Civil legal needs of individuals in drug treatment

J Subst Abuse Treat. 2005 Mar;28(2):205-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2004.12.007.

Abstract

This report describes the findings of a pilot study that examined 17 domains of civil legal problems among individuals in drug treatment in one urban setting, the extent to which they seek help to resolve a potential legal problem, and their reasons for not seeking legal assistance. More than half the participants reported at least one legal problem related to health care and/or work, and nearly half reported legal problems related to their family, civil liberties, and/or neighborhood/community concerns. Less than one in five, however, sought legal assistance for problems in the five top-ranked domains, with the exception of family problems. The primary reasons for not seeking assistance were a lack of awareness that a problem was a legal issue and/or uncertainty about who could help. While preliminary in nature, the pilot study suggests that a significant proportion of treatment clients have civil legal problems and that treatment programs could help clients identify legal problems and resources for assistance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Baltimore
  • Civil Rights / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Criminal Law / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Criminal Law / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prejudice
  • Social Problems / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Social Problems / statistics & numerical data
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / rehabilitation