Shock incarceration and its impact on the lives of problem drinkers

Of shock incarceration on offenders identified as problem on a criminal history of alcohol-related crimes and self report of drinking ehavior, was examined. Problem drinkers and non-pronkers serving time in a shock incarceration program were compare similar offenders serving time in a regular prison environment. Attitude previously found to be associated with problem drinking were examined using a repeated measures design over a three month period. Problem drinkers in shock incarceration became less alienated and more prosocial in their attitudes compared to the problem drinkers in the prison inmates. Problem drinkers who graduated from shock incarceration were also found to adjust better on parole than offenders paroled from regular prison. Flowever, the behavior of problem drinkers as a group was more varied than that of non-problem drinkers, emphasizing the importance of and need for programs such as this to provide adequate support and after-care for problem drinkers and substance abusers.