2007 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Formula Grant Program (RSAT) assists states and local governments in developing and implementing substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities. The RSAT Program also assists states and local governments in creating and maintaining community-based aftercare services for offenders who are released from institutionally based substance abuse programs. Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Formula Grant funds may be used to implement three types of programs. At least 10 percent of the total state allocation for FY 2007 shall be made available to local correctional and detention facilities (provided such facilities exist) for either residential substance abuse treatment programs or jail-based substance abuse treatment programs as defined below.

The Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice will use the FY 2007 RSAT funds to hire two social work positions within the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS). The Commission is also requesting funds to maintain a resource coordinator to serve three of NDCS's residential substance abuse treatment programs. Resource coordinators will spend approximately 25 to 50 percent of their time coordinating services for offenders at the Omaha Correctional Center (OCC) and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW). They will be located at the Residential Treatment Community (RTC) because of the large size of the treatment unit, which justifies greater resource allocation. A secretarial position will also be maintained at the RTC to assist with processing the workload of the new staff. Having staff dedicated to resource coordination is a significant enhancement of the services currently provided and would result in a more complete continuum of care for clients who complete residential programming. Evidence based correctional research has shown that effective correctional treatment (i.e., treatment related to reducing recidivism) requires integrating therapeutic communities with community-based services.

NCA/NCF