New Options for Offenders with Mental and Substance Use Disorders

The Albany County Correctional Facility is the fifth largest county jail in New York State. Its 1,005-bed capacity has increased from 350 beds in 1989. The average daily inmate census in 2000 was 719; the average daily census of inmates with diagnosed mental illness for the same year was 63, up from 37 in 1994.

In January 1997, the National GAINS Center supported a team of professionals from the Albany County Correctional Facility (ACCF); the Office of the Public Defender of Albany County; and the Alcohol and Drug Services Division of the Albany County Department of Mental Health, to attend a three-day GAINS Regional Forum in Austin, Texas. The Forum, attended by representatives from 11 jurisdictions across the US, provided a vehicle for teams to identify gaps and chart goals to improve services for people with co-occurring disorders within their county’s justice system.

On the plane ride home, the Albany County attendees, spurred by the realization that they had to involve many departments in the County to provide a streamlined and practicable continuum of services for offenders with health, mental, and/or substance use disorders, began drafting a letter to the Albany County Executive. The letter summarized the objectives the team had outlined at the Regional Forum, including the formation of a committee to address these issues.

“GAINS Team” Becomes The Options Committee

Less than a year later, the GAINS Regional Forum team had evolved into the fledgling 15- to 20-member Options Committee. The Committee established a mission that continues to guide it:

The Committee is committed to reviewing the existing systems that provide services to people who demonstrate a health, mental health, and/or substance abuse disorder and are involved in the correctional system. The committee will manage the integration of existing health, mental health, substance abuse and social service systems in order to match client needs with available services and improve client outcomes related to self-sufficiency and a reduction in recidivism.
Options Committee members include representatives from the ACCF; the County Sheriff’s Department; the County Executive’s Office; the County Departments of Health, Mental Health, Probation, and Social Services; the County Office of the Public Defender; the New York State Division of Parole; and Prison Health Services, Inc. In years past, Corrections and Mental Health didn’t gel, nor did Corrections and Criminal Defense; today the environment is conducive to good communication and effective collaboration. Members of the Committee are client-focused, and the issues that arise are client-related rather than turf issues. Informal communications links have evolved; Committee members are comfortable picking up the phone and calling one another for assistance— even at home.
The Options Committee has continued to benefit from the support of the National GAINS Center. The GAINS Center has sponsored or co-sponsored cross-jurisdictional site visits and provided information regarding grant opportunities. The GAINS Center, and, in one instance, the National Commission of Corrections, has supported Ed Szostak, Superintendent of ACCF, and other members of the Committee to travel to correctional facilities in Hampden County, Massachusetts; Lucas County, Ohio; and Kings County, Washington. Committee members have worked to model best practices they have observed elsewhere for the Albany facility. In April 2000, representatives of the Options Committee were invited by the GAINS Center to present the Committee’s achievements at the first National Mental Health conference held in Miami, Florida.

Committee Brings About Positive Change

The efforts of the Options Committee have enhanced existing programs, revived inactive programs and fostered constructive change generally.

New Treatment Options A 16-bed residential addiction treatment program for male inmates, Intensive Corrections Addiction Residential Education (ICARE), was re-instituted at ACCF in 1997. In 2001, ICARE expanded to include an eight-bed residential treatment program for women.

The National GAINS Center for People with Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System is a national center for the collection and dissemination of information about effective mental health and substance abuse services for people with co-occurring disorders who come in contact with the justice system. The GAINS Center is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s two centers—the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)—and is operated by Policy Research Associates, Inc., of Delmar, New York.

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