Jail-based drug, mental health recovery program costs Denver $580,000 for a year

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The Denver City Council will vote Monday whether pump about $580,000 into its jail-based RISE, or Recovery in a Secure Environment program.

The council will consider contracts for $389,434 and $193,475 through Sept. 30, 2025, with the Mile High Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and The Empowerment Program. Inmates enrolled in the RISE program spend much of their time out of their cells during the day engaging in therapeutic activities. There are group sessions and one on one treatment.

The services are for inmates who present with a co-occurring substance abuse disorder and mental illness. According to a memo from city staff to the council, the contract recipients will keep scrupulous data on their patients, including:

· A record for everyone who screens positive for a mental illness or substance use disorder.

· Screenings completed and results thereof.

· Basic demographic and working diagnosis information (including veteran status and pregnancy status, if applicable).

· The type and dosage of medications provided for Medication Assisted Treatment, or MAT. Medications ease the symptoms of withdrawal and make it safer.

· Number of individuals who successfully transition to community-based services upon release.

· Program discharge outcomes and treatment status in the community after discharge at months one, two, six and 12.

“This approach should result in greater treatment engagement in the community and decreased recidivism through better identification and treatment of behavioral health needs, the memo states.

Evidence-based treatment

The contract requires the providers to use evidence-based practices. “The contractor shall use evidence-based and promising practices within the screening and service delivery structure to support effective outcomes,” it reads. “The use of a risk/need/responsivity model is encouraged to assess various factors such as substance use disorders, mental illness, cognitive or physical impairments, financial issues, family dynamics, housing instability, developmental disabilities, low literacy levels, and lack of reliable transportation, all of which may need to be addressed to support success.”

Setting inmates up for success

The contract requires the providers to set people up for success when they leave the jail. “The contractor shall link individuals referred to the program to community-based behavioral health supports and services, as appropriate based on the specific needs of

the individual to ensure wraparound services are in place to reduce the risk of the individual returning into the justice system,” it reads.

Salaries and benefits for the program total $328,770, according to the contract, and pays for three behavioral health specialists and a housing and employment specialist.