Policy Research and Analysis

Overview

CASA Vice President Susan E. Foster, MSW, heads its most diverse and multi-faceted division, which is responsible for assessing the impact of substance abuse on American systems and populations, examining the links between substance abuse and other health and social problems, as well as crafting recommendations to improve policy and practice.

Current projects include:

Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population (2010)

This report updates CASA’s 1998 landmark study, Behind Bars: Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population.  It reveals the number of people in our nation’s prisons and jails who meet the medical criteria for substance abuse and addiction and the proportion of inmates who are behind bars for alcohol or other drug related reasons.  The new report exposes the extent to which alcohol and other drugs are involved in violent, property and other crimes, the co-occurring health and mental health problems of inmates, and their need for and access to addiction treatment.  Recommendations include cost-effective options for intervention, treatment and aftercare.  

Funded by CASA and the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Examination of the National Substance Abuse Treatment System

CASA is conducting this study of the substance abuse treatment system to draw attention to the size and shape of the problem of addiction in America, its costs to society and how the nation addresses it relative to other health conditions. The report will define abuse and addiction, present the health and social consequences, as well as define treatment and provide evidence of treatment efficacy. It will document the provider system, including the licensing and certification standards for providers, who receives services and why, how much it costs, and who pays. The report is designed to shed light on what it will take to build an effective treatment infrastructure in this country.

Expected Completion: 2010

Funded by the Adrian and Jessie Archbold Charitable Trust, The Franklin Mint and The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, The Annenberg Foundation and The New York Community Trust. 

Substance Abuse and High Schools

CASA proposes to prepare a comprehensive assessment of the problem of substance use and dependence at America’s high schools and recommendations for action. This will include an extensive analysis of the culture in which high school students live, focusing on their use and abuse of addictive substances and other risky behaviors; factors contributing to or driving their behavior; attitudes, perceptions and behavior of parents, teachers and other school personnel and other adults significant in their lives; and the consequences of these behaviors including student academic achievement and the ability of teachers to teach. The study also will address the efficacy of current prevention and intervention strategies and review what can be done to make a real difference in reducing student substance use in order to help ensure the health, academic success and employment opportunities of current and future generations of teenagers.

Expected Completion Date: Spring 2011

Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the American Legacy Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.