RD205 - Annual Report on the Status and Effectiveness of Offender Drug Screening, Assessment and Treatment


Executive Summary:
[This report was modified on 01/31/05]

In 1998, Virginia's General Assembly passed House Bill 664 and Senate Bill 317 (HB664/SB317) enacting the Drug Offender Screening, Assessment, and Treatment (DSAT) initiative. The DSAT legislation, subsequently amended in 1999, outlined specific substance abuse screening and assessment provisions that became effective for offenses committed on or after January 1, 2000. These provisions, contained in §§ 16.1-273, 18.2-251.01, 19.2-123(B), 19.2-299, and 19.2-299.2 of the Code of Virginia, target three offender groups: juveniles, adult felons, and adult misdemeanants. Because several different types of offenders are subject to the Code mandates, the initiative affects staff and clients of numerous agencies, including the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), the Department of Corrections (DOC), local community-based probation and pretrial services programs administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the Commission on Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP), and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services(DMHMRSAS).

The Interagency Drug Offender Screening and Assessment Committee was created by § 2.2-223 (formerly § 2.1-51.18:3) to oversee the screening and assessment provisions contained in the Code of Virginia. The Interagency Committee, with representation from all affected agencies and the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, is charged with ensuring the quality and consistency of the screening and assessment process across the Commonwealth. The Secretary of Public Safety serves as chairperson. The Interagency Committee serves to promote interagency coordination and cooperation. Under the auspices of the Interagency Committee, the multi-agency DSAT Work Group, through the leadership of the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, continued to meet during 2004. The Interagency Committee is required by § 2.2-223 to submit a report each year to the General Assembly.

Significant, but required, budget and staff reductions have affected each of the principal agencies. In response to cuts in funding since 2001, particularly the elimination of Substance Abuse Reduction Effort (SABRE) funds, agencies involved in screening and assessment activities have re-examined protocols and developed alternative strategies to maximize the use of remaining resources. Despite the elimination of a substantial number of staff positions formerly devoted to this task, the agencies have continued their efforts to address offender's substance abuse needs by streamlining the process in some instances, utilizing other screening instruments and otherwise attempting to make this task more manageable for the fewer number of staff involved.