Co-Occurring Treatment Program - Johnson County

Entity, Number of Offenders, Location: The Johnson County Fiscal Court (Lead Agency; Local Entity), in partnership with the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center (BSRDC), Mountain Comprehensive Care Center (MCCC) and the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (UK CDAR), is requesting funds to implement the Family-Based Offender Substance Abuse Treatment Program for 100 medium- to high-risk offenders who are the custodial parents of minor children and have been diagnosed with a drug dependency as well as services for these children and other family members during the 24-month project period. The grant will address Category 1: BJA-2011-3033, Unit of Local Government. Targeted Population: The targeted population is medium- to high-risk offenders in the BSRDC and within 6 – 12 months of scheduled release who are the custodial parents of minor children (priority but does not exclude non-custodial parents), have been diagnosed with drug dependency and are returning to Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Martin Counties in Kentucky, which are among Kentucky’s top ten counties (of 120) in terms of alcohol/drug abuse and an area with a serious prescription drug abuse problem. In fact, 88% of drug arrests are related to dangerous non-narcotic drugs and an average of 9% for marijuana. Recidivism is also upwards of 50% for those leaving the BSRDC compared to 42% for Kentucky and 34% for the nation. Persons who have charges or reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse will be excluded from the program. Pre- and Post-Release Services: The influx of federal funding will enable these partners to conduct standard inmate assessments including the Psychosocial Assessment to identify criminogenic risks/needs and to provide evidence-based substance abuse treatment and aftercare. Utilizing assessment data, a Transitional Management Team will work with the offender to develop a comprehensive Individual Case Plan outlining both pre-and post-release services including substance abuse treatment (residential and outpatient), case management, recovery support services (e.g. housing, employment and education assistance, child care, mainstream benefits) and aftercare for up to 6 months post-release. Complementing the offender’s assessment and plan is the Family Needs Assessment for children and other family members to identify their needs and conduct appropriate interventions (e.g. child and family counseling, parenting classes, and substance abuse education). Pre- and post-release evidence-based substance abuse treatment will include RDAP coupled with cognitive-based programming (RDAP modules) to address criminogenic factors, parenting classes (Partners in Parenting), and integrated mental health care as needed (e.g. genderresponsive and/or trauma-informed care). Motivational Interviewing will also be utilized to enhance offender motivation to participate in treatment and adjunctive services. Finally, UK CDAR will establish and oversee evaluation protocols to capture program outcomes and integrate with Kentucky’s substance abuse data collection system Non-profit Partnerships to Coordinate Services: As one of Kentucky's 14 regional mental health and mental retardation boards, MCCC has an extensive array of services for offenders, their children and families. In addition to the proposed residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, case management, recovery and aftercare, MCCC will make available its mental health services (e.g. individual, group and family counseling and range of psychiatric care) targeted for children, adolescents, adults and families; victim’s services; substance abuse education and support groups; and services for offenders on probation and parole including mentoring. In addition to referrals to its own programs, MCCC will also coordinate with regional service providers to ensure access to key community resources. Purposes and Goals: The primary goals of the program are to increase public safety and reduce recidivism in Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Martin Counties. The targeted objectives for program development and implementation are to: 1) ensure that project implementation and evaluation adhere to objectives and facilitate continuous quality improvement; 2) improve substance abuse treatment within the BSRDC by providing comprehensive assessment and evidence-based services; and 3) improve discharge planning by coordinating comprehensive community-based substance abuse treatment and wraparound services for offenders’ and their children and families. Outcomes for the target population by the end of the 24-month period include: 1) reduce the recidivism rate by 50%; 2) reduce the crime rate in Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Martin Counties; 3) increase employment by 25%; 4) increase educational enrollment by 25%; 5) reduce the number of violations of conditions of supervised release by 50%; 6) increase the number of participants who fulfill their child support obligations by 50%; 7) increase the number who obtained housing by 50%; 8) of those assessed as needing substance abuse treatment, 75% will participate; 9) of those assessed as needing mental health services, 75% will participate; 10) of the participants who complete the residential program, 75% will pass drug testing; and 11) reduce alcohol abuse and consumption by 50%. UK CDAR and the project partners also agree to make revisions/adjustments to align with all required BJA performance measures To ensure successful outcomes, UK CDAR will conduct the project performance assessment which will focus on GPRA measures, parent/child outcomes, implementation (process evaluation) and achievement of project objectives, client satisfaction, and continuous quality improvement. Priority Considerations: The program will meet three of the four targeted priorities including: 1) target medium- to high-risk offenders who are custodial parents of minor children who have been diagnosed with drug dependency; 2) incorporate the six-evidence based practices as a part of care; and 3) contract with UK CDAR to conduct an independent evaluation (as possible, random assignment and controlled studies) to determine program effectiveness. While this rural area does not have large numbers returning from prison/jails to the community compared to densely populated urban areas, its high recidivism rate of 50% makes it an area of critical need.