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Parental Criminal Justice Involvement and Children's Involvement With Child Protective Services: Do Adult Drug Treatment Courts Prevent Child Maltreatment?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gifford, EJ; Eldred, LM; Sloan, FA; Evans, KE
Published in: Substance use & misuse
January 2016

In light of evidence showing reduced criminal recidivism and cost savings, adult drug treatment courts have grown in popularity. However, the potential spillover benefits to family members are understudied.To examine: (1) the overlap between parents who were convicted of a substance-related offense and their children's involvement with child protective services (CPS); and (2) whether parental participation in an adult drug treatment court program reduces children's risk for CPS involvement.Administrative data from North Carolina courts, birth records, and social services were linked at the child level. First, children of parents convicted of a substance-related offense were matched to (a) children of parents convicted of a nonsubstance-related offense and (b) those not convicted of any offense. Second, we compared children of parents who completed a DTC program with children of parents who were referred but did not enroll, who enrolled for <90 days but did not complete, and who enrolled for 90+ days but did not complete. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model group differences in the odds of being reported to CPS in the 1 to 3 years following parental criminal conviction or, alternatively, being referred to a DTC program.Children of parents convicted of a substance-related offense were at greater risk of CPS involvement than children whose parents were not convicted of any charge, but DTC participation did not mitigate this risk. Conclusion/Importance: The role of specialty courts as a strategy for reducing children's risk of maltreatment should be further explored.

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Published In

Substance use & misuse

DOI

EISSN

1532-2491

ISSN

1082-6084

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

51

Issue

2

Start / End Page

179 / 192

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Substance Abuse
  • Parents
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Male
  • Logistic Models
  • Infant
  • Illicit Drugs
  • Humans
  • Female
 

Citation

APA
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MLA
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Gifford, E. J., Eldred, L. M., Sloan, F. A., & Evans, K. E. (2016). Parental Criminal Justice Involvement and Children's Involvement With Child Protective Services: Do Adult Drug Treatment Courts Prevent Child Maltreatment? Substance Use & Misuse, 51(2), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.1089906
Gifford, Elizabeth J., Lindsey M. Eldred, Frank A. Sloan, and Kelly E. Evans. “Parental Criminal Justice Involvement and Children's Involvement With Child Protective Services: Do Adult Drug Treatment Courts Prevent Child Maltreatment?Substance Use & Misuse 51, no. 2 (January 2016): 179–92. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.1089906.
Gifford, Elizabeth J., et al. “Parental Criminal Justice Involvement and Children's Involvement With Child Protective Services: Do Adult Drug Treatment Courts Prevent Child Maltreatment?Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 51, no. 2, Jan. 2016, pp. 179–92. Epmc, doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1089906.

Published In

Substance use & misuse

DOI

EISSN

1532-2491

ISSN

1082-6084

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

51

Issue

2

Start / End Page

179 / 192

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Substance Abuse
  • Parents
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Male
  • Logistic Models
  • Infant
  • Illicit Drugs
  • Humans
  • Female