Fiscal Year 2007 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program

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 Vermont Department of Corrections currently operates one prison-based substance abuse treatment unit. The Discovery program opened in March of 2002 as a 50 bed therapeutic community located at the Caledonia Community Work Camp in St. Johnsbury. The program uses the Therapeutic Community (TC) model as the preferred approach to the treatment of substance abuse disorders. Most offenders in the facility based program are treated for substance abuse associated with alcohol, marijuana and opiates. The participants are selected based on criminogenic behavior based on substance abuse, returned to incarceration due to substance abuse violations, or frequency of relapse behavior requiring a higher level of intervention. Given the success of the Pathways Program, the TC model was judged to be the most effective strategy for this population. The goals of the Vermont Fiscal Year 2007 RSAT program are to prepare offenders for reintegration into communities for which they came by incorporating reentry planning activities into treatment programs, and to enhance the capability of states and units of local government to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates.

NCA/NCF