Alaska has the highest recidivism rate and opioid overdose death rate in the nation, particularly among alaska native men

This $833,000 federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative (CFDA 16.812) will fund the Set Free Alaska Alaska Recidivism Reduction and Recovery Project. This comprehensive intervention program addresses the primary risk factors of criminal recidivism among formerly incarcerated adults with co-occurring substance use disorders in Alaska. The project will provide a range of evidence-based services, including certified peer support, supportive housing, substance use disorder treatment, medication-assisted treatment, intensive case management, and career placement. These services will be delivered through a structured, community-based therapeutic campus model capable of serving up to 80 participants annually over the 3-year award period. The project aims to increase access to community-based treatment, improve participant recovery outcomes, and reduce criminal recidivism, particularly among high-risk Alaska Native men. Additionally, the project will conduct an independent evaluation of the intervention's feasibility and effectiveness in improving recidivism and recovery outcomes, to be performed by 61Sixty LLC.

The state lacks sufficient community-based treatment infrastructure resulting in significant access to care barriers after reentry. Currently, 92% of all alaskans returning to incarceration still require substance use disorder treatment.set free alaskas alaska recidivism reduction and recovery project is a comprehensive intervention program addressing the primary risk factors of criminal recidivism within an innovative, community-based therapeutic campus environment. Utilizing the evidence-based set free model, the proposed project iscapable of annually housing and serving up to 80 formerly incarcerated adults with CO-occurring substance use disorders at high risk for criminal recidivism.set free alaska proposes to scale up its evidence-based therapeutic campus intervention with the goals of increasing critical access to community-based treatment in alaska, improving participants' quality of life and recovery, and improving public safety by reducing criminal recidivism.occurring within a four-phase operational framework for an average of 6 to 18 months, participants engage in a suite of services proven to reduce criminal recidivism. These services include certified peer support, supportive housing, CO-occurring substance use disorder treatment, medication-assisted treatment, intensive case management, career placement, and positive community reintegration. In a prototype evaluation, the intervention significantly reduced recidivism rates, improved recovery outcomes, and effectively mitigated access to care barriers for marginalized alaskans who have been historically underserved.to determine the interventions feasibility and utility for improving recidivism and recovery outcomes, an evaluation will be conducted by the 61SIXTY social innovation lab.