Deborah Becker

And so I thought, okay, this is a way to get help and to help myself.

So the follow-up is a big part of the program.

Some former residents become what are called responsibles, and they help oversee and run many of the enterprises.

I met some of them.

They live in these small houses on the campus with their families.

Also, some big businesses who help pay for the training at San Patrignano use it almost like an apprentice program, and they might hire residents for jobs once they leave.

So there is a real focus on training for future employment.

Again, tough to measure.

Researchers at the University of Bologna found that if someone completes the program, which means staying until San Patrignano says you're ready to leave, more than 70% were drug-free three years later.

Right, right.

I met one man who left after just two weeks.

He said San Patrignano was too focused on getting residents to do the work.

He said he needed time to reflect, and he felt like he was being used as cheap labor.

Also, addiction researcher and author Maya Salovitz—not a fan of San Patrignano—

She has studied therapeutic communities, and she says most do not have the oversight they need to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable residents.

Salovitz has concerns, for example, about the mandatory work requirement without pay at SEMPA.

And Salovitz also says it's not uncommon for therapeutic communities to tip into corruption with those in charge acting with unquestioned authority.

Now, San Patrignano representatives say they do have strong oversight now after a sordid past where the community nearly collapsed.

Some of them attempted, like many times, to run away.

So San Patrignano started in 1978 when Italy had a massive heroin epidemic.