The Drug Treatment Picture See the contents of this issue of the Forum for other articles on drugs and the criminal justice system. Although some plans for general screening of inmates for drug and alcohol problems are now being considered, the Alaska Department of Corrections at present does not test inmates for drug or alcohol problems at the time they begin serving their sentences. As a result, no firm numbers are available on the extent of the drug problem among the inmate population.
More inmates request treatment than there are spaces available.
The annual budget for DOC substance abuse programs is just under one million dollars. It has not increased in eight years. The department contracts with state-approved substance abuse treatment providers in the community for all of its programs. The department itself has only one regular position in this area, the Substance Abuse Program Coordinator, who administers the DOC programs. Because funding available for the programs has not increased, the number of treatment providers willing to contract with DOC is declining.