Sober Homes Allegedly Paid Kickbacks to Refer Residents to Drug Treatment Programs

A John Jay College of Criminal Justice study found that New York sober homes, or residences for poor drug and alcohol addicts, are often unsanitary, dangerous and accept kickbacks from outpatient drug treatment programs to require their residences to attend those treatment programs, ProPublica reported today.

ProPublica also notes: "The report estimates that as many as 10,000 New Yorkers currently reside in three-quarter [or sober] houses. Residents are often former prisoners or recent patients of residential drug treatment programs. Most are unemployed and receive Medicaid. A little less than half have been homeless at one point in their lives."