Substance Use Disorder Program

The mission of Substance Use Treatment programs is to break the cycle of substance use, criminal behavior, and incarceration in order to provide the best opportunity for developing a long-term recovery program, both within state correctional facilities and in the local communities to which inmates return.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) Substance Use Treatment programs are based on the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) level of care guidelines and based on the concept  that the participant is ultimately responsible for his/her recovery. Participants work closely with treatment staff to develop individual treatment goals and strategies. Each program develops treatment guidelines and therapeutic goals. A variety of treatment options are available to inmates based upon their assessed level of treatment needs.

For inmates with severe substance use disorders, intensive nine-to-twelve-month residential programs are available in which participants progress through multiple treatment phases. Based on the modified Therapeutic Community model, this highly structured community setting is used to provide a peer-based support system for program participants. Program responsibilities are distributed through a structure board and participants are taught to take responsibility for their actions. In addition to substance use treatment, participants receive GED education, motivational group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, rational decision making, criminal thinking, parental skill development, anger management, victim's impact, job readiness/vocational training (where available), facility-based community service work(where available), and aftercare.

For inmates with moderate substance use disorders, less intensive group therapy services are available. Group therapy is a four-to-six-month intensive outpatient program in which participants are required to complete, at minimum, 150 hours of structured evidence-based treatment services. Substance use issues are closely tied to social relationships; therefore, the focus is on using group therapy as a tool for establishing healthy interpersonal relationships and a recovery support system.

The Parole Technical Violator Diversion Program (PTVDP) is available for inmates who are reincarcerated due to a technical violation of their condition of parole. Currently located at Turney Center Industrial Complex Annex, this 75-bed program runs in conjunction with the modified therapeutic community program at the facility. The program lasts an average six months and addresses the same topics covered in our standard therapeutic communities. Emphasis is placed on identifying inmates' reentry needs in order to make a successful reentry and integration into society, with a foundation of recovery skills and support.