Hobbled by drug and alcohol abuse for more than 10 years, Jason Ringer shuffled in and out of the Allegheny County Jail more times than he can remember, until three years ago when he was placed into a rehabilitation program on his last jail stay.

Mr. Ringer, 32, a McKeesport native, said he started a long and slow turnaround of his behavior and his life when he was challenged by social workers in the jail's rehabilitation services program to "start rebuilding the bridges I had burned with my family."

Now three years into his drug and alcohol recovery, Mr. Ringer, an overnight stocker at a Wal-Mart in North Versailles, is a success story highlighted in a University of Pittsburgh study released yesterday. The study found success stories happen more often when social services are provided to people who are incarcerated at the county jail.

Hidenori Yamatani, associate dean of research at the University of Pittsburgh Center on Race and Social Problems, said there is indisputable evidence that providing services to jail inmates while they are incarcerated and after their release dramatically reduces the likelihood of a return to jail.

Dr. Yamatani, who started his study of services offered by the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative in 2004, concluded that services like drug and alcohol treatment, case management, GED preparation, computer literacy, stress and anger management and vocational training are essential in reducing the county's recidivism rate. The collaborative includes the county departments of health and human services.

"Allegheny County Jail is exhibiting national leadership in tackling racial inequities and recidivism," said Dr. Yamatani. His study involved 300 inmates -- half black, half white -- at the jail who were enrolled in rehabilitation services and agreed to participate in the study.

During the study, inmates who received services had a recidivism rate of 16.5 percent. In 2003, the year before the study began, inmates who received no services had a recidivism rate of 33.1 percent. Dr. Yamatani said the reduced recidivism saved the county an estimated $5.3 million in inmate housing costs.

"We now all agree that social services to inmates will produce windfall benefits saving major dollars in public funds by helping people stay out of jail and in their communities," said Larry Davis, dean of the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work.

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said the county's efforts are "closing the revolving door that gets individuals stuck in a cycle they can't get out of."

All too familiar with that cycle, Mr. Ringer said he hit rock bottom three years ago when he woke up in a burned and abandoned house in McKeesport, where he was hiding from police.

"I was living in the streets and addicted to drugs and alcohol," he said. "I turned myself in and that was the best thing that happened to me because when I ended up in jail, I was put in a rehabilitation program that put me on track to regaining my life."

Many of the habitual offenders who are in and out of the county jail are substance abusers, and that is why an aggressive social services program is essential to reducing the recidivism rate, said Warden Ramon Rustin.

"Most of our inmates end up here because they are trying to feed their substance abuse habits," Mr. Rustin said. "Right now we have a long waiting list on our drug and alcohol treatment pod. If we can get more of them into these programs, maybe we can get them started on a different life path."

Standing in a basement conference room at the county jail yesterday, Mr. Ringer looked out the window as heavy snow blanketed the pavement outside.

"This is the first time I ever walked into the county jail and I have no fear that I'm not going to leave tonight," he said.