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Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT)
The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program(42 U.S.C. § 3796ff) assists states and local governments to develop and implement substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders. The goal of the RSAT Program is to break the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for, use, and trafficking of illegal drugs. RSAT enhances the capability of states and units of local government to provide residential substance abuse treatment for incarcerated inmates; prepares offenders for their reintegration into the communities from which they came by incorporating reentry planning activities into treatment programs; and assists offenders and their communities through the reentry process through the delivery of community-based treatment and other broad-based aftercare services.
Program Requirements
RSAT funds may be used to implement three types of programs: residential, jail-based, and aftercare. At least 10 percent of the total state allocation shall be made available to local correctional and detention facilities – provided such facilities exist – for either residential substance abuse treatment programs or jail-based substance abuse treatment programs.
- Last at least 6 months and no more than 12 months for residential programs and at least 3 months for jail-based programs.
- Whenever possible, RSAT residential program participation should be limited to inmates with 6 to 12 months remaining in their confinement so they can be released from prison instead of returning to the general prison population after completing the program.
- Provide residential treatment facilities set apart – in completely separate facility or dedicated housing unit in a facility exclusively for use by RSAT participants – from the general correctional population.
- Ensure that individuals who participate in the BJA-funded substance abuse treatment program will be provided with aftercare services when they leave incarceration.
- Require urinalysis and/or other proven reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants, including both periodic and random testing, and for former participants while they remain in the custody of the state or local government.
- Aftercare services must involve coordination of the correctional facility treatment program with other human service and rehabilitation programs such as educational and job training programs, parole supervision programs, half-way house programs, and participation in self-help and peer group programs that may aid in the rehabilitation of individuals in the substance abuse treatment program.
- RSAT funding may be used for medication-assisted treatment such as long-acting injectable anti-psychotic medications as an allowable expense to improve treatment adherence and reduce risk for relapse and re-incarceration
Match
The federal share of a grant-funded project may not exceed 75 percent of the project’s total cost. The 25 percent matching funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. See the OJP Financial Guide (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/index.htm) for information and examples of what constitutes match.
