Reducing Drug Use and HIV Risk in Drug-dependent Adults Arrested for Prostitution
- Conditions
- Substance-related DisordersHIV Risk Behavior
- Interventions
- Registration Number
- NCT01560221
- Lead Sponsor
- Johns Hopkins University
- Brief Summary
The combination of using injection drugs, smoking crack cocaine, having multiple sex partners, and inconsistent condom use results in substantial risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV, and many drug dependent adults who have been arrested on charges of prostitution fit this profile. Existing interventions for reducing HIV risk have had limited efficacy in drug-dependent sex workers, and criminal justice approaches have been ineffective despite their high cost. A potentially ideal alternative is to divert drug-dependent arrestees from prosecution to a treatment that reduces drug use and HIV sex risk behaviors, while providing job skills training and promoting community employment to alleviate the financial need to continue sex work. In order to provide an effective therapeutic alternative to criminal prosecution, the investigators propose to develop a multifaceted intervention that includes opiate agonist treatment (i.e., methadone OR buprenorphine) and the Therapeutic Workplace. The Therapeutic Workplace is a supported environment in which participants are required to provide drug-free urine samples to access paid job skills training or employment and to maintain the maximum rate of pay. The overall intervention is designed to reduce drug use and HIV risk behaviors, and simultaneously promote employment. The proposed project is a 2-year Stage I behavior therapy development effort that will include the development, manualization and pilot testing of a Therapeutic Workplace intervention tailored to drug-dependent adults arrested for prostitution. In the pilot study, the investigators will recruit opiate- and cocaine-dependent adults arrested for prostitution from the Eastside District Court in Baltimore. Eligible individuals will be offered methadone treatment in lieu of prosecution and will be required to remain in methadone treatment for 90 days to have the charges against them dropped. After enrolling in opiate agonist treatment, the diverted individuals will be invited to participate in the pilot study. Interested individuals will be randomly assigned to receive the standard opiate agonist treatment services or these services plus the Therapeutic Workplace. The Therapeutic Workplace has two phases. In Phase 1, participants will be offered four months of stipend-supported job training in the Therapeutic Workplace. In Phase 2, participants will be encouraged to seek employment in a community job and will receive wage subsidies for four months for maintaining community employment or engaging in supervised job seeking. Throughout both phases, participants will be required to provide drug-free urine samples to receive Therapeutic Workplace wages (training stipends in Phase 1 and wage subsidies in Phase 2). The wage subsidy program will include drug testing managed by a national supplier of drug-free workplace services. Overall, this treatment could serve as a novel and ideal intervention for drug-dependent adults arrested for prostitution while reducing criminal justice costs.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 38
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Therapeutic Workplace Therapeutic Workplace Participants will receive all standard services plus the Therapeutic Workplace intervention, in which access to stipend supported training and/or wage subsidies for community employment is contingent upon drug abstinence as verified by urinalysis. Therapeutic Workplace Methadone Participants will receive all standard services plus the Therapeutic Workplace intervention, in which access to stipend supported training and/or wage subsidies for community employment is contingent upon drug abstinence as verified by urinalysis. Therapeutic Workplace Buprenorphine Participants will receive all standard services plus the Therapeutic Workplace intervention, in which access to stipend supported training and/or wage subsidies for community employment is contingent upon drug abstinence as verified by urinalysis. Standard Services Methadone Participants will receive methadone treatment or buprenorphine treatment, depending upon medical recommendations of their physicians, slot availability, and their own preferences. Participants who remain in treatment for at least 90 days will have the charge of prostitution that is pending against them dropped. Standard Services Buprenorphine Participants will receive methadone treatment or buprenorphine treatment, depending upon medical recommendations of their physicians, slot availability, and their own preferences. Participants who remain in treatment for at least 90 days will have the charge of prostitution that is pending against them dropped.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Drug abstinence Participants will be followed for eight months. Drug abstinence will be measured every 30 days throughout the eight month period. A combination of urinalysis and self-reports of illicit drug use. This outcome is treated as dichotomous: Urine samples are considered positive or negative based on standard cutoffs for drugs of abuse, and self-reports are yes or no depending upon whether there was or was not any drug use in the previous 30 days.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method HIV Sex Risk Participants will be followed for eight months. HIV Sex Risk will be measured every 30 days throughout the eight month period. The self-reported number of unprotected vaginal and anal sex occasions in the prior month.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
The Center for Learning and Health
🇺🇸Baltimore, Maryland, United States