Volume 21: No. 4, April 2007

APA Member Provides First Rate Testimony on Second Chance Act
by Geoff Mumford

Representative John Conyers and Roger Peters

On March 20, APA member Roger Peters testified before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Committee on the Judiciary. Peters is Chair and Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute in Tampa, Florida, where he conducts research on the integration of drug abuse treatment in criminal justice settings. The hearing was held in support of the Second Chance Act (H.R. 1593), a bill to provide substance abuse treatment resources for those transitioning from the prison system.

Peters was joined on the witness panel by representatives of various corrections facilities, faith-based programs, Goodwill Industries, and non-profit residential work programs. Peters, the only scientist testifying, was selected as a witness after APA Science Government Relations Office (GRO) staff contacted the subcommittee to suggest that the hearing include a research perspective. Following his testimony, Peters responded to a range of questions related to the importance of mental health services in offender rehabilitation; the effectiveness of short versus longer-term treatment services to those in re-entry programs; and the special needs of older offenders.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has compiled a research-based guide for treating drug abusers within criminal justice settings which provides 13 essential treatment principles, includes answers to frequently asked questions, and resource information. www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages/cj.html

At the conclusion of the hearing, Science GRO staff accompanied Peters to see Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, who had expressed concerns during the hearing about the lingering effects of gang violence and prison rape on those trying to get a new start via re-entry programs. Peters appearance was timely as he served as a reviewer on a guide entitled "Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations,” recently published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Science GRO staff had arranged for delivery of a copy of the guide to every Member of Congress in January as part of an on-going education campaign on behalf of the Friends of NIDA coalition.