By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS - Cass County's written proposal for a grant to implement a jail-based substance abuse treatment program adds details to recent Board of Commissioners discussions.
The budget for the grant proposal due to the Michigan Office of Drug Control Policy projects a $110,000 grant coupled with $36,667 local match for $146,667 total.
Local match funds will be obtained from the Van Buren/Cass Health Department and the treatment component of the drug millage voters approved last August.
The budget period will be Oct. 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2006.
According to Sheriff Joseph M. Underwood Jr., the program would involve two separate components - in-custody and out-of-custody.
Offenders will begin the program in the county jail and will primarily be housed in one cell block.
Eligibility criteria for the program include: substance abuse-related charges; appropriate inmate classification for placement in the treatment block; and assessment or screening indicating a need for substance abuse treatment.
The jail-based part of the program will be offered twice a week, Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30.
The curriculum, "A New Direction - A Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Program" - was developed by a collaboration of chemical dependency professionals from the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Hazelden Foundation.
The curriculum consists of six interactive workbooks, Intake and Orientation, Criminal and Addictive Thinking, Drug and Alcohol Education, Socialization, Relapse Prevention and Release and Reintegration Preparation, as well as nine videos complementing the workbooks.
Offenders will be expected to attend all sessions, to complete homework by journaling and completing assigned tasks in the workbooks and to demonstrate their comprehension of the materials presented in-group.
The jail-based portion of the program is anticipated to last about three months.
Treatment staff will evaluate offenders' progress in the program and will make appropriate recommendations for early release. Law enforcement officials and the courts will make all release decisions.
Upon release from jail, offenders will be expected to continue in the out-of-custody, or community-based segment.
During the out-of-custody phase they will be required to attend one two-hour group session per week, participate in Narcotics Anonymous programs and seek individual counseling as needed.
Counselors will also refer participants to other services that may help them or their families reduce the impact of substance abuse.
These services may include referrals for assistance with employment, education and housing needs.
All participants in the community-based portion of the program will be subject to vigorous, frequent and random drug-testing to help them maintain drug and alcohol abstinence.
Violations of drug use or attendance policy will result in an immediate return to jail and the jail-based part of the program.
Program participants will require total treatment of at least one year with six months of community-based, violation-free program participation required for graduation.
The sheriff said research has shown that individuals with methamphetamine addiction require a structured, long-term treatment program that is cognitive-behavioral and that makes effective use of rewards (get out of jail early) and sanctions (go back to jail for violations) to assist in offenders' efforts to make a smooth transition back into society.