TREATMENT BEHIND BARS:SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT INNEW YORK PRISONS2007–2010
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Report by theCorrectional Association of New York
FEBRUARY 2011
Correctional Association of New York
The Correctional Association of New York (CA)
was formed in 1844 by citizens concernedabout prison conditions and the lack of services for inmates returning to their communities. In1846, the New York State Legislature granted the CA authority to inspect prisons and report onits findings. Through four projects Juvenile Justice, Prison Visiting, Public Policy/Drug LawRepeal, and Women in Prison the CA advocates for a more humane prison system and a moresafe and just society.The
Prison Visiting Project
(PVP)
is the arm of the Correctional Association that carries outthis unique legislative authority for the male prisons. PVP visits seven to ten of New York’s 67state correctional facilities each year and issues facility specific reports on prison conditions toboth policymakers and the public. In addition to its general prison monitoring, PVP conducts in-depth studies on specific corrections issues and publishes comprehensive reports of findings andrecommendations. Current in-depth research areas include: healthcare, mental health care andsubstance abuse treatment. PVPproduces reports, presents at forums, and engages in activitiesaimed at educating the public about prison conditions, the high cost of incarceration and the needfor alternatives. The Project also works with legislators, corrections officials, former prisoners,service providers and community organizations to develop more humane prison policies.
All theprison reports prepared by the Project since 2004 are available on the Correctional Associationweb page.
For more information about the Prison Visiting Project, please call 212-254-5700 or visit
Treatment Behind Bars: Substance Abuse Treatment in New York Prisons
Copyright © 2011, The Correctional Association of New York All Rights ReservedThe Correctional Association of New York 2090 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. BlvdSuite 200New York, New York 10027(212) 254-5700(212) 473-2807 (Fax)
Correctional Association of New York
Introduction Substance Abuse Treatment in NY Prisons, 2007–2010
1. INTRODUCTION
Substance abuse is a daunting problem for the majority of prison inmates nationally and morethan three-quarters of those in New York State. The devastation that often accompaniessubstance abuse places notoriously heavy demands on the criminal justice, correctional andsubstance abuse treatment systems, as well as on inmates, their families and their communities.The prison system has the unique potential to provide effective drug treatment to this captivepopulation, addressing not only the individual needs of inmates but public health and publicsafety as well. Not only is the prison system in a unique position to provide drug treatment, but asubstantial body of research documents that treatment is, on the whole, more effective thanincarceration alone in reducing drug abuse and criminal behavior among substance abusers andin increasing the likelihood that they will remain drug- and crime-free.
The need to provide more comprehensive substance abuse treatment services in New York Stateprisons, similar to the increasing need to provide mental health services in prisons as a result of deinstitutionalization of mental hospital patients, has directly been impacted by the Rockefeller drug laws. With their rigid requirements of mandatory minimum sentencing, the Rockefeller drug laws of 1973 radically restricted judicial discretion in utilizing alternatives to incarcerationas a response to drug offenses. The result: 11% of the total prison population in 1980 wereindividuals incarcerated for drug-related offenses; as of January, 2008, that figure was 33%.Though this past year brought significant reform to the Rockefeller Drug Laws, severalmandatory minimum sentences are still on the books and a large number of individuals remainineligible for alternative to incarceration programs. The considerable increase in this populationillustrates one of the many factors that make provision of prison-based substance abuse treatmentparamount, as the majority of incarcerated individuals will participate in treatment due to thenature of their offense.As of April 2010, the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) operated 68facilities, with 57,650 inmates under custody. Eighty-three percent of inmates were designatedby DOCS as “in need of substance abuse treatment.”
To address their needs, DOCS operates119 substance abuse treatment programs in 60 of its facilities. As of April l, 2009, two of thoseprograms were licensed as treatment programs by the State’s Office of Alcoholism andSubstance Abuse Services (OASAS); the remainder are operated solely under the aegis andoversight of DOCS. The 2009 reforms to the Rockefeller drug laws call for change, however,requiring OASAS to guide, monitor and report on DOCS substance abuse treatment programs.In 2007, the Correctional Association launched a project to evaluate the needs of inmates withsubstance abuse problems and the State’s response to their needs. The information presented inthis report is a result of this effort and presents our findings and recommendations based on visitsto 23 facilities, interviews with experts, prison officials and correction officers, more than 2,300inmate surveys and systemwide data provided by the Department of Correctional Services.
1
Fletcher and Chandler,
Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations: A Research-Based Guide
.
2
This is the number of inmates DOCS has identified with its screening process, not the number of inmates in NewYork State prisons with a diagnosis of substance/alcohol abuse or dependence.Correctional Association of New York 1
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