title: Oxford recovery housing: Length of stay correlated with improved outcomes for women previously involved with the criminal justice system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Housing plays a crucial role in providing resources for and aiding an individual's reentry into the community following incarceration and substance use treatment. As such, this study examined the influence of recovery homes on a sample of former female substance-using women with criminal justice involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred women who had been involved with the criminal justice system within the preceding 2 years were recruited from multiple sites in metropolitan Chicago. These women were assigned to either 1 of 2 conditions: Oxford House (OH) recovery homes or usual aftercare (UA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those with longer stays in OH (6 months or more) had better outcomes in terms of alcohol and drug use, employment, and self-efficacy than those with shorter stays. Outcomes for those who stayed in OH were not appreciably different than the UA condition on substance use and employment, but fewer deaths occurred for those in the OH condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that length of stay of 6 or more months is critical for those in recovery homes, but it is important for us to better understand the processes through which longer stays influence better outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Community Research , DePaul University , Chicago , Illinois , USA.
authors.forename: Leonard A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Jason
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Northwestern University , Chicago , Illinois , USA.
authors.forename: Doreen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salina
authors.affiliation: a Center for Community Research , DePaul University , Chicago , Illinois , USA.
authors.forename: Daphna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002641:Chicago; D003416:Criminal Law; D005260:Female; D006208:Halfway Houses / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Incarcerated women; Oxford House; recovery homes; substance abuse disorders