Empowering Recovery Through Substance Misuse Services for HIGH-RISK High-Needs People in Custody

The purpose of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC or the “Department”) project is to expand substance misuse services for the Department’s high-risk high-needs population. Primary activities include hiring four (4) Addiction Treatment Counselors and one Supervisory Addiction Treatment Counselor to provide persons in custody with individualized service plans, one-on-one counseling sessions, evidence-based groups, discharge planning services, and linkages to community-based organizations. The Department will ensure access to medication assisted treatment and incorporate incentives to promote program engagement and positive outcomes. The Department will hire people with lived experience to engage incarcerated individuals in a mentoring program. The Department anticipates a decrease in jail-based substance misuse levels, as well as a reduction in (drug-related) infractions. This translates to fewer jail and community-based medical emergencies and incidents of violence. The proposed urban service area includes all of New York City’s five boroughs -Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island). The intended beneficiaries are individuals in custody, including those residing in enhanced supervision housing and general population maximum security units.