CRJ 520 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

CRJ 520 - Research Paper Example of all these challenges has been the lack of enough resources to support the program, and this has compounded the same problems that the program was supposed to address. The Substance Abuse Felony Punishment (SAFP) program is an intensive and an inexpensive substance abuse program that the Texas State offers for offenders undergoing probation. Under this program, the offenders spend 6-12 months in a correctional facility that is run by officers from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). After leaving the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment facility, clients are placed within a residential establishment that is situated within the community, followed by a minimum of three and a maximum of nine months of outpatient counseling. The treatment offered by the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment program is usually offered on contractual by private treatment bodies contracted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In the years that the program has been in operation, there has been ongoing criticism regarding the program especially on the lack of regulation by the state government (Singh & Chalï ¬ , 2008). At the present, the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment program offers nearly 4,500 treatment beds that are strictly dedicated to individuals who have been charged for crimes related to substance abuse. Ideally, a person can only be placed under an SAFP program if a judge establishes that drug or alcohol abuse was responsible for the offense and that the offender is ideal for treatment. Under this program, an approximate 500 SAFP beds are preserved for parolees. In most cases, offenders are placed under the SAFP program either as an original condition or as an alternative of a supervision requirement while under management (Singh & Chalï ¬ , 2008). Over the last three decades, Texas has come up with legislations and policies that are mean to bolster public safety. This has in turn led to overcrowding in prisons and jails and a corrections budget that has