Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program

Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. This program provides funding and technical assistance to states to provide residential SUD treatment within state and local correctional facilities, helping to prepare justice-involved individuals for successful reintegration into their communities.

Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Program | Overview | Bureau of Justice Assistance Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) Program The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program is a formula grant program that enhances the capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments to provide residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to adult and juvenile populations during detention or incarceration, initiate or continue evidence-based SUD treatment in jails, prepare individuals for reintegration into the community, and assist them and their communities throughout the reentry process by delivering community-based treatment and other recovery aftercare services.

The RSAT Program encourages the establishment and maintenance of drug-free prisons and jails and development and implementation of specialized residential SUD treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The program also encourages the inclusion of medication-assisted treatment as part of any SUD treatment protocol.

RSAT Program funds may be used to implement four different types of program tracks: Pretrial SUD treatment programs Jail-based residential SUD treatment Prison-based residential SUD treatment Stand-alone aftercare services 1.

Pretrial SUD treatment programs must meet the following criteria: Must initiate or continue SUD treatment programs in pretrial populations during their confinement and/or foster connections to SUD treatment in the community upon pretrial release.

Require periodic and random 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. Note: Programs supporting pre-trial populations do not need to meet residential criteria below for jail-based residential SUD treatment programs. 2.

Residential SUD treatment programs in jails must meet all of the following criteria: Engage individuals with SUD or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders for at least 3 months. Require periodic and random urinalysis and/or other proven reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants, and for former participants while they remain in the custody of the state or local government.

Make every effort to establish a therapeutic community (i.e., program participants are set apart from the general population). Provide aftercare services. 3.

Residential SUD treatment programs in prisons must meet all of the following criteria: Engage individuals with SUD or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders for a period of between 6 and 12 months. Require periodic and random urinalysis and/or other proven reliable forms of drug and alcohol testing for program participants, and for former participants while they remain in the custody of the state or local government.

Establish a therapeutic community (i.e., program participants are set apart from the general population). Provide aftercare services. 4.

Aftercare services required and stand-alone: Aftercare is a required component for the residential program track(s) as outlined above. It can also be funded as a stand-alone “program track,” however, it must serve individuals who have completed an RSAT qualifying SUD treatment program defined as engagement in a therapeutic program for at least 3 months, and random drug testing.

Aftercare services include: Case management and a full continuum of recovery and aftercare services for individuals released from residential SUD treatment programs. Support through human service and rehabilitation programs, such as: Education and job training Recovery or transitional housing Other recovery support services Per 34 U.S.C.

10422(c), in order to be eligible for funding under the RSAT Program, a state shall ensure that individuals who participate in the SUD treatment program with assistance provided under this program be provided with aftercare services.

These services must involve coordination between the correctional treatment program and other social service and rehabilitation programs such as education and job training, parole supervision, recovery or transitional housing, peer support programs, and other recovery support services.

To qualify as an aftercare program, the head of the SUD treatment program must work in conjunction with state and local authorities and organizations involved in substance use disorder treatment to place program participants into community substance use disorder treatment facilities upon their release.

In addition, states should coordinate these activities with any Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funded state or local programs that address the needs of this target population.

A state may use amounts received for nonresidential SUD treatment aftercare if the chief executive officer of the state certifies that the state is providing, and will continue to provide, an adequate level of residential treatment services. The RSAT Program was created by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322). Date Modified: September 10, 2026 Date Created: February 27, 2012