Adult Reentry Program (AR Program) is sponsored by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Description:The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2009 grants for the Offender Reentry Program.

The purpose of this program is to expand and/or enhance substance abuse treatment and related recovery and reentry services to sentenced juvenile and adult offenders returning to the community from incarceration for criminal/juvenile offenses.

Applicants are expected to form stakeholder partnerships that will plan, develop and provide a transition from incarceration to community-based substance abuse treatment and related reentry services for the populations of focus.

Because reentry transition must begin in the correctional or juvenile facility before release, limited funding may be used for certain activities in institutional correctional settings in addition to the expected community-based services (see Section I-2-Expectations- Allowable Activities in Institutional Correctional Settings).

SAMHSA recognizes that there is a significant disparity between the availability of treatment services for persons with alcohol and drug use disorders and the demand for such services. According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 22. 3 million individuals needed treatment for an alcohol or illicit drug use problem.

Only 10 percent of these individuals received treatment at a specialty facility in the past year. This disparity is also consistent for criminal justice populations, as estimates show only 10 percent of individuals involved with the criminal justice system who are in need of substance abuse treatment receive it as part of their justice system supervision.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that approximately 1 in 5 juveniles in the daily correctional population receive some form of substance abuse treatment (BJS, 2005; Taxman, NIDA CJDATS, 2007). Approximately one-half of the institutional treatment provided is educational programming (Taxman, NIDA CJDATS, 2007).

Furthermore, a 2007 study by NIDA’s Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Study indicates that offenders have a much higher rate of psycho-social dysfunction including substance abuse disorders than the general population. In fact, youth in the juvenile justice system have almost four times the rate of substance abuse disorders than the general juvenile population in the United States (NSDUH, 2007).

By providing needed treatment services, this program is intended to reduce the health and social costs of substance abuse and dependence to the public, and increase the safety of America’s citizens by reducing substance abuse related crime and violence.

Over the past decade, awareness of the need for a continuing care system for juvenile and adult offenders has grown as States and local communities have struggled with the increasing number of these individuals returning to the community after release from correctional confinement. Taxman et al.

(2007) indicates the number of juveniles in correctional settings is under-reported and that there are approximately a quarter of a million juveniles and youths in the correctional system in the United States who are in need of substance abuse treatment.

Often the juvenile or adult criminal justice system has services and structures in place for these offenders at entry into the system (i.e., at pre-trial or adjudication), but there are few and fragmented services in place for these offenders as they are released from correctional settings. Reentry into the community and reintegration into the family are risky times for these offenders and their families.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) indicates that in the first year following release, young offenders re-offend at a rate of sixty-three (63) percent.

Substance abuse treatment for offenders in prison and in the community has been extensively studied and evaluated over the past several years, and the results are consistent and clear – treatment works, reducing crime and recidivism.

SAMHSA/CSAT recognizes the need to successfully return and reintegrate these individuals into the community by providing substance abuse treatment and other related reentry services while also ensuring public safety for the community and family.

This program builds on previous and ongoing SAMHSA/CSAT criminal and juvenile justice program initiatives (e.g., SAMHSA/CSAT FY 2004 YORP grant program), and builds on learning gained from these previous initiatives. SAMHSA and the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) share a mutual interest in supporting and shaping offender reentry-treatment services, as both agencies fund “offender reentry” programs.

These two agencies have a longstanding partnership regarding criminal justice-substance abuse treatment issues. SAMHSA and BJA have developed formal agreements to further encourage and engage in mutual interests and activities related to criminal justice-treatment issues. SAMHSA and BJA will continue to plan and coordinate relevant activities.

SAMHSA’s Offender Reentry Program grantees will be expected to seek out and coordinate with any local federally-funded offender reentry initiatives, including BJA’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative or “Second Chance Act” offender reentry programs, as appropriate. The Offender Reentry Program is one of SAMHSA’s services grant programs.

SAMHSA’s services grants are designed to address gaps in substance abuse treatment services and/or to increase the ability of States, units of local government, American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes and tribal organizations, and community- and faith-based organizations to help specific populations or geographic areas with serious, emerging substance abuse problems.

SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the 4th month of the project at the latest. Offender Reentry Program grants are authorized under Section 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area 26 (Substance Abuse). Grantor Contact Information:If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: Kathleen Sample Office of Program Services, Division of Grants Management Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 1 Choke Cherry Road Room 7-1089 Rockville, Maryland 20857 (240) 276-1407