A new long term substance abuse treatment program is being implemented at Lexington’s jail. Members of a Lexington city council committee were briefed on the initiative this week. Substance Abuse and Violence Intervention Program Director Amy Baker says the plan calls for a 20 bed six month treatment format for male inmates. “To receive long term treatment in hopes that the issues that brought them there will be addressed in jail and when they get out of jail, the cycle will be broken.”
Baker says it will complement existing drug treatment efforts. She says there will likely be a waiting list for the voluntary program for male inmates. “Before I was here I was with the Department of Corrections and their substance abuse treatment office and we maintained a waiting list of hundreds of people who were already in jail or prison just trying to get into the program,” explained Baker. “So, there will be twenty beds and we’re grateful for the twenty beds, but it’s not nearly enough.”
Baker says the aim is to get the substance abuse treatment program up and running this summer. She says it’s being supported with 66 thousand dollars in state money. Baker adds a one year follow up evaluation is part of the program.?
