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DOJ Press Release letterhead

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 25, 2005
https://ojp.gov/
Office of Justice Programs
Contact: Sheila Jerusalem
Phone: (202) 307-0703
TTY: (202) 514-1888

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PROVIDES $32.6 MILLION FOR DRUG TREATMENT AT CORRECTIONAL & DETENTION FACILITIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced the award of $32.6 million nationwide to provide substance abuse treatment to offenders at state and local correctional and detention facilities. The grants, administered by OJP's Bureau of Justice Assistance, were made through the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program, which funds the development and implementation of individual and group substance abuse treatment programs for offenders in residential facilities operated by state and local correctional agencies.

     "The growth of the state and local inmate population and the history of substance abuse among the majority of these inmates indicate the need to break the drug - crime link and increase opportunities for successful transition into communities while ensuring public safety," said Tracy A. Henke, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs.

     According to the latest data from OJP's Bureau of Justice Statistics, 70 percent of all local jail inmates have been arrested or convicted of a drug offense, or used drugs regularly. Thirty-six percent were under the influence of drugs at the time of the offense and 16 percent reported committing offenses in order to obtain money for drugs.

     RSAT addresses the issue of substance abuse dependence and the direct link to public safety, crime and victimization by providing comprehensive treatment and services within the institution and in the community after a prisoner is released. In addition to coordinating and providing transitional services for offenders reentering society, the program is considered a vital element of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's key objective, "Healing America's Drug Users."

     RSAT programs adhere to stringent guidelines: they must last between 6 and 12 months; provide residential treatment facilities set apart from the general population; focus on the substance abuse problems of the inmate; and develop the inmate's cognitive, behavioral, social, vocational, and other life skills to solve substance abuse and related problems.

     This year's RSAT awards range from $3.3 million to more populated states, such as California and Texas, to $150,000 for less populated states, such as Vermont and North Dakota. Funds are allocated to each state, the District of Columbia and five territories based upon its prison population in relationship to the total prison population of all states combined. All states are eligible to participate in the RSAT program, but they must meet certain criteria to receive funding. Additionally, RSAT requires states to contribute 25 percent in matching funds. A complete listing of the 2005 RSAT awards is attached and is available at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov.

     With more than 600,000 men and women released from prison each year and 67 percent of them returning to prison or jail within three years of release, RSAT is a critical aspect of the Department of Justice's prisoner reentry efforts, which include the Prisoner Reentry Initiative announced by President Bush in his 2004 State of the Union Address. The goal of the initiative is to support programs that help ex-offenders find and keep employment, obtain transitional housing, receive mentoring, develop risk and needs assessment, and assist with post-release supervision. The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Labor, with $300 million allocated over a four-year period.

     The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus and two offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education and the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at www.ojp.usdoj.gov.

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2005
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program
Awards
State Award
Alabama $701,179
Alaska $181,796
Arizona $738,576
Arkansas $385,753
California $3,339,333
Colorado $514,252
Connecticut $395,565
Delaware $210,921
District of Columbia $140,263
Florida $1,730,405
Georgia $1,051,446
Hawaii $211,799
Idaho $245,353
Illinois $977,510
Indiana $580,541
Iowa $297,225
Kansas $308,657
Kentucky $454,772
Louisiana $833,716
Maine $169,779
Maryland $594,625
Massachusetts $330,116
Michigan $1,093,388
Minnesota $283,940
Mississippi $582,745
Missouri $721,662
Montana $201,128
Nebraska $209,322
Nevada $336,183
New Hampshire $177,992
New Jersey $662,026
New Mexico $251,908
New York $1,402,396
North Carolina $785,200
North Dakota $154,679
Ohio $1,004,041
Oklahoma $575,703
Oregon $378,554
Pennsylvania $928,194
Rhode Island $169,193
South Carolina $593,221
South Dakota $189,540
Tennessee $626,073
Texas $3,386,621
Utah $242,934
Vermont $157,840
Virginia $814,599
Washington $445,525
West Virginia $223,328
Wisconsin $571,664
Wyoming $167,028
American Samoa $133,299
Guam $135,913
Northern Mariana Islands $132,011
Puerto Rico $358,110
United States Virgin Islands $137,688
Total $32,627,228

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BJA05015