Over three-quarters of the nysdoccs (DOCCS) under custody population has been identified with a substance (drugs or alcohol) use disorder and in need of some level of substance use disorder…

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (NYSDCJS) will use a $1,061,933 Formula Grant award from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to operate residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) programs at three New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) facilities through September 30, 2026. The award supports the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners program (CFDA #16.593), which aims to increase access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment and reduce overdose deaths.

Specifically, NYSDCJS will continue operating minimum six-month therapeutic RSAT programs at Marcy, Wallkill, and Collins Correctional Facilities. The programs house participants in dedicated housing units and follow a therapeutic community model addressing ten life areas including substance use, mental health, family support, and reentry planning. Funding will also support staff training. NYSDCJS will monitor program fidelity and collect required data on participation and drug testing outcomes to evaluate the programs.

Over three-quarters of the nysdoccs (DOCCS) under custody population has been identified with a substance (drugs or alcohol) use disorder and in need of some level of substance use disorder treatment programming. A necessary component of successful reentry for these individuals entails substance use disorder treatment prior to release. To meet this need, DOCCS' established a number of residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) programs and has had a variety of RSAT programs in operation beginning with its FY 1996 grant award. DOCCS proposes to use its FY 2022 RSAT award to continue to operate residential treatment programs at three (3) correctional facilities. The facilities include the established programs at marcy, wallkill and collins correctional facilities. These programs operate as minimum six-month therapeutic, residential treatment programs and house participants in dedicated housing units. Funds will also be used to provide a variety of multi-day staff trainings. All departmental alcohol and substance abuse treatment (ASAT) and RSAT programs are operated as therapeutic communities (TCS) and structured to provide offender-centered assessment, treatment planning, and evaluation of progress and continuing recovery planning in ten identified life areas. The ten life areas are: alcohol and chemical abuse and/or dependence, legal consequences, emotional or trauma processing, physical health, other compulsive behaviors, cognitive distortions, family support, social and leisure activities, employment/educational/vocational/financial needs, and the community. These life areas were developed based on samsha guidelines and publications and represent the department's desire to establish a curriculum based on best practice and/or evidence-based resources. In keeping with FY 2022 RSAT requirements, DOCCS is continuing a comprehensive drug testing protocol at all its of RSAT programs and researching its efficacy. Additionally, as with past RSAT allocations, the department will monitor the RSAT programs at each facility to ensure program fidelity, collect program participation data, including the pilot project's drug testing results. All required PMT reports will be completed and filed in a timely fashion. In conclusion, the department intends to use its FY 2022 RSAT allocation to continue residential substance abuse treatment programs at three DOCCS' correctional facilities.