Substance Abuse Treatment Services

Assessment/Evaluation Services

Primary initial assessment of all male inmates age 19 or older occurs at the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC), male inmates up to age 19 at the Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility (NCYF), and of all female inmates at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW). Following the initial assessment, determination of abuse/dependency levels of care is made at the receiving facilities by substance abuse treatment staff. Each level of care is determined on an individual basis by qualified substance abuse staff working in concert with DCS Mental Health and Health Services staff. Eligibility and treatment matching are determined by appropriate assessment techniques and tools. Every effort to connect inmates with appropriate services during and after incarceration is made by the Department and its staff.

Non-Residential Services

The DCS Substance Abuse Non-Residential Treatment Services (NRTS) address the needs of inmates during the course of their sentences who, due to the nature or length of their sentences, or due to the nature of their problems, are not eligible for treatment services at the residential treatment programs. Non-residential service levels for substance abuse treatment are located at all adult correctional facilities operated by the DCS, as well as at the Work Ethic Camp.

The NRTS programs fall into an ongoing continuum of care and are primarily dependent on an individual's level of substance abuse or addiction. Non-residential treatment services feature two levels of primary service and appropriate levels of secondary services within the Department which augment the Department's provision of services through residential programming. Primary levels of service include: Outpatient Programs and Intensive Outpatient Programs. Each level of service utilizes a variety of techniques and methods to address the issues of substance use and abuse. Subsequent to primary intervention, the Non-Residential Treatment Services includes Relapse Prevention, Aftercare, and Drug/Alcohol Education. Various programmatic offerings within each service level are determined by the need of the inmate population at each institutional site. They commonly deal with issues of substance abuse and criminality, as well as transition issues for those heading directly back to life in the community.

Residential Services

The Residential Treatment Services programs focus on recovery, relapse prevention, and transitions issues with an additional emphasis on criminal attitudes and behaviors. The residential programs rely on the concrete rather than the abstract in working with substance abuse offenders. The approach is holistic and includes a variety of disciplines to assist inmates with issues of substance abuse, criminal thoughts and behavior, stress and violence, lifestyle (work, leisure, and health), and spirituality.

The 100-bed Residential Treatment Community (RTC) for male inmates, located at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, functions as one of four DCS long-term residential treatment programs for substance abusers and coordinates substance abuse treatment services for all inmates committed to DCS at the various facilities. The second long-term residential substance abuse treatment program (72 beds) for male inmates is located at the Omaha Correctional Center/Substance Abuse Unit (OCC/SAU). A third long-term residential substance abuse treatment program (32 beds) for medium or maximum custody males is at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution/Substance Abuse Unit (TSCI/SAU). The fourth long-term residential substance abuse treatment program (28 beds) is for female inmates at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women/Substance Abuse Unit (NCCW/SAU). Referral to these programs involves an extensive screening process. In addition, the programs require inmates to take responsibility for their actions, participate in all program components, and to accept the obligation to practice their new attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. Individual treatment plans and progress are assessed by their primary counselors and their treatment teams.

The inmates assigned to the residential treatment programs have been identified as having a serious substance abuse problem in conjunction with criminal activity. These residential treatment programs each last approximately ten months and require participants to take responsibility for their actions; participate in all program components such as individual counseling, classes and groups; and accept the obligation to practice new attitudes, thoughts and behaviors. The residential treatment populations are comprised of groups of inmates having distinct qualities and backgrounds, who share joint ownership in environments designed to manifest changes in self-defeating behavior and the creation of healthy lifestyles.

The purpose of each of DCS's four residential treatment programs is to provide a healing and safe environment to include the opportunity for incarcerated individuals who are substance abusers to engage in treatment which intervenes in the destructive thinking behavior and lifestyle associated with substance abuse and criminality. Programming is designed to provide a holistic treatment environment. This holistic treatment environment includes areas of group counseling, individual counseling, substance abuse education, cognitive-behavioral classes, recovery and relapse prevention classes, social responsibility, physical fitness, spirituality, health and work. The structured programs allow for integration of learned concepts into applied behavior. Staff works together to assess progress, address behaviors, and encourage change. Considerable focus is maintained on how behavior impacts others, as will be the case in the community at large upon the inmate's release. Learning new skills, gaining information, remaining abstinent from mood altering chemicals, and emotional, spiritual and philosophical growth are important aspects of each program. The diversity and reality of the therapeutic approach combined with the acquisition of new information and skills will enable each inmate to think constructively, act responsibly and decrease negative consequences for self and others.

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