Maines rsat program aims to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use of, and trafficking of illegal drugs among the state and local prison population

The Maine Department of Public Safety (ME DPS) has been awarded a $156,053 Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program (CFDA 16.593). The grant aims to break the cycle of drug addiction and criminal behavior among state and local prison populations in Maine by providing evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, counseling, and reentry support services within correctional facilities. Key objectives include reducing substance abuse, decreasing recidivism, and facilitating successful community reintegration through comprehensive, trauma-informed, and individualized treatment approaches. Funded activities are expected to include residential treatment programs, medication-assisted treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, mental health services, life skills training, and reentry planning. ME DPS will provide oversight and administration of the grant, and may issue a Request for Proposal to award funding to eligible Maine Department of Corrections and county jail facilities to implement the RSAT program.

The rsat project is designed to serve both incarcerated inmates and jail-based treatment programs. To achieve this objective, the maine department of public safety (DPS) will issue a request for proposal (RFP) to award funding for either a residential prison or jail-based program. Eligible applicants include the maine department of corrections (MDOC) and maine county jail facilities that offer substance abuse treatment services. The subgrantee selected for funding will be required to meet the requirements established by the BJA solicitation, including a description of how urinalysis and other reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants will be conducted; an explanation of how the applicant will coordinate the design and implementation of treatment programs between state correctional representatives and the state alcohol and drug abuse agency, or between local correctional agencies and appropriate state or local alcohol and drug abuse agencies; a brief description of the effectiveness and science-based nature of existing treatment services or practices; an explanation of how the program will address opioid abuse reduction treatment and services; a description of how the applicant will ensure that offenders who participate in the rsat program will be provided with community reintegration services; a plan for ensuring that providers furnishing reintegration services are approved by the appropriate state or local agency and licensed, if necessary, to provide medical or other health services; and an explanation of how the state will coordinate rsats design and implementation at both the state and local levels and how IT will coordinate federal assistance for substance abuse treatment and reintegration services provided by the OBH. The maine DPS, as the state administrative agency (SAA), will provide oversight for the programmatic and fiscal grant operations of each subgrantee.