Treatment outcomes of African American buprenorphine patients by parole and probation status

This secondary analysis compared outcomes in African American adults newly admitted to buprenorphine treatment and who were on parole and probation with outcomes in patients who were not under criminal justice (CJ) supervision. Buprenorphine patients (N = 300) were randomly assigned to receive either intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment or standard outpatient (OP) treatment and were assessed at baseline, and 3 and 6 months. There were no differences between groups in treatment retention. Among probationers/parolees, IOP treatment was associated with lower 3-month treatment retention compared with OP treatment, but among participants not on probation/parole, the relationship was reversed (p = .004). Both conditions showed significant declines in heroin and cocaine use, illegal activity, and in meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) criteria for opioid and cocaine dependence. Probationers/parolees reported a lower frequency of illegal activities at 3 months compared with nonprobationers/nonparolees (p = .007). Buprenorphine treatment should be made more widely available to individuals on parole/probation as they respond as well to treatment as patients not supervised by the CJ system.