ABSTRACT
Drug treatment in the United States can be broken down into two major categories: public and government run, and private or for-profit. This is important, because each of these categories is very different in both access to and success for individuals, and each comes with its own barriers to treatment. The assessments can also predict potential for substance use disorder, which should be further diagnosed by a licensed health professional using the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) criteria and referred to appropriate treatment. These risk and needs assessment tools are used in various stages of criminal justice processing, using what is called the Sequential Intercept Model. The goal of this particular model is to attempt to provide mental health services—including substance use disorder treatment services—to individuals caught up in the criminal justice system as early as possible to get people the help they need.
