Research has shown that criminal behavior can be predicted for individual offenders on the basis of certain factors, such as criminal history, substance abuse, antisocial attitudes, and antisocial peers.
Nearly 85% of all crimes committed, are in some way related to the use and abuse of alcohol or some other drug. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Statistics, offenders convicted of drug crimes have more than tripled in the past ten years. Even more alarming, after release, two thirds will commit additional crimes to support their addiction, and will return for a second or third term of incarceration.

It is important to realize the addicted offender has chosen drug/alcohol use and criminal activity as a way of life and they have worked at developing the skills and attributes necessary to function competently on the street, and they have always aligned themselves with others who share the same preoccupation with drugs and crime. Their entire being has centered on the use, sales and acquisition of drugs and money by illegal means. Upon release from incarceration they are returning to the streets where their illegal activities have taken place. How do they cope, how can they beat the streets and not relapse and not return to criminal activity?

Beat The Street/Clean & Sober in the City is a groundbreaking series on relapse prevention for urban recovering addicts. This 5-part video series features real people who are successfully coping with the countless challenges of day-to-day recovery in urban neighborhoods without picking up. Viewers of this program will learn how to turn former street skills in to “street smarts” for staying clean and sober and focuses on how the first weeks home from rehab or prison, when the decisions made are critical to lasting recovery. They will recognize and learn to cope with relapse traps that come up in relationships and will learn new ways to dealing with feelings without picking up.