What is Project BRACE TM ?
Project BRACE (Breaking Recidivism And Creating Empowerment) TM provides individualized, assessment-driven treatment services to inmates in the Santa Barbara County Jail who experience co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues and are at significant risk of returning to incarceration. Individualized services include: risk and need assessment, group and individual counseling, discharge planning and—ultimately—a strong continuum of care upon community reentry.
Project BRACE TM is a partnership between Sanctuary Centers, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s Treatment Program, and the Santa Barbara County Probation Department.
Project BRACE TM follows an evidence-based practice of offering individualized levels of service, and as such, has carefully identified target populations that consider both risks for reoffending and the clinical treatment needs for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues.
The need for the type of in-custody care being provided by Sanctuary Centers is imperative to reduce recidivism among this specific high risk, high need population.
Program Description
Project BRACE TM is being provided to inmates with moderate to high risk and this is our primary target population. Our service includes curriculum-driven cognitive behavioral intervention for inmates while incarcerated in the unit and in a group setting. The Santa Barbara County Jail determines the need for Sanctuary’s services by using evidence-based assessment tools. Inmates who agree to participate in the treatment program sign a release of information, and are then assessed by Sanctuary Center’s program counselor.
All inmates at the Santa Barbara County Jail are eligible for discharge planning services. The discharge team will work closely with partners including Sanctuary Centers, Santa Barbara Jail discharge planner, Santa Barbara County Probation Department, and the Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness Department to ensure that inmates receive support and access to a continuum of care upon release.
What to Expect
Our multidisciplinary teams work with each client in the program to set realistic and purposeful goals.
Program Goals
The primary goal of Project BRACE TM is to stop the cycle of recidivism for those experiencing a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder. The Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Department reports that this population has an approximate 99% recidivism rate. By introducing treatment services during incarceration—the likelihood that the inmate will pursue outpatient treatment with Sanctuary Centers’ Co-Occurring Disorders program once they have been released is increased by 50%. This warm handoff between incarceration and release is the needed link to break the cycle.
Target Population and Eligibility Requirements
- Santa Barbara County Jail will administer testing which will assist with classification of need for each inmate. Those meeting BRACE eligibility requirements will be referred and assessed by BRACE personnel.
- BRACE risk assessments which indicate legal interruptions not primarily due to a substance abuse disorder.
- Criminal activity that indicates criminal thinking, criminal peers, anti-social belief systems, etc. in addition to substance issues.
- Presenting co-occurring disorder, as determined by Santa Barbara jail mental health professionals.
- Inmate will likely be released to the community within one year.
- Ability to choose to participate and communicate with staff.
- Motivation or crime category is not an eligibility factor.
- High need (substance abuse/addiction and mental illness).
- Lower risk – criminal activity appears to be directly related to substance abuse (i.e. stealing to support drug use)
Services Include
The process of admitting an inmate into the treatment program and Santa Barbara jail planning. Intake includes the evaluation or analysis of mental illness, criminogenic risk, the diagnosis of mental health/substance use disorders, and the assessment of treatment needs to provide medically necessary services. Intake and Assessment is a process shared by Sanctuary Centers’ clinical staff, Santa Barbara jail medical unit, and the Sheriff’s Program’s unit.
Face-to-face contacts between an inmate and a Sanctuary Centers’ program counselor. A primary objective of individual counseling sessions will be to ready the client for participation in group therapy.
Groups are curriculum-driven, evidence-based and grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically Seeking Safety, a treatment manual developed specifically for use with clients with difficult-to-treat co-occurring disorders.
In collaboration with the Jail Discharge Planning Team, inmates will be involved in planning for discharge – including housing, medication plan, linkages to community and government resources, treatment recommendations, and transportation as necessary.
How Much Does It Cost for Project BRACE TM Services?
There are no costs associated with this program for the inmates.