Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2010, $724,074)
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 Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement will use the FY 2010 RSAT award to sustain their juvenile and adult residential substance programs. The goals of the state's program are to: (1) prepare and ensure that successful program participants are suited for returning to mainstream society; (2) increase the capacity of the state run RSAT Program through Federal funding; (3) maintain an aftercare program to aid in the transition of RSAT participants into society and minimize the potential negative impact to the community; and (4) reduce the recidivism rate of those participants returning to their communities. Both the adult and juvenile programs are focused on substance problems and will use cognitive, social, behavioral and other related skills as a means to address substance abuse and related issues.
The core of Louisiana's RSAT Program revolves around Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT). This modality of treatment is a systematic, step-by-step treatment strategy designed to enhance self-image, promote growth of a positive, productive identity, and facilitate the development of higher stages of moral reasoning. MRT significantly raises moral reasoning levels, life purpose, and other positive personality variables. The aftercare component provides selected inmates with a halfway house experience, including parole supervision, peer and self-help groups, additional job training skills and minimal job site transportation, food, lodging and housekeeping requirements, and mental health resources.
NCA/NCF