NCJ Number
239069
Date Published
2012
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This copy of a page from the Web site of the State of Delaware describes the drug treatment services provided by the State's Department of Correction (DOC).
Abstract
Currently, 80 percent of the State's offender population has issues related to substance abuse. Without intervention and treatment, recidivism of these offenders can reach 70 percent. In addressing this need, the DOC has instituted a three-step substance abuse treatment program that has received international acclaim. Evaluations have proven it to be successful in rehabilitating drug offenders. Treatment is structured to follow the offender from incarceration to work release to the community. The first step in the treatment, which is called "KEY," is a prison-based therapeutic community for men. Participants experience a total treatment environment that is discipline-based, intense, and isolated from the rest of the prison population. The primary goals of KEY are to change negative behavioral patterns, thinking, and feelings that predispose the offender to rely on substance abuse. Offenders typically participate in the KEY program during the last 12-18 months of incarceration. The second step is called the "Crest" substance abuse program, which is provided to offenders sentenced in a level IV facility. Crest Centers are residential centers for both men and women. They allow recovering substance abusers to continue their treatment as they transition into the community. Successful completion is performance driven, not time driven. The third step is called the "Aftercare" program. It begins once an offender has completed Crest and is released to probation. Participants are living full-time in the community. They return weekly to an assigned center for group sessions and counseling. Random, mandatory drug testing is provided. An independent evaluation of the program found that of those completing the continuum, 76 percent remained drug-free, and 71 percent