Survey design and outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of relapse prevention guidance for drug-dependent inmates in-Japan: A review.

PURPOSE: . In the last-decade, the treatment of drug offenders in Japanese prisons has changed from severe punishment to a therapeutic approach. This study aimed to review studies that evaluated the effectiveness of relapse prevention guidance for drug- dependent inmates in Japan.

METHODS: We searched three databases: Ichushi; the Japanese correctional library database; and- PubMed. The inclusion criteria were: 1) the guidance was conducted in prisons in Japan; 2) the participants were Japanese adult inmates; 3) the evaluations were reported in quanti- tative investigations and original articles in Ichushi and PubMed; and, 4) the evaluations were reported in quantitative investigations in the Japanese correctional library database.

RESULTS: In total, we identified 13 studies. Three studies.used comparison groups, and two studies included follow-up after the inmates' : release. Two studies-used recidivism and one used treatment persistence as behavioral outcomes. Almost all of the studies used psychological scales. Self-efficacy measures were the most commonly used, and the second most common scale was the Stage of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES).

CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that SOCRATES is the most useful psychological outcome scale in assessing the effectiveness of. relapse prevention guidance for drug offenders in Japan. However, evidence is lacking, as most studies were before-and-after studies that only assessed psychological outcomes. More follow-up studies after release that include comparison groups and investigate behavioral outcomes are needed.