This secondary analysis study examines factors associated with stages of change and motivation among offenders undergoing mandated substance abuse treatment under the criminal justice system. The sample is comprised, almost exclusively, of people of minority ethnic identity with the largest group being of Hispanic origin. The sample of 160 respondents was drawn from the prison system in New York. These respondents were classified as belonging to either pre-action (n=60) or action group (n=100) based on the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). The pre- action group included those who were in precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages as defined by Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model, and the action group included those who were in action and maintenance stages. The research examined whether pre-action and action groups differed in terms of internal motivational level (as measured by the motivation subscale of CMR Scale); level of depression (Beck Depression Inventory); consequences of addiction (items from the Addiction Severity Index); and Criminal History (number of convictions, arrests, seriousness of legal problems).
The study found a significant difference between the groups in terms of consequences of addiction variables: pre-action group members had a higher score on clinician’s ratings of respondents’ need for drug treatment and need for legal services; and reported a higher score on their perception of the seriousness of legal problems facing them. Respondents who belonged to pre-action reported a higher number of substances of abuse and were initiated into substance use at a younger age compared to those in the action group.
Discriminant Function Analysis and Logistic Regression were carried out to examine factors that predict stage membership. Consequences of addiction variables gained salience over internal motivation, depression and criminal history in the overall model. Age of initiation, clinician’s ratings of respondents’ need for legal services and need for drug treatment were the variables that best explained stage membership. Implications for developing and improving mandated treatment programs under the criminal justice system are discussed.