Paul NelsonChannel 2 News
The Washoe County Sheriff's Substance Abuse Treatment Program started in 2004 and they say it's been a huge success.
The Sheriff's Office says this program is keeping former inmates from returning to jail which saved the county almost $300,000 last year.
Any inmate can take part in this treatment program. If they complete 8 sessions, they qualify to get out of jail five days early.
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In the past year, there has been a 49% increase in inmates taking the substance abuse treatment program and 463 inmates completed it successfully.
And out of those, 76% did not go back to jail in the year, following their release -- a savings estimate of over 2,300 jail days. "It saves in bed days, which it costs $127 a day, to have an inmate. So, if you multiply that over 450 people, who go through the program, it's a huge cost-savings to the county," says Brooke Howard, detention programs director.
This program is aimed at helping inmates get a handle on their addictions before heading back into the world.
Counselors say their addictions range from methamphetamine use -- to alcohol abuse.
And they say the numbers show that it's working. "If somebody's been using a long, long time and let's say it's methamphetamine. It's a real challenge for a lot of these folks to get through some of these things and get them handled. So, it's encouraging when you start to see these kinds of numbers."
Many inmates are ordered to take substance abuse counseling after they are released.
And the sessions they take, while in jail, count towards some of those. "We don't think that their problem is solved, but at least they're on the right track to recovery and they're able to gain some resources."
And while officials say this program is beneficial to the inmates, it also helps their families. "A lot of these folks have kids. So, they're going out now and you have kids, in drug effected families. There's a chance of making an impact there, too," says Sheehan.
Howard adds, "It not only helps the inmates that are transitioning but it also helps the community. It gets people on the right track so that they don't come back into the facility and it doesn't become a revolving door."
If you're wondering who pays for the substance abuse treatment the inmates do.
When they buy food or products from the jail, the money goes into a fund that pays for services like these.
