FY 2009 Utah 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 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.

The State of Utah, through the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ), will use the FY 09 RSAT funds to solicit applications from two agencies identified as priorities: the Department of Corrections, and the jail-based programs in Davis County. CCJJ anticipates funding the Department of Corrections for enhancing the state's three residential substance abuse treatment programs in state correctional facilities. These programs include ConQuest and HOPE program for male offenders, and ExCell treatment program for female offenders. The second award CCJJ anticipates to support is for the Davis County Correctional Facility for male offenders and the Davis County Work Center for female offenders. Offenders in the county jail include non-maximum security state prisoners who have been sentenced to the state prison for a term less than five years, as well as county inmates.

Substance abuse is a primary factor in crime in Utah, where nearly 70 percent of offenders incarcerated in the state prison system need substance abuse treatment. The state of Utah already provides 828 beds to provide substance abuse treatment to inmates housed at three programs in state prisons. The Utah Legislature has also passed the Drug Offender Reform Act (DORA) in 2007, which requires all felony offenders to be screened, then assessed if screening deems that an assessment is needed, and then to participate in substance abuse treatment if the assessment indicates treatment is appropriate. However, funding is needed in order for DORA to be implemented statewide. Currently, funds from the legislature are only being utilized for community-based treatment and supervision for probationers and parolees.

Residential substance abuse treatment in county jails in Utah is limited or non-existent. Services that are provided, such as twelve-step groups or group counseling, fail to meet the complex needs of substance abusers. County jails do not have the resources to provide the level of substance abuse treatment services that the RSAT program can support. The Davis County programs have received RSAT funding for the past several years, and CCJJ has prioritized funding for this program again so that the County may continue offering substance abuse treatment. RSAT subrecipients will be allowed to use up to ten percent of their funds for aftercare treatment for a period not to exceed one year after the offender's release.

NCA/NCF