A Pilot Study Examining the Feasibility of Implementing and Evaluating a Therapeutic Community Approach in Two Adolescent Internment Units in Brazil

Principal Investigator: Knowlton Johnson
Sponsor: Dept. of State
(7/12/2009 - 2/28/2012)

Proposal Abstract
With funding from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, United States Department of State, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Inc. (PIRE), in partnership with CEBRID, the Center of Information on Psychotropic Drugs based at the University of São Paulo, will conduct a feasibility study of the therapeutic community (TC) training of staff in two adolescent internment units of the Foundation Center for Adolescent Services childcare (Foundation House), formerly called FEBEM. One of these units is for females (Rua Valdomiro Luiz Coutinho, s/n- Jardim São Bento) and one is for males (Rua Ministro Hipólito s/n- Jardim Arcília, altura do Km 206 da BR101- ao lado da Panco). The two units were selected to receive training presented by Daytop International designed to integrate the self-help and mutual help elements of the therapeutic treatment (TC) approach into rehabilitation programs and to promote successful reintegration of adolescents into their communities.

PIRE will study the feasibility of implementing the TC approach in the two units from the points of view of unit staff and adolescents serving their court mandated sentence. In addition, we will determine the feasibility of collecting follow-up data on a small sample of adolescents who have been released back into the community. This pilot study will identify challenges associated with collecting data from this hard-to-reach population, which will be used to develop appropriate procedures for any future study designed to assess the impact of the TC approach after adolescents have been released from the internment units.

The evaluation team consists of the Principal Investigator Dr. Knowlton Johnson (Senior Scientist), co-investigators are Ms. Linda Young (PIRE’s Louisville Center Director), Dr. Melissa Harris (Associate Scientist), Dr. Matthew Courser (Associate Scientist), Dr. Stephen Shamblen (Associate Scientist), and Mr. Jude Vanderhoff (Research Associate). All data will be collected by our Brazilian partners, CEBRID, under the direction of Dr. E. A. Carlini.