The relationship between substance abuse and crime has been well established, and it has become clear that punishment alone has not been shown to be effective in breaking the cycle of substance abuse related crime. By combining appropriate sanctions with treatment, recidivism and relapse can be reduced. Intervention efforts that provide relapse prevention, provisions for continuing care, and recovery maintenance strategies have been found to be particularly helpful in this regard.

Substance use disorder screening reveals that roughly seventy percent of the Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) inmate population is in need of formal substance use disorder assessment and treatment. Treatment services are provided under contract by certified and licensed treatment staff. The WDOC has adopted an intervention strategy that relies on a combination of professional substance abuse treatment services and self-help support. The following treatment services are provided in WDOC institutions:

Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution - Intensive Treatment Unit (WMCI-ITU)

The residential substance abuse treatment program at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution’s Intensive Treatment Unit (WMCI-ITU) was established in conjunction with the opening of the facility in January of 2010. The WMCI – ITU can accommodate 72 male inmates, and is designed to operate as modified therapeutic communities using a holistic treatment approach. Like the WWC-ITU the WMCI-ITU program is housed in a unit separate from the general population and is certified under the Wyoming Department of Health's Substance Abuse Certification Standards.

The intent of the program is to create an environment that provides a 24 hour 7 days per week learning experience that supports and reinforces positive life choices, the acquisition of life and recovery skills, and the acceptance of ongoing recovery maintenance. Treatment integrates social learning, cognitive behavioral intervention and therapeutic community principles and methods to provide a powerful intervention that addresses both substance use disorder and criminogenic treatment needs.

Wyoming Women's Center - Intensive Treatment Unit (WWC-ITU)

The residential substance abuse treatment program at the Wyoming Women's Center, known as the Women’s Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU), began in July 2000. The current program can accommodate up to 32 women and is designed to provide gender specific substance abuse treatment services in a modified therapeutic community setting. The program is housed in a unit separate from the general population.

The established mission of the women’s ITU is “To create an environment that provides a 24-hour learning experience in which a resident’s transformation in conduct, attitude, values, and emotions are introduced, monitored, and mutually reinforced as part of the daily regime”. It is the aim of the program to provide female inmates with an opportunity to learn skills that will lead to recovery from substance abuse in addition to the tools necessary to live a crime free life. The gender specific treatment focuses on the whole person, fostering personal responsibility, accountability, and emphasizing pro-social values and attitudes.

Casper Re-Entry Center-Therapeutic Community Treatment Program (CRC-TC)

The CRC-TC began operation in February of 2005, and is designed and operated as a secure long-term residential substance use disorder treatment program for males based on therapeutic community principles and methods. The CRC-TC can accommodate 100 male inmates. The mission of the CRC-TC is to provide a healthy, drug-free environment in which treatment services for residents focus on changing addictive and criminal behaviors. The program provides participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for a productive recovery oriented lifestyle prior to reintegration to society.

The CRC-TC has maintained certification under the Wyoming Department of Health's Substance Abuse Certification Standards since April 14, 2005, and the American Correctional Association (ACA) under the Performance-Based Standards for Therapeutic Communities since August 11, 2008. The CRC-TC program also provides medical and mental health services to inmates in the program and maintains National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) accreditation.

Contact:

Josh Brown, Director for CRC-TC

Wyoming Department of Corrections

10007 Landmark Lane

Casper,WY 82604

(307) 268-4840

Email: joshua.brown1@wyo.gov