Prison-Based Programs

ACDP prison-based treatment programs operate within selected minimum and medium custody prison units approved by Department of Adult Correction. The ACDP Substance Abuse Program Coordinator is responsible for managing the treatment program at the unit and the prison Warden is responsible for all matters pertaining to custody, security, and administration of the prison.

Eligibility for prison-based treatment program placement is established during admission at a diagnostic processing unit within the Department of Adult Correction. During diagnostic processing, ACDP staff administers the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), a severity probability indicator of a substance use disorder. Based on the screening results, prison staff makes the initial referral to treatment. Upon admission to a treatment program, ACDP staff complete a thorough assessment on all participants, which further defines the history and extent of the substance use disorder. The SASSI and the assessment together establish the final recommended treatment placement for offenders in an ACDP program thereby matching the offender's treatment needs to the appropriate level of treatment.

ACDP provides intermediate and long-term treatment services for male and female offenders. Intermediate programs are 90 days in length. Long-term treatment programs last 4-12 months and are back-end loaded; that is, offenders successfully complete the program and then leave prison immediately or soon thereafter returning to the community. Both programs share the following key elements:

  • Use of Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions as the focus of treatment; incorporation of evidence-based treatment modules.
  • Gender-specific curriculum.
  • Activities that support building a drug/alcohol/crime-free lifestyle.
  • Three phases: 
    • Male Programs:
    1. Introduction to Treatment 
    2. Criminal & Addictive Thinking, Socialization
    3. Alcohol & Other Drug Education, Relapse Prevention, and Preparing for Release.
    • Female Programs:
    1. Orientation 
    2. Rational Thinking and Criminal Lifestyles
    3. Criminal Lifestyles continued, Living with Others, Lifestyle Balance, and Transition & Recovery Maintenance. 
  • Individual and group counseling services that focus on the thinking and behavioral patterns that have caused the offender's current involvement with the criminal justice system.