The Department of Corrections continues to operate a grant funded therapeutic substance abuse program for both male and female inmates—the “Progress Towards Empowerment” Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program (RSAT). Inmates entering the program are either self-referred, referred by correctional staff, the United States Parole Commission (USPC) and/or the Public Defenders’ Service (PDS). The program uses a co-occurring modified therapeutic service model with each participant's unique circumstances and progress dictating the duration of his or her stay in the program (90 day average). Inmates enrolled in RSAT move through progressive therapeutic phases with workshops on domestic violence, parenting, fatherhood, life skills, arts, behavior modification, vocational education and health education included in the curriculum.
After completing the full program, RSAT graduates are transferred and placed bed-to-bed into an Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA) funded aftercare program for up to six months. The agency negotiated a unique agreement with the US Parole Commission to grant parole to those who successfully complete the 90-day program and transition into community programming for a six-month period.