The Hall County Correctional Institution has been named as a recipient of an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The $50,000 grant will be used to implement a Residential Substance Abuse Program (RSAT) to provide participants in the Re-entry Accountability Court Transition (REACT) Program with intensive substance abuse treatment. The RSAT program has been used effectively in the state prison system for several years. Hall County C.I. will be the first county correctional institution in the state to offer the program.
"We have found that, without exception, all of the participants in the REACT program have serious addiction issues which must be addressed if they are to be successfully returned to our community," said Hall County Warden Walt Davis. "This intensive program is a significant step in that direction."
The REACT program focuses on state inmates returning to Hall and Dawson counties. Programming consists of substance abuse treatment, as well as educational and vocational training. Participants also receive on-the-job experience while working with local businesses once they have progressed to the work release portion of the program. The purpose of the program is to help inmates find gainful employment in an effort to reduce recidivism rates.
The grant application was a collaborative effort between Warden Davis and Jessica Robinson, Hall County's Resource Development and Grants Manager.