Departments of corrections as purchasers of community-based treatment: A national study

Community-based substance abuse treatment for offenders has been shown to reduce both substance use and recidivism. One strategy to ensure treatment availability for offenders is to have each state's Department of Corrections (DOC) fund treatment directly. Purchasing treatment implies regulation, but DOC as both a purchaser and regulator of community-based services has been underexamined. This national survey of administrators from the Single State Authority (SSA) and DOC in each state found DOCs purchase treatment in 35 states, with most states purchasing it directly from community-based providers utilizing a variety of funding sources. Fewer states reported DOCs purchased ancillary services than SSAs (68% vs. 81%). Although both DOCs and SSAs had workforce and program requirements, there were differences within and between states. Most (41/42) SSA administrators reported a strong relationship with DOC. This report represents the first step in describing the availability, mechanisms, and regulations of these two publicly funded community-based treatment systems.