Q: What makes someone eligible for SAP?
A: An applicant will be reviewed by the clinical staff with Addiction Services to determine if they meet the clinical criteria for substance use disorder (SUD) and all eligibility requirements for treatment. An applicant must be between 24 months (jail) and 36 months (institution) to their Parole eligibility date or serve out.
Q: How can someone apply for SAP?
A: They can request an application for SAP from the Corrections Treatment Officer, Class D Coordinator or Case Worker at their facility. The completed SAP application is sent to the Division of Addiction Services offices for processing. The current application also indicates the reasons why you want to participate in SAP.
If a client is unable to obtain a SAP application they may write to the Division of Addiction Services to request one. However, the request should first be made to the facility staff.
Kentucky Department of Corrections
Division of Addiction Services
PO BOX 2400
Frankfort, KY 40602
Q: Who can I call to find out where my loved one is located on the waiting list?
A: There is no need to write or call Addiction Services or the jail. Clients move up and down on the waiting list based on several things.
- Parole Eligibility Date
- Parole Upon Completion of SAP
- Not enrolled in other evidence-based programs
- Disciplinary Violations
When they reach the top of the waiting list, they will be moved as soon as possible.
Q: What happens if my loved one does not want to attend SAP at the location where they are sent?
A: Clients are placed in the first available program when their name reaches the top of the waiting list. If they choose not to attend, they must sign a SAP Refusal. Clients cannot choose which program they attend. Even if their family members can pay to be transported elsewhere, the jail cannot move a client to a specific location for SAP. All clients are placed in treatment through the DOC.
Q: Why can’t my loved one wait to do SAP in the community. How can they apply to do SAP once they are paroled?
A: Clients should apply to SAP as soon as possible. If granted parole, clients are assessed by the Division of Addiction Services to determine their level of care. That means, they may be required to remain incarcerated and complete in a jail program prior to being released. If they are enrolled in SAP before release and make parole, they may still be eligible to complete SAP in the community based on assessment criteria. Waiting to apply could actually prolong their incarceration.
Q: My loved one doesn’t have drug charges, why were they recommended for SAP?
A: Drug charges alone does not make a person eligible or ineligible for SAP. All clients are reviewed by Addiction Services clinical staff to ensure they meet the minimum criteria for substance use treatment.
Q: Why can’t my loved one wait to go to a “real drug treatment” program when they are released?
A: All of the SAP programs in our prisons, jails and reentry service centers are independently licensed through CHFS, DBHDID. That means all of the programs and staff meet or exceed the Kentucky State Regulations to provide substance use treatment in the state. All of the programs utilize the evidence-based New Directions curriculum from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. The curriculum is actually specifically designed for the justice involved population.