Matrix Model

Brief Description

The Edmonton Drug Treatment and Community Restoration Court (EDTCRC) is an alternate approach to address the link between drug addiction and crime. EDTCRC provides court supervision, case management and treatment, and referrals to community resources and services. Participants in the program are required to attend addiction treatment, receive case management support and referrals to community services, participate in education or employment development, submit to random drug testing, and regularly review their progress with the EDTCRC Judge in court sessions. Participants spend between eight and 18 months in the program.

EDTCRC integrated the Matrix Model treatment approach to its programming. The Matrix Model program, developed by the Matrix Institute and UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Program, is an intensive integrated, non-confrontational, structured, cognitive-behavioural outpatient substance abuse treatment program that includes: individual sessions, early recovery groups, relapse prevention groups, family education groups, 12-step meetings, social support groups, relapse analysis, and urine screening.

Goals

The main goals of the EDTCRC Matrix Program are to:

• Reduce criminal activities;
• Reduce or eliminate drug use; and
• Increase social stability and community reintegration.

Clientele

The appropriate clientele for the EDTCRC Matrix Program are non-violent offenders whose crimes are fueled by their addiction to illicit drugs. Participants entering the program lack social stability and have a variety of issues that need to be addressed, including housing, physical and mental health, and financial needs. 30 male participants entered the EDTCRC Matrix Program and nine of them have successfully graduated.

Core Components

The Matrix Model program is an intensive integrated, non-confrontational, structured, cognitive-behavioural outpatient substance abuse treatment program that includes: individual sessions, early recovery groups, relapse prevention groups, family education groups, 12-step meetings, social support groups, relapse analysis, and urine screening.

Utilizing an intensive out-patient based model, EDTCRC combines the teaching of life skills with rigorous addictions-based counselling. The core components of EDTCRC are as follows:

• Court supervision;
• Drug testing;
• Intensive outpatient addiction treatment;
• Case management; and
• Community services.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The EDTCRC operates under the John Howard Society of Edmonton, a well-established organization that has significant capacity to manage this type of project.
• Partnerships: Limited information on this topic.
• Training and technical assistance: Limited information on this topic.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: The Matrix Model program was developed by the Matrix Institute and UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Program in response to a need for structured, evidence-based, and an integrated approach to substance abuse treatment to address the needs of clients who abuse and or depend on stimulant drugs.  The Matrix Model program is an intensive integrated, non-confrontational, structured, cognitive-behavioural outpatient substance abuse treatment program that includes: individual sessions, early recovery groups, relapse prevention groups, family education groups, 12-step meetings, social support groups, relapse analysis, and urine screening.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The Matrix program has been implemented in Edmonton (Alberta) from 2011 to 2014 and funded through the Safe Communities Innovation Fund (SCIF), Government of Alberta.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

The evaluation conducted on the EDTCRC program administered by the John Howard Society represents a robust and rigorous monitoring mechanism for the program outputs and intended outcomes.  The data used in monitoring and evaluation included administrative data drawn from the Drug Treatment Court Information System which captured pre/in-program criminal charges, warrants issued while in program, court appearances, housing status and drug test (urine screen) results; this admin data was supplemented by a review of case manager files, court observations, and a follow-up questionnaire.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) has been conducted on the EDTCRC Matrix Program. The findings from this study have shown the following:

• The ratio for the EDTCRC Matrix Program is 4.70:1, which indicates that by diverting 30 offenders through the EDTCRC Matrix program, rather than going through the regular court system, there was $4.70 in social value created by the program for every dollar invested; and
• It also creates social value by reducing the participant’s involvement in crime, abstinence or reduction in substance use/abuse, securing stable housing, employment, and income, and improving physical and mental health.

References

Alberta Community Crime Prevention Organizations. (2015). Social Return on Investment (SROI) Case Study: Matrix Model. Recipient of Safe Communities Innovation Fund, Government of Alberta. Available from: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/safe-communities-innovation-fund-pilot-project-executive-summaries

For more information on this program, contact:

Edmonton Drug Treatment and Community Restoration Court
Grace Froese
Telephone: (780)970-5124
E-mail: gracef@edtcrc.ca