Substance use disorders are a primary force driving crime in utah

The Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) received a $286,858 formula grant award from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) program. The funding will support jail-based substance use disorder treatment programs in Utah through September 2026.

The CCJJ will prioritize programs located in rural and tribal areas of Utah. Subgrantees will be required to provide evidence-based substance use disorder treatment that adheres to state standards and certification requirements. Programs must also establish agreements with local substance abuse authorities to ensure continuity of care and recovery support services for individuals upon release. The goal is to address high rates of substance use disorders among justice-involved populations in Utah and reduce recidivism.

The utah department of human services reports justice involved individuals account for roughly 80% of all clients served for substance use disorder (utah department of human services, division of substance abuse and mental health). In addition, the utah commission on criminal and juvenile justice (ccjj) estimates 49 percent of individuals screened at time of booking into utah's county jails need a more intensive substance use disorder assessment, as well as treatment. The utah commission on criminal and juvenile justice agrees to continue to support and prioritize focus on jail-based substance use disorder treatment programs with utah's rsat funds, and to give priority consideration to funding programs in rural and tribal areas in compliance with this new requirement. Jail-based rsat programs will be required to adhere to the evidence-based substance use disorder treatment standards, certification requirements, and recovery/reentry support standards established for the utah's JRI. In addition, in order to ensure that individuals who complete the jail-based rsat program experience continuity of care when they are released from jail to the community, subgrantees will be required to establish a written agreement (e.g., MOA/MOU) with the local substance abuse authority (lsaa) agency in their area regarding the provision of reintegration and continuing care/recovery support services. The lsaas will work with the utah division of substance abuse and mental health (dsamh) to ensure resources for the provision of aftercare services are available for this purpose. Rsat funds will be awarded to one or more applicants on the basis of the quality of the proposals received, while giving priority consideration to programs located in rural and tribal areas, including the applicant's: need for rsat funding; ability to meet rsat requirements for jail-based substance use disorder treatment programs; plan to ensure continuing care/recovery support (aftercare) services following completion of the jail-based program and release to the community; plan to utilize evidence-based programs/practices; demonstrated success in meeting previous rsat subgrantee program objectives where applicable; and ability to meet other requirements established by ccjj, including those established for utah's JRI.