Suffolk County Second Chance MICA 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.

The Suffolk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will use grant funds in the amount of $591,112 to implement programs that will target 24 adults each year with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The Suffolk County Day Reporting Program (DRC) and Dual Recovery Program are both operated through a joint effort between the County Probation and Community Mental Hygiene Departments. Both are licensed to provide mental health and substance abuse services to probationers. The DRC is a comprehensive, multi-service center. The overall DRC goals are to provide the supervision and services that will help probationers achieve sobriety, maintain good physical and mental health, and acquire education and training for future success. The DRC program will target higher-risk offenders who have been dually diagnosed with serious mental health disorders and alcohol or substance addictions. Probationers with drug/alcohol and mental health treatment conditions released from jail and sentenced to probation are eligible to participate in the Day Reporting Center Program (DRC).

CA/NCF