South Dakota Residential Substance Abuse Treatment 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 Office of the Governor will use awarded RSAT funding to provide long-term residential substance abuse treatment services for incarcerated juvenile male and female offenders and transitional/community substance abuse treatment services. The FY 2010 RSAT funds will allow for services to be provided through the Quality Education Services and Treatment (QUEST) program and the Youth Challenge Center Program. The QUEST program is a licensed group home whose mission, both philosophically and practically, is to provide a therapeutic environment for the long-term treatment of substance abuse in adolescent female offenders. All participants involved in the QUEST program are housed together and provided ongoing substance abuse treatment during their stay. Subsequent to release from the facility, the transition coordinator refers each individual to aftercare services in their home community. The program's goals are to establish a 24-bed, six plus month residential substance abuse program that is specific to the needs of adolescent female offenders and a statewide network of juvenile corrections agents who will assess and supervise all adolescents committed under the supervision of the department of corrections.

The program will evaluate participant outcomes through post-release follow-up. In addition, grant funds will be used to support an alcohol and drug treatment program for adults incarcerated in one of the jails in the state. The project will be completed through a request for proposals process.

NCA/NCF