Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Program

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program assists states and local governments to develop and implement substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders. The goal of the RSAT Program is to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs. RSAT enhances the capability of states and units of local government to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates; prepares offenders for their reintegration into the communities from which they came by incorporating reentry planning activities into treatment programs; and assists offenders and their communities through the reentry process through the delivery of community-based treatment and other broad-based aftercare services. RSAT funds may be used to implement three types of programs: residential, jail-based, and aftercare. At least 10 percent of the total state allocation for FY 2010 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.

The West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will administer the FY 2010 RSAT grant funds. Funds will be sub-granted to the WV Division of Corrections (DOC) and the WV Division of Juvenile Services (DJS), following the requirements and regulations of the RSAT Grant Program. Each of these Divisions will use the funding to support the RSAT program in their facilities and implement standards and methods for therapeutic communities. Under the funds, the DOC will: (1) Continue current programs in Huttonsville, Beckley, Pruntytown, St. Marys, Mt. Olive, and Lakin Correctional Centers; (2) provide the highest quality treatment programs within residential treatment units; (3) provide training certification to the West Virginia Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors; (4) review transitioning and professional development issues on a regular basis; (5) provide offenders living within treatment units with aftercare/transitional services; (6) provide professional development for staff working within RSAT units; and, (7) build solid relationships with Department of Health and Human Resources and local non-profits in order to more effectively link offenders with services upon release. The DJS will use the funds to develop a comprehensive Residential Substance Abuse Treatment strategy to provide services at the West Virginia Industrial Home for Youth. This is a maximum security facility for both male and female post-dispositional, adjudicated youth between the ages of 10 and 21 years of age.

Indicators of success of the project will be: 1) program completion; 2) compliance with the aftercare plan; 3) functioning outside of the prison system without re-offending. The participant's case manager will be responsible for follow-up telephone contacts and for keeping accurate records regarding the success or failure of each individual who is accepted into these residential programs. Each program participant will be asked to complete a program evaluation upon release. A second evaluation will be requested at the end of six months following release, which will indicate the treatment programs' relevance to the success or failure of the individual.

NCA/NCF