Q&A with Ruth Shefner

Ruth Shefner, SMS PhD student with a concentration in Sociology, recently secured $100,955 funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for her qualitative project on substance use policy and treatment access in Philadelphia.

What motivated your interest in researching the policy determinants of substance use and treatment access for sex offenders in Philadelphia?

Before coming to Columbia, I spent six years supporting and coordinating services for people pre-and post-release from Philadelphia’s County jails. As one the only programs in the city that accepted people who had been convicted of sexual offenses and who were required to register (PRR) under sex offender registration and notification (SORN) laws, so we ended up working with a lot of clients with these convictions. I was continually struck by the complex web of punitive restrictions surrounding these convictions, and how many formal and informal barriers and exclusions these clients faced, compared to almost anyone else returning home from incarceration. saw, anecdotally, how all of these factors impacted substance use risk (and ability to access treatment) but couldn’t find any research looking into this.

Can you provide an overview of the specific objectives and scope of the research project?

This study proposes to address the current gap in knowledge by exploring how structural, material, and psycho-social consequences of SORN policies structure a risk environment that exacerbates substance use and limits treatment access for PRR in Philadelphia. I am interviewing 30 stakeholders including attorneys, probation officers, social workers, substance use and sex offender treatment therapists, and city officials. I am also interviewing 50 adult men currently required to register in Philadelphia.

Are there any collaborations or partnerships you are engaging in for this research project?

I am working closely with Philadelphia’s two mandated sex offender treatment sites in Philadelphia. Pretty much everyone who has been convicted of a sex offense is required to attend treatment at one of these facilities, and so they are serving as my biggest recruitment site. I am also pursuing a collaboration with the Defender Association of Philadelphia to support further recruitment, potentially in Philadelphia’s County jails.

How do you anticipate that the research findings will contribute to shaping policies related to substance use and treatment access for sex offenders?

I hope this research provides evidence for providers, funders, policy advocates, and officials on the need to improve access to treatment services for this population and can help inform future multi-level interventions to reduce substance use and promote health for this vulnerable, high-risk population. I hope to provide evidence of an additional manifestation of this harm, in the hopes of compelling some adaptations to restrictive and counterproductive existing policies.

Can you elaborate on how the research aligns with promoting public health and the well-being of the community?

Roughly 25-50% of people are intoxicated when they commit a sexual offense, and substance use is associated with higher rates of general reoffending, so preventing and treating substance use in this population has important implications for public health and safety.

Additionally, PRR are a particularly marginalized and vulnerable subpopulation of people involved in the criminal legal system, who have high rates of substance use and poor mental health, compared to the general population.  Researchers and policy makers have focused attention on removing barriers to substance use treatment and preventing substance-use-related harms for other special populations at heightened risk of substance use, so similar attention is warranted by public health research and policy for this community.

What are the anticipated next steps after the completion of the research project?

I plan to disseminate my findings to policy makers, community based providers, and other relevant stakeholders.  I hope that this study will lay the groundwork for future intervention research, as well as provide exciting other avenues for future research!