The Federal Bureau of Prisons' Drug Interdiction Activities

Report Number I-2003-002
January 2003

BOP'S DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS

The BOP's drug abuse treatment programs consist of drug abuse education, non-residential treatment, and residential treatment.

• Drug Abuse Education. Drug abuse education is a series of classes totaling approximately 30 to 40 hours designed to provide information about the detrimental consequences of drug use through literature and videos. The classes, which follow a standardized course curriculum, are not considered treatment by BOP, but a means to motivate inmates to seek treatment. During the classes, inmates are encouraged to seek treatment through the BOP's other drug program components. The BOP Program Statement 5330.10, Drug Abuse Programs Manual, requires inmates to take drug abuse education if: (1) there is evidence in inmates' Pre-Sentence Investigation report that alcohol or other drug abuse contributed to their crime, (2) if inmates received a judicial recommendation to participate in a drug treatment program, (3) inmates violated their community supervision as a result of substance abuse, or (4) inmates have a history of abusing alcohol or drugs. The inmates must complete this course within the first 12 months of their incarceration. If an inmate refuses to participate in the drug abuse education course, the inmate is not recommended for community programs and will be compensated at the lowest pay grade ($5.25 per month) for any work they perform in the institution.

• Non-Residential Drug Treatment. BOP Program Statement 5330.10 requires institutions to provide non-residential drug treatment, which can include individual and group therapy. Non-residential drug treatment within the institution should consist of at least one hour of individual or group counseling each month, following a curriculum developed individually by each institution's DATS. The program statement does not provide a standardized curriculum for non-residential drug treatment. Inmates must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for non-residential drug treatment: (1) have a verifiable, documented drug abuse problem, (2) have no serious mental impairment that would substantially interfere with or preclude full participation in the program, and (3) sign an agreement acknowledging their responsibility under the program. Inmates' participation in non-residential drug treatment is voluntary. Inmates receive no incentives to participate and face no consequences if they choose not to participate or fail to complete treatment.

  A component of non-residential treatment is transitional or aftercare counseling, which is required for inmates who have completed the residential drug abuse program and are returned to the general population awaiting their release date. This can include group or individual counseling and is required for one hour a month for one year or until the inmate's release date, whichever is first.

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The RDAP is typically a 9-month, 500-hour program in which participating inmates are housed together in a separate unit reserved for drug treatment at a BOP institution. The inmates participate in a minimum of three hours of drug treatment per day. In FY 2001, the BOP had established 52 RDAP units in 50 of its 100 institutions. Five additional units are scheduled to open in FY 2002.⁹⁰ RDAP has a standardized drug treatment curriculum. An inmate must meet the following eligibility criteria to be admitted into RDAP: (1) sentenced to BOP custody, (2) determined by the BOP to have a substance abuse disorder, (3) sign BOP's "Agreement to Participate in the Bureau's Residential Drug Abuse Program," (4) reside in a BOP institution, (5) serving a sentence with enough time to fully participate in a residential drug abuse program, and (6) willing to participate in a residential drug abuse treatment program. Upon successful completion of RDAP, an inmate can receive a sentence reduction of up to 12 months, limited financial rewards, and additional privileges within the institution. If inmates fail to complete the program, they are ineligible to receive these incentives. Inmates are ineligible for the sentence reduction if their current or past criminal history includes a serious violent offense.

Other Residential Programs. According to the FY 2000 State of the Bureau, the BOP offers a variety of other residential programs, which focus on "inmates emotional and behavioral responses to difficult situations and emphasize life skills and the development of pro-social values, respect for self and others, responsibility for personal actions, and tolerance." These specialized programs borrow the cognitive restructuring approach of the RDAP and encourage inmates to become alcohol and drug free, but the programs are not drug treatment programs. Inmates may be diagnosed as needing drug treatment and may participate in drug treatment, but treatment is separate from the usual curriculum of the specialized programs. Also, participation in drug treatment is not a prerequisite for participation in these specialized programs. However, inmates who use or possess alcohol or drugs will be expelled from the programs.

90. "Substance Abuse Treatment Programs in the Federal Bureau of Prisons Fiscal Year 2001 Report to Congress," Federal Bureau of Prisons, January 2002. This report is required annually.