2010 Mississippi Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners 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 Mississippi Division of Public Safety Planning (DPSP) will use their FY 2010 RSAT award to continue the RSAT Program for adults and youth who have been charged as adults. The funds will be used to provide inmates the opportunity to receive substance abuse treatment separate from the other prison population. The goal of the project is to improve the quality of life for the inmates by providing them with meaningful substance abuse treatment. This will be accomplished in part by providing: (1) alcohol, drug, and pre-release counseling to RSAT program participants; (2) life skills, employability skills training, and adult literacy in the workplace; and (3) job search assistance to participants upon completion of the program. The DPSP RSAT programming will encourage and motivate participants to become productive and positive individuals post-release and decrease their chance of re-entry in the correctional environment.

In coordination with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), Bolivar County Correction Facility (BCRCF), and Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF), DPSP plans to increase the number of RSAT beds available at these facilities as well as the services. The grantee will retain 10% of the award for administrative purposes, pass through the mandatory 10% for local programming, and will not exceed 10% of the total award for post-release treatment.

NCA/NCF