Oregon RSAT Project 2024

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s (CJC) serves as the primary coordinating body for the acceptance, planning, and distribution of federal criminal justice funds leveraged to address the needs of the state criminal justice system. CJC engages with the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government, the nonprofit, corporate and advocacy communities. CJC serves as the venue for data analysis, policy development, impact assessment and oversight of the criminal justice system reforms through the lens of diversity. 

It is well documented that the nation's growing system of drug courts harness the leverage of the criminal justice system and the treatment system to reduce drug use and recidivism. Programs such as Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) can leverage the criminal justice and treatment systems to target offenders who are unsuitable for drug courts, by concurrently using incarceration to protect the public and address offender rehabilitation and treatment issues.

Currently in Oregon there are few co-occurring treatment programs in jails and a nascent program within the State’s Department of Corrections. There is also little coordination between the treatments for male and female Adults-in-Custody (AICs) mental health and substance abuse disorders pre- and post-release. Within the facilities, a reentry plan is created and shared with the local parole officer. This gives a view into the behavior and treatment while in the program, but this does not capture all occurrence of behavior and trauma while incarcerated and prior. 

The purpose of the Oregon RSAT 2024 Project is to provide male and a female co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness treatment programs in both local and state facilities. The designated county and state subrecipients selected to participate in the project will work to build RSAT program options at both a local and state level. Supporting the proposed facilities will allow the continuation of a range of correctional services and programs that include substance use disorder treatment, pre-release and transitional services, and adult education and work opportunities. The proposed system improvements will include integrated treatment for AICs with co-occurring disorders while in custody. The comprehensive case plan would connect participants who complete the co-occurring treatment program in custody to continuing care services and housing in a designated county and in state facilities.

The project objective is to improve the assessment of AICs with co-occurring substance abuse disorder and mental illness by implementing an additional assessment tool targeted specifically to co-occurring treatment needs. It is anticipated that there will be lower recidivism rates for individuals who participate in the co-occurring treatment program and for those who receive the comprehensive case plan when they return to the community.