Division of Addiction and Recovery Services (DARS)
The Division of Addiction and Recovery Services is a cornerstone of the CDCR overarching mission to improve public safety through crime prevention and recidivism reduction. CDCR established the Division of Addiction and Recovery Services (DARS), formerly known as the Office of Substance Abuse Programs, to reduce substance abuse and criminogenic risks and needs of inmates and parolees.
DARS provides the most effective services possible through striving to achieve the following strategic goals and priorities:
- Reduce recidivism through gender responsive interventions which reduce substance abuse behaviors and criminogenic risks and needs.
- Increase aftercare by promoting the value of aftercare to in-prison populations and through service planning and implementation of client-centered services to ensure the successful linkage between in-prison programs and community aftercare entities.
- Improve in-prison and aftercare program performance by completing program assessments, implementing best practices, and responding to recommendations from the Treatment Advisory Committee.
- Develop and implement comprehensive assessment processes which allow measurement and tracking of individual participant change as a result of service interventions.
- Improve program performance by implementing a partnership between DARS, the Treatment Advisory Committee, the academic community, the professional community, and service providers to identify new program models, innovations to existing program models, and identification and elimination of unsuccessful programs.
About DARS Services and Programs:
DARS provides coordinated services to inmates and parolees by working with partners in statewide law enforcement, health, and social services communities. It provides broad-based substance abuse treatment programs in correctional facilities that include transitional programs preparing inmates for release on parole, and community-based continuing care available to parolees. Specifically, DARS provides:
- In-prison substance abuse treatment and associated community aftercare programs, as well as community treatment for parolees who have not completed in-prison programs. Professional treatment providers working under contract with the CDCR are the engines that drive DARS programs.
- The Substance Abuse Programs (SAPs) utilize the Therapeutic Community (TC) and other treatment models to meet the needs of inmates. The TC concept seeks to build and maintain positive, healthy treatment communities in a highly structured environment.
- Community aftercare programs include such modalities as therapeutic residential care, sober living facilities, ,and outpatient treatment.
- CDCR realizes that one program does not fit all, and constantly seeks to improve gender-specific programs and activities designed for a female inmate population with needs that differ from those of male inmates. OSAP administers, monitors, and evaluates programs to assure quality and improved productivity.
Private service contractors provide most services to DARS inmates and parolees, but other community based organizations and state and local governmental agencies are essential partners in DARS carrying out its mission.
Division of Addiction and Recovery ServicesPO Box 942883
94283-0001
(916) 327-3707
FAX (916) 327-1453