The Keystone Program

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.

San Francisco City and County, Sheriffs Department will use grant funds in the amount of $599,298 to implement the Keystone program. The Keystone program will serve 145 adults over a 24-month period beginning in FY 2010. Keystone is designed to address all four priority considerations described in the grant solicitation. The program targets higher-risk offenders with co-occurring mental health (MH) and substance abuse (SA) diagnoses. The diagnosis is determined by using the ASI-Lite, the San Francisco Department of Public Healths Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment, and the LS/CMI assessment instruments. The San Francisco Sheriffs Department will collaborate with SF Department of Public Health (local representative for the Single State Authority and the State Mental Health Authority), Jail Psychiatric Services (provided by a community based organization) and Walden House, Inc. (a community based organization providing direct integrated SA and MH treatment services). The primary project goal is to increase public safety and reduce recidivism among offenders with co-occurring disorders (COD) in San Francisco County, California. The objectives are to provide motivational enhancement and case management services that reduce criminogenic risk factors of substance abuse, mental illness, and homelessness. Effective implementation of these strategies will engage participants in the recovery process, and will motivate them to seek and enroll in treatment.

CA/NCF