Program Performance Report: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January-June 2013

2014·1.1 MB·English

by  Steyee, Jimmy

Program Performance Report

Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
Program
January–June 2013

This report was prepared by Jimmy Steyee, CSR, Incorporated under contract #GS-10F-0114L from the Bureau of
Justice Assistance.
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT)
Program: January–June 2013

Program Performance Report

The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, administered through the Bureau of Justice Assistance
(BJA), was created to help States and units of local government develop, implement, and improve treatment programs in
State and local correctional and detention facilities. It also helps them create and maintain community-based aftercare
services for probationers and parolees. Prison- and jail-based (residential) programs provide services to offenders before
their release. In these programs, offenders are usually housed apart from the general population. Aftercare programs are
provided in community settings after offenders have been released. RSAT programs provide substance abuse treatment
and other services such as housing, education, and vocational assistance.
RSAT grants are awarded to all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 5 U.S. Territories—American Samoa, Guam,
the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (collectively referred to as States). States may use
RSAT grant funds to support three types of programs: State and local correctional facility RSAT programs (prison-based),
jail-based treatment programs, and aftercare programs. State grantees typically subaward funds to State and local
correctional facilities and treatment programs. Grantees are responsible for ensuring subrecipients enter performance data
into the Performance Measurement Tool (PMT).
This Program Performance Report (PPR) is divided into two sections: (1) jail- and prison-based programs, and (2)
aftercare programs. It should be noted that state-based correctional facilities (with a small number of juvenile correctional
facilities) are included in the prison-based data section.1 The following is based on self-reported data from grantees and
subrecipients for the January–March 2013 and April–June 2013 quarters that had active awards. Table 1 shows the
number of awards and subrecipient awards and the PMT completion rate by quarter.
Table 1. Jail-Based, Prison-Based, and Aftercare Awards and Subawards: January–June 2013
Awards Completed PMT Completion Rate
(N) Reports (N) (%)
January–March 2013 231 173 75%
State Awards
April–June 2013 215 188 87
January–March 2013 191 162 85
Subawards
April–June 2013 186 184 99
 The reporting completion rate ranged from 75 percent for State awards during the January–March 2013 quarter to
99 percent for subrecipients during the April–June 2013 quarter.
Not all grantees and subrecipients were operational during the reporting period. Programs may not be operational for
many reasons, including administrative issues, a lack of program participants, a grantee/subrecipient that is not yet
spending funds, or an award that is closing out. Table 2 shows the number of operational programs by program type. An
operational program means that grantees executed program activities outlined in their application and spent award funds
during the quarter(s) for which they are reporting. Awards are made in the fiscal year of the appropriation and may be
expended during the following 3 to 4 years.

1 Grantees and subrecipients self-select their program type, which occasionally results in a program that is incorrectly classified. An example is a
large county jail that reports data on the prison-based program questions. BJA is working with grantees to improve reporting. Future reports will
reflect these changes.
• Page 1 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013

Table 2. Jail-Based, Prison-Based, and Aftercare Operational Programs: January–June 2013
Quarter Jail-Based Prison-Based Aftercare Total
January–March 2013 47 65 32 144
April–June 2013 46 66 26 138
 Overall, there are more operational prison-based programs than jail-based and aftercare programs.
 Programs were operational in 52 States and Territories (not shown in Table 2).
Participant-Level Key Measures for Jail- and
Prison-Based Programs
This section represents those programs that were operational and using BJA RSAT funds in January–June 2013 and may
not be representative of all prison- and jail-based RSAT programs (see Figures 1–6 and Tables 3 and 4).
Figure 1. Total Enrolled and
12,000
Newly Enrolled Participants in
10,000 Jail- and Prison-Based
Programs
8,000
The total number of participants
6,000 enrolled in prison-based programs
during the two quarters increased
4,000
slightly, while those enrolled in
2,000 jail-based programs decreased
slightly. The number of new
0 participants in each type of
Total New Total New
program was consistent in both
Enrolled Participants Enrolled Participants
quarters. Overall, over 14,000
Prison Jail
individuals were enrolled in jail-
January–March 2013 10,724 2,696 3,287 1,001
based or prison-based programs
April–June 2013 11,193 2,780 3,010 984 during both quarters.

Figure 2. Participants Completing the Jail-

or Prison- Based Program and Released
Of those participants exiting the program, the January–March 2013 April–June 2013
percentage who complete all the program 90
requirements is the completion rate. Reasons 80 79 79 75 75
73 73
for leaving the program prior to completion are 70
listed in Table 4. The completion rate 60 59
53
calculation can be found in the Key tn50
e
Performance Measures table just before c
re40
Appendix A. Note that participants who exit P
30
prior to program completion because of
20
release, transfer, death, or serious injury are
10
excluded from the completion rate calculation.
0
The completion rate is about 73 percent on
Successful Percent of Successful Percent of
average for prison-based programs and 79
Completion Rate Successful Completion Rate Successful
percent for jail-based programs. Of those who
Participants Participants
successfully complete prison-based programs Released to the Released to the
during the reporting period, over half are Community Community
released to the community. Among successful
Prison Jail
participants in jail-based programs, about 75
percent are released to the community.
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Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
Figure 3. Number of Individuals
4500
4139 Completing and Unsuccessfully
4000
Exiting the Program
3500
s3000 Over 4,100 prison inmates and over
la
ud2500 1,600 jail inmates completed all the
iv2000
id 1546 1609 program requirements during
n1500
I January–June 2013.
1000
537 434
500
163
0
Successful Unsuccessful Release, Successful Unsuccessful Release,
Completers Exits Transfer, Completers Exits Transfer,
Death or Death or
Serious Injury Serious Injury
Prison Jail

Figure 4. Participants in Prison- or
100 97 97
Jail-Based Programs with High 90 94
90
Criminogenic Risks and Substance Abuse
80
Treatment Needs2
70
e 60
In prison-based programs, 97 percent of g
program participants who were assessed atn 50
ec 40
using a risk and needs assessment reP 30
instrument exhibited high criminogenic risks
20
and high substance abuse treatment needs. 10
In jail-based programs, the percentage of 0
high-risk/high-need participants increased Prison Jail
from 90 percent in January–March 2013 to 94
High-Risk/High-Need Participants
percent in April–June 2013.
January–March 2013 April–June 2013

Figure 5. Prison- or Jail-Based
80
Program Participants with
68
70
63 Individualized Treatment Plans
60
e 55 53 About 53 percent to 55 percent of
g 50
atn participants in prison-based
e 40
c programs have an individualized
re
P 30 substance abuse treatment plan. In
20 jail-based programs, the percentage
10 of participants with individualized
treatment plans is higher at 63
0
Prison Jail percent to 68 percent.
Participants with a Treatment Plan
January–March 2013 April–June 2013

2 The PMT questionnaire was recently revised to include a question about the type of risk and needs assessment instruments grantees are using in
their programs. Future reports will include that contextual information.
• Page 3 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
Figure 6. Services Received by Jail- or Prison-Based Program Participants Through BJA Grant Funds:
January–June 2013
These bar graphs show the percentage of program participants receiving various services. Generally, participants receive more
than one type of service while in the program, and all will receive substance abuse treatments services while participating in
the program, although this may happen across different reporting period. During January–June 2013, about 81 percent of
prison-based participants and 71 percent of jail-based participants received substance abuse treatment serivces. About 80
percent of prison-based program participants and 65 percent of jail-based program participants also received cognitive and
behavioral services. Cognitive and behavioral services include interventions that address criminal thinking and antisocial
behaviors.
17
Other Services Jail
11
Prison
22
Mental Health Services
29
17
Housing Services
20
26
Employment Services
29
65
Cognitive and Behavioral Services
80
71
Substance Abuse Treatment Services
81
0 20 40 60 80 100
Percentage of Participants

Table 3 shows the number of participants in prison-based and jail-based programs tested for alcohol and illegal substances
while enrolled in the program. A positive alcohol/drug test indicates use of alcohol and/or illegal substances.
Table 3. Alcohol and Illegal Substance Testing in Prison- and Jail-Based Programs: January–June 2013
January–March 2013 April–June 2013

Program Type Prison Jail Prison Jail
Number of Participants with Positive Test (N) 134 95 214 75
Number of Participants Tested (N) 3,920 1,528 3,894 1,141
Participants Testing Positive (%) 3 6 5 7
 Over 5,000 jail- and prison-based program participants were tested for illegal substance use each quarter. The
percentage of positive tests ranges from 3 percent to 7 percent.
 The low level of substance use is expected, given that this population is incarcerated in jails or prisons and the
availability of alcohol and illegal substances is restricted, although available through illicit means.

• Page 4 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
Table 4. Completion Timeframes and Reasons for Not Completing Jail- or Prison-Based Programs: January–June 2013
Jail-Based Programs Prison-Based Programs

Participants Who Completed Program: Timeframe
0 to 3 Months 725 45% 487 12%
4 to 6 Months 706 44 1679 41
7 to 9 Months 149 9 1492 36
10 or More Months 29 2 481 12
Total 1,609 100% 4,139 100%
Participants Who Did Not Complete Program: Timeframe
0 to 3 Months 516 86% 1015 49%
4 to 6 Months 74 12 806 39
7 to 9 Months 4 1 197 9
10 or More Months 3 1 65 3
Total 597 100% 2,083 100%
Participants Who Did Not Complete Program: Reasons Reported
Termination for a New Charge 49 8% 46 2%
Release or Transfer to Another Facility 151 25 495 24
Death or Serious Illness 12 2 42 2
Voluntary Dropout 77 13 189 9
Failure to Meet Program Requirements 114 19 680 33
Violation of Institutional Rules 166 28 515 25
Other 28 5 116 6
Total 597 100% 2,083 100%
As previously reported, about 66 percent of prison-based program participants and 73 percent of jail-based program
participants successfully completed the program in January–June 2013. Table 4 shows the timeframes during which jail-
and prison-based program participants exited the program (both successfully and unsuccessfully). It also shows the
reasons why participants exited unsuccessfully.
 For prison-based programs, 77 percent of participants who completed the program did so in 4 to 9 months.
Generally, prison-based participation should be limited to inmates with 6 to 12 months remaining in their
confinement. This is so they can be released from incarceration instead of being returned to the general prison
population following program completion. The data are consistent with that model.
 For jail-based programs, 89 percent of participants who completed the program did so in the first 6 months. Jail-
based programs require at least 3 months of treatment programming.
 Of those participants who did not complete the prison-based program, 49 percent exited in the first 3 months,
compared with 86 percent of those in the jail-based program. The difference is to be expected, because jail-based
participants generally have shorter sentences and terms of release.
 For prison-based programs, the most common reasons given for participants exiting the program without
completing all the requirements include failure to meet program requirements (33 percent), followed by a
violation of institutional rules (25 percent) and release or transfer to another facility (24 percent).
 For jail-based programs, the most common reasons given for participants exiting the program without
completing all the requirements are violation of institutional rules (28 percent), followed by release or transfer to
another facility (25 percent) and failure to meet program requirements (19 percent).
The differences between the jail-based and prison-based RSAT programs are worth noting. Many can be attributed to the
difference between jail and prisons, such as average length of stay and severity of offense.
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Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
The findings are based on only two quarters of data for a subset of jail- and prison-based programs using BJA funds which
may not be generalizable to all prison- and jail-based RSAT programs.
Participant-Level Key Measures for Aftercare Programs
The funding authorization allows for creating and maintaining community-based aftercare services for offenders: “States
may use up to 10 percent of their total RSAT award for treatment of parolees for up to 1 year after they have been
released from a correctional facility.”3 Aftercare services involve the coordination between correctional treatment
programs and other social service and rehabilitation programs, such as education and job training, parole supervision,
halfway houses, self-help, and peer-group programs.
In January–June 2013, 58 subrecipients in 10 States and Territories (i.e., correctional facilities) have operational aftercare
programs. This section represents those programs that were using BJA RSAT funds during January–June 2013 and may
not be representative of all aftercare programs (see Figures 7–11 and Tables 5 and 6).
Figure 7. Enrolled Aftercare Program
1200 Participants and New Participants with a
Case Plan
1000
The number of individuals enrolled in
800 aftercare programs decreased in April–
June 2013, as did the number of new
600
participants enrolled in that quarter
compared with January–March 2013. The
400
decrease is partially attributable to a drop in
the total number of active aftercare
200
programs reporting during April–June 2013.
0 The number of new participants with a case
New Participants
Total Enrolled New Participants plan tracks closely with total number of new
with a Case Plan
(N=32,26) (N=32,26) participants. The next set of bar graphs in
(N=32,26)
Figure 7 displays the percentage of new
January–March 2013 998 255 250
participants enrolled in aftercare programs
April–June 2013 880 180 143
with an individualized case plan.

3 Bureau of Justice Assistance. (2005). Program update: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners (RSAT) program (Publication
No. NCJ 206269). Washington, DC: Author.
• Page 6 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
Figure 8. New Aftercare Program
Participants with a Case Plan (%), and 100 98 97
High-Risk/High-Need Participants4 92
90
This graph shows the percentage of new
79
80
aftercare program participants with a case
plan, and the percentage of participants with 70
high substance abuse treatment needs and
60
e
who have high criminogenic risk factors as g
a
determined by a risk/needs assessment. The tn 50
e
c
percentage of new participants with a case r 40
e
P
plan was 98 percent in January–March 2013 30
and 79 percent in April–June 2013.
20
The percentage of high-risk/high-need
10
participants ranged from 92 percent to 97
percent. BJA has begun collecting data on the 0
assessment instruments used by grantees. January–March 2013 April–June 2013
Subsequent analysis will help determine the New Participants with a Case Plan (%)
most common risk/needs assessment High-Risk/High-Need Participants (%)
instruments used by aftercare programs.
Figure 9. Participants Successfully
Completing the Aftercare Program or
Exiting the Program, and Completion
Rate (%)
140 60 These bar graphs show the number of
participants exiting the aftercare
120
program, those exiting the program
s 46
la 100 successfully by completing all program
ud 40
ivid 80 36 ega requirements, and the completion rate.
nI fo reb 60 20 tnecreP Rccooemmasppolleenttsiioo fnno rar alreetea l vicsiantelgcd ut hilnae t Tiopanrob cglear an6m .b T eph rfeoio ur ntod
m 40
uN in the Key Performance Measures table
20 just before Appendix A. As mentioned
previously, participants who exit prior to
0 0
January–March 2013 April–June 2013 program completion because of release,
transfer, death, or serious injury are
Number of Individuals Completing the Program
excluded from the completion rate
Number of Individuals Unsuccessfully Exiting the Program calculation. The completion rate
decreased from 46 percent in January–
Completion Rate (%)
March 2013 to 36 percent in April–June
2013. Past iterations of RSAT Program
Performance Report showed aftercare
completion rates ranging from 53
percent to 60 percent.5

4 The PMT questionnaire was recently revised to include a question about the type of risk and needs assessment instruments grantees are using in
their programs. Subsequent iterations of this report will include that contextual information.
5 Steyee, J. (2012). Program performance report: Residential substance abuse treatment program. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Available online: www.bja.gov/Publications/RSAT_PPR_09-12.pdf.
• Page 7 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
Figure 10. Number of Individuals
300
Successfully Completing the Program,
and Unsuccessful Exits 242
250
During January–June 2013, more people
were terminated from the program than 200
170
successfully completed all of the program s
la
requirements. “Terminated” is defined as u
d 150
iv
exiting the program because of a new id
n
charge, voluntarily dropping out (if not on I
100
parole or court supervision), a failure to
meet program requirements, or
50
absconding. 21
0
Successful Completers Individuals Terminated Release, Transfer, Death
or Serious Injury

Figure 11. Services Received by Aftercare Program Participants Through BJA Grant Funds: January–June 2013
Similarly to services for jail- and prison-based program participants reported in Figure 6, these bar graphs show the
percentage of aftercare program participants receiving various services. Generally, participants receive more than one type of
service while in the program, and all will receive substance abuse treatment services while participating. Overall, about 64
percent of aftercare participants received substance abuse treatment services during both reporting periods. About 60 percent
of participants also received cognitive and behavioral services. Cognitive and behavioral services include interventions that
address criminal thinking and antisocial behaviors. Finally, about 20 percent of participants received employment services
during the reporting periods examined.
8
Other Services
12 April–June 2013
January–March 2013
10
Mental Health Services
11
8
Housing Services
10
18
Employment Services
21
58
Cognitive and Behavioral Services
61
64
Substance Abuse Treatment Services
64
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Percentage of Participants

Table 5 shows the number of aftercare program participants tested for alcohol and illegal substances, and of those, the
number who tested positive for illegal substance use.
Table 5. Alcohol and Illegal Substance Testing in Aftercare Programs: January–June 2013
January–March 2013 April–June 2013
Number of Participants with Positive Test (N) 65 50
Number of Participants Tested (N) 318 531
Participants Testing Positive (%) 20 9
• Page 8 •
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program: January–June 2013
 In January–March 2013, about 20 percent of drug tests were positive, indicating substance abuse usage while
participating in the aftercare program. However, in April–June 2013, grantees reportedly conducted more tests
(531 versus 318), which yielded fewer positive tests.
 The percentage of positive drug/alcohol tests dropped from 20 percent in January–March 2013 to 9 percent in
April–June 2013.
 Previous analysis of PMT RSAT aftercare data resulted in a positive drug testing rate of about 21 percent.6
Table 6. Completion Timeframes and Reasons for Not Completing Aftercare Programs: January–June 2013
N %

Participants Who Completed Program: Timeframe
0 to 3 Months 61 36%
4 to 6 Months 75 44
7 to 9 Months 18 11
10 or More Months 16 9
Total 170 100%
Participants Who Did Not Complete Program: Timeframe
0 to 3 Months 172 65%
4 to 6 Months 57 22
7 to 9 Months 13 5
10 or More Months 21 8
Total 263 100%
Participants Who Did Not Complete Program: Reasons Reported
Termination for a New Charge 47 18%
Release or Transfer to Another Facility 20 8
Death or Serious Illness 1 0
Voluntary Dropout 59 22
Failure to Meet Program Requirements 106 40
Absconded 16 6
Other 14 5
Total 263 100%
As previously reported, the successful completion rate ranges from 36 percent to 60 percent. Table 6 shows the
timeframes during which aftercare participants exited the program (both successfully and unsuccessfully) in January–June
2013. It also shows the reasons that participants exited the program unsuccessfully.
 About 44 percent of participants successfully exited the program during the 4- to 6-month timeframe.
 For those participants who did not complete the program in January–June 2013, 65 percent left the program in the
first 3 months.
 The most common reasons cited for not completing the aftercare program include failure to meet program
requirements (40 percent), voluntary dropout (22 percent), and termination for a new charge (18 percent).

6 Steyee (2012).
• Page 9 •