Minnesota RSAT initiative for adult offenders

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 2009 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.

Under the FY 2009 RSAT funds, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs (MN OJP), will subcontract with the Minnesota Department of Corrections to support residential substance abuse programming at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Shakopee (Shakopee). The goal of the program will continue to be to increase program capacity in order to provide long-term substance abuse interventions to offenders.

Treatment at Shakopee will provide long-term chemical dependency services to incarcerated adult females. Changing PATHS is a 40-bed long-term, chemical dependency program for women at Shakopee. This RSAT program operates in the Monahan Unit. The entire 62-bed Monahan unit is dedicated to chemical dependency programming. Ten percent of the offenders in residential treatment are drug tested monthly on a computerized random basis.

Adult offenders in Minnesota, with sentences of less than one year, are housed in county jails. In accordance with the 10 percent pass-through to local facilities requirement, MN OJP is contracting with the Dodge, Filmore, and Olmsted Community Corrections Department to support a jail-based substance abuse treatment program focused on methamphetamine users. The program is designed for inmates to complete in three to four months with treatment being followed-up with an intensive aftercare phase.

NCA/NCF