BJA FY 2023 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program

The State of Mississippi Division of Public Safety Planning (DPSP) is coordinating with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) and Bolivar County Correction Facility (BCRCF) in an effort to provide inmates the opportunity to receive substance abuse treatment separate from the general prison population.  The Mississippi Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program (RSAT) has already been established at these facilities, and funding from this grant will help keep the programs in operation.  The overall goal of this project is to improve the quality of life for the inmates by providing them with meaningful substance abuse treatment.  This will be accomplished in part by providing alcohol, drug, and pre-release counseling to RSAT program participants; providing life skills, employability skills training, and adult literacy in the workplace; and providing job search assistance to participants upon completion of the program.  It is also the goal of DPSP to encourage and motivate participants to become productive and positive individuals post-release and decrease their chance of re-entry in the correctional environment.  The Division of Public Safety Planning, along with Mississippi Department of Corrections and Bolivar County Correction Facility, plan to increase the number of RSAT beds available at these facilities and the services provided will allow most of the inmates who participate in the RSAT program to remain drug-free and arrest-free post-release.