|Program:||Education and Programs|
|Title:||Increase Funding for Substance Abuse Treatment in Prisons|
In order to reduce recommitment among its incarcerated population, on July 1, 2000, the department implemented a substance abuse screening/assessment system to identify inmates in need of substance abuse programming and to prioritize them for program placement. Currently approximately 64% (over 54,000) of the inmate population has been identified as having a significant substance abuse problem and in need of treatment.
During FY 2004-05, approximately 22,373 inmates identified as having a significant substance abuse problem were released from prison and of those approximately 80% (17,853) did not receive the needed substance abuse treatment. The current need for substance abuse treatment far out weighs the available in-prison substance abuse treatment funding. Current resources are not even sufficient to maintain the 2,017 contracted in-prison substance abuse treatment slots available in FY 2004-05. In order to begin to address the significant lack of in-prison substance abuse treatment slots, the department is requesting an increase of 631 treatment slots/beds. This would increase the treatment capacity from 2,017 to 2,648 slots. It is anticipated that each of the additional slots will provide substance abuse treatment services to three inmates annually. Thus approximately 1,893 additional inmates will receive substance abuse services annually.
Although this increase will not fully address the identified needs, it will allow the department to increase the availability of in-prison substance abuse treatment opportunities, decrease the number of inmates being released back into the community without necessary treatment, and provide a foundation on which the department can build future Legislative Budget Requests while recognizing the limited appropriation resources available for FY 2007-08.