NCJ Number
185636
Date Published
1999
Length
95 pages
Annotation
New York State's 1989 Prison Omnibus Legislation provided for the expansion of existing alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs administered by the Department of Correctional Services (DOCS), and the legislation resulted in the creation of the Comprehensive Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Program (CASAT) administered by the DOCS.
Abstract
As of June 30, 1999, seven treatment annexes were in operation in New York State. The cost of the CASAT annex phase in fiscal year 1998-1999 totaled $5,663,786. Between October 1990 and June 30, 1999, 26,643 participated in the first phase of the CASAT program, and 20,141 or 76 percent of participants successfully completed the first phase and moved to the second phase of community reintegration between April 1991 and June 30, 1999. As of June 30, 1999, 8,535 successful completers of community reintegration were released to parole supervision. The 8,535 figure included 1,439 inmates who reverted to substance abuse during the second phase but were able to complete community reintegration during the second phase due to participation in the CASAT relapse program. Contractual community reintegration programs in the second phase provided for 420 residential beds in fiscal year 1998-1999 and 200 day reporting slots, in addition to the DOCS-operated temporary release/day reporting program component. Of 3,987 participants who entered the CASAT relapse program by June 30, 1999, 2 percent were still active in the program, 5 percent were paroled, 81 percent returned to community reintegration work release, and 12 percent were removed from the program. Of 3,228 individuals who completed the relapse program as of June 30, 1999, 5 percent were still active in work release, 38 percent were paroled, and 58 percent had absconded or were removed. The third phase of CASAT involved release to parole supervision. Of 8,535 cases who entered the third phase, 7,126 or 84 percent had been released to parole supervision for a period of 12 months or longer as of June 30, 1999. It was estimated about $165 million in cost savings resulted from operation of the CASAT program from its initiation through June 1999. This savings consisted of approximately $117 million in operational cost savings and $48 million in capital construction cost savings. Appendixes present supplemental information on drug commitments to the DOCS by year, CASAT status, and the location of annexes. Footnotes, tables, and figures