Intensive Services Reentry Project

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199) provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail and returning to communities, including resources to address the myriad needs of these offenders to achieve a successful return to their communities. Section 201 of the Second Chance Act authorizes the Second Chance Act Reentry Demonstration Program Targeting Offenders with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders Program, which is designed to provide treatment and recovery support services to offenders during incarceration and after their return to the community. This section specifically addresses the treatment needs of offenders who have substance abuse disorders and authorizes grants to states, units of local government, territories, and Indian tribes to improve the provision of drug treatment to offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities during the period of incarceration and through the completion of parole or other court supervision after release into the community.

The term co-occurring disorders (COD) refers to co-occurring substance-related and mental disorders. Clients said to have COD have one or more substance-related disorders as well as one or more mental disorders. At the individual level, COD exist when at least one disorder of each type can be established independent of the other and is not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from [a single] disorder. Projects will implement or expand offender treatment programs for re-entering offenders with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Programs should require urinalysis and/or other proven reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants, including both periodic and random testing, and for former participants while they remain in the custody, or under community supervision, of the state, local, or tribal government.

The New York City Mayors Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator (CJC) will implement an Intensive Services Re-Entry Project (ISREP) with grant funds in the amount of $600,000. ISREP meets each of the Priority Considerations as discussed in the RFP, including targeting highest risk offenders and utilizing state of the art assessment tools. The goals of this project are to reduce recidivism and promote treatment readiness and engagement among a cohort of individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders (COD) who have been caught up in a cycle of arrest and incarceration for crimes related to their untreated COD and to enhance the services received by this population from the treatment network . Strategies involve identifying, screening, and assessing clients with COD and have been charged with felony crimes while they are incarcerated, and engaging the incarcerated clients through case management (CM) and the practice of Motivational Interviewing (MI). Clients will then be referred to post-release treatment, based on addiction severity and client preference. Pre-release assessment will include criminogenic risk assessment via the Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) a computerized instrument, which prepares a guide for providers to direct their focus to address each individuals actual criminogenic risks. The CJC will collaborate with the responsible State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Authorities, the NYS Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Mental Health, the Office of the Queens District Attorney.

CA/NCF