Research continues to affirm the importance of the length of time in treatment for addicts, with better results usually occurring with longer participation in treatment programs.

Few long-term residential programs (greater than six months) exist, and many short-term residential outpatient treatment programs are four months or less in duration. Often, this is too short a period of time to expect any long-term change in the behavior of offenders. The W/B HIDTA program adopted the continuum of care concept to increase the length of time in treatment for the offender by providing a treatment process of several different programmatic components -- more intensive services (residential, jail/prison-based, day programs), followed by less intensive, traditional outpatient services.

Since most treatment and correctional systems thrive on episodic treatment experiences or individual programs, policies are required to create the continuum of care practices at the individual level. It is not sufficient to have an array of services without the supporting policies to move offenders through the continuum. The continuum requires a commitment to at least two levels of treatment -- in essence, this policy ensures that transitioning becomes part of the first level of care. It reduces the need to think about who's job it is to plan for the next level of care. Rather, the continuum is built into the system.

Policies are needed to ensure that a treatment process supersedes the episodic or program focus of services.