The WY Department of Corrections RSAT Residential SUD Treatment Program

The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) currently operates two in-prison residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs at the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp (WHCC) in Newcastle, WY. The programs are a 44-bed female Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) and a sixty-bed male ITU. The purpose of the WDOC RSAT project is to support and enhance the ITU programs through the use of peer specialists. 

Primary activities of this project include continued funding and utilization of three peer specialist positions within the ITU programs. The Peer Specialists will assist clients by finding resources, advising the client of processes, encouraging follow-through with proposed resolutions, and locating social activities. They accompany clients to meetings/community groups to advocate for client needs and lead recovery dialogues/self-help sessions with clients. Peer specialists foster the client’s development of healthy relationships by encouraging participation in community activities, modeling effective coping and self-help techniques, providing advice on empowerment skills and successful community living, and informing clients on community resources. 

The expected outcomes are to increase access to SUD treatment for WDOC inmates with an assessed need, increase successful completion of SUD treatment, and decrease recidivism rates among this population.  

Although the ITU programs are in Newcastle, the WDOC RSAT Project serves all of Wyoming as inmates will be discharged to communities throughout the state. Additionally, services provided benefit all Wyoming communities as SUD is crucial to the successful reintegration of offenders as they are released from prison. Completing SUD allows offenders to be more successful and productive members of society and reduces the likelihood of recidivism. 

The intended beneficiaries for this project include WDOC inmates with an identified SUD need and the Wyoming communities where these inmates will be released. WDOC will have a subgrant for the portion of funds that covers the three Peer Specialists. Currently, the subrecipient will be Gateway Foundations, Inc. However, that vendor may be subject to change in the event WDOC goes out to bid. WDOC will enter into another subagreement in the event the Agency can identify a recipient of the 10% of funding to be allocated to jail-based populations.