DCJS supports addiction treatment, mental health, and recovery efforts in the criminal justice system by providing guidance and expertise to grantees, multi-disciplinary committees, and various stakeholders throughout Virginia. Our efforts include:
- Administering state and federal grant programs that support jail-based mental health and substance use disorder treatment programs. These programs focus on evidence-based treatment services and provide a reentry component.
- Providing technical assistance to those planning, implementing, or enhancing a behavioral health treatment program within a correctional setting.
- Identifying gaps in behavioral health service availability and working with locality and community partners to address and provide necessary treatment to incarcerated individuals.
DCJS administers general state funds to support Addiction Recovery Grant Program (ARGP) grants. The purpose of ARGP is to develop a model addiction recovery program that may be administered by sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, jail officers, administrators, or superintendents in any local or regional jail. The programs are based on best practices suggested by existing research, related standards developed for substance use disorder treatment and criminal justice programming, and what experts and experienced practitioners have found to work best for intervention in criminal justice settings.
ARGP is restricted to the four original ARGP grantees: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Newport News Sheriff’s Office, Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, and Riverside Regional Jail. Each program receives $38,400.
DCJS administers general state funds designated to support Jail Mental Health Pilot Programs (JMHPP) in providing evidence-based behavioral health treatment to mentally ill, justice-involved populations. JMHPP’s objective include:
- Enhancing the capabilities of carceral environments to provide services to the seriously mentally ill population, including medications and cognitive behavioral treatment; and
- Assisting individuals and communities through the reentry process by delivering community-based mental health treatment and other broad-based aftercare services.
JMHPP grant programs facilitate mental health services to individuals housed in local and regional jails. These programs provide assessments to identify participants, treatment plans, treatment services within the jail, and connection to services in the community upon release. The programs must include collaboration with an aftercare program that focuses on reentry and mental health treatment needs of program participants. Additionally, the programs must have the goal of creating a continuity of care from incarceration to community. These programs are required to work in collaboration with a behavioral health entity for continued services upon reentry to include lifestyle changes, behavioral health interventions, and substance use treatments. DCJS requires all JMHPP grantees to focus on partnerships and innovative collaborations with community stakeholders to ensure that care is provided in a wraparound fashion.
JMHPP is restricted to five grantees: Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, Middle River Regional Jail, Prince William Adult Detention Center, Richmond City Sheriff’s Office, and Western Virginia Regional Jail.
DCJS administers special funds authorized by the State Appropriation Act to support the Virginia Opioid Use Reduction and Jail-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Transition Fund (JSUT) Grant Program. The purpose of this grant program is to expand access to SUD treatment and transitional services for individuals incarcerated in local and regional jails in Virginia. Funded programs may include medication assisted treatment therapies, addiction recovery and other SUD services, reentry and transitional support, or a combination of these services.
This is a federally funded grant program to provide evidence-based, residential treatment and/or Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services in local and regional jails. MAT is the use of medications such as Buprenorphine, Methadone, or Naltrexone, coupled with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat SUD. MAT is primarily used to treat addiction to opioids, such as heroin and prescription pain relievers that contain opiates.