2009 N.C. 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.

North Carolina will use the FY 2009 RSAT funds to continue to operate the RSAT program at Polk Correctional Institution. This program serves offenders in long-term treatment settings that are not otherwise available within the Corrections Department and provides the following services: (a) General Educational Development (GED) classes; (b) Cognitive Behavioral Intervention programming; (c) Some vocational training opportunities; (d) Job readiness preparation and relapse; (e) Reintegration services; and (f) Intensive substance abuse treatment. Under the grant funds, the program will continue to monitor offenders after release from prison for compliance with post-release recommendations. Individual and group counseling services will continue to be administered to address the various treatment needs identified during the Assessment phase of their programs. The Corrections Department will continue to provide routine drug screening throughout the offender's enrollment in this treatment program. Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities (TASC) will continue to be the post-release case managers for offenders returning to their home communities. RSAT staff at the Polk unit will have ongoing contact before and after release to prepare an aftercare plan for offenders being released.

In order to accurately assess the integrity of program implementation, the Division of Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency Programs (DACDP) will utilize the Correctional Programs Assessment Instrument (CPAI), already in use throughout the North Carolina Department of Correction (NCDOC). Information from this instrument will allow North Carolina to assess what is effective in the program as well as identify areas that need improvement, all in an effort to reduce return to prison statistics among those who complete the program. All performance measure data will be collected by the Office of Research and Planning, within the North Carolina Department of Corrections, utilizing the Offender Population Unified System (OPUS) of electronic data collection.

NCA/NCF