Providence, RI – Rhode Island’s congressional delegation today announced that the Rhode Island Department of Corrections has received a $287,574 federal grant to improve substance abuse treatment programs for incarcerated inmates, provide offenders the tools and skills needed to reenter society, and offer support services for their children and other family members.
“This funding provides the necessary resources so that criminal offenders will have a better chance to successfully reenter society. This is a sound investment in safeguarding our communities and reducing the chances that ex-offenders will become re-offenders,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI).
“Once inmates serve their sentences, it’s important that they productively contribute to their communities,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a former U.S. Attorney and Attorney General for Rhode Island. “The funds made available today will help them do so, and in the process reduce recidivism and make our neighborhoods safer.”
“Because of the stigma associated with addiction and mental illness, our society has historically placed greater emphasis on punishment rather than rehabilitation,” said U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), author of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. “The Family-Based Prisoner Substance Abuse Treatment Program acknowledges the underlying health issue and through treatment offers a solution that will reduce recidivism and break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration.”
“Many of those serving time at the ACI are fighting substance abuse issues, and treatment can make a tremendous difference,” said U.S. Representative Langevin (D-RI). “This funding will help prepare those formerly incarcerated to reintegrate into our communities and rejoin their families with the supports they need.”
The Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) will use this grant for its Family Focused Initiative to coordinate existing resources and expand support for families affected by parental incarceration.
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