The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence the retention, duration and completion of a substance abuse treatment program in a residential treatment facility. The facility is a Therapeutic Community (TC) model located in Southern California. One year of client discharges were analyzed using a dataset provided by the facility. A total of 150 cases were analyzed.

Close to one-third of participants were homeless at the time of their admittance and half were referred to the facility by the criminal justice system. Out of the 150 cases, 60% successfully completed the program. The average length of stay was 98 days. Latinos were found to have a significantly longer length of stay than either African Americans or white, European-Americans.

The chronic nature of substance abuse calls for more effective treatment. Identifying interventions that are associated with successful program completion and verifiable outcomes are keys to successful treatment.