. E.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fry, Carrie E.
- Venue
- Health & Justice
- Published
- 2024-11-06
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 42-42
- ISSN
- 2194-7899 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11539304
- OpenAlex
- W4404119998
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 0.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Health & Justice (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA057391)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Keywords
- addiction treatment, legal referral, community supervision, diversion programs, substance use policy, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, treatment utilization trends
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