GTL Steps Up to Help Rehab Substance Abusers
By CN Staff
FALLS CHURCH, Va.—GTL, a leader in transformative corrections technology, has announced that is has implemented several resources to assist inmates in rehabilitation for substance abuse while incarcerated and after release on probation or parole.
A June 2017 Special Report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, stated that, according to data collected between 2007 and 2009, 58 percent of inmates housed in state prisons met the criteria for drug dependence or abuse, and only 28 percent of those inmates participated in a drug treatment program. The situation is even more dire in jail facilities, where 63 percent of inmates met the criteria and only 22 percent received some sort of treatment. Inmates face many barriers to treatment, including the lack of resources, infrastructure, and staff required to meet drug treatment needs.
GTL is breaking down those barriers through a partnership with Breaking Free Group, a UK-based digital health and behavioral science company that has pioneered the utilization in corrections settings of clinically-robust digital behavior change interventions for addictions.
GTL offers the “Breaking Free from Substance Abuse” digital program via secure GTL Inspire tablets, allowing inmates to achieve and maintain recovery from dependence on over 70 different substances, including opioids, stimulants, prescribed medications, and alcohol. The intervention is proven through extensive peer-reviewed research to be effective at helping people overcome drug and alcohol addiction, as well as improving their social functioning and mental health.
Tailored specifically to the corrections environment, Breaking Free from Substance Abuse gives inmates strategies to help prepare them for release, reduce their risk of overdose, and improve their chances of successful re-entry into society. The program also provides essential continuity since it follows inmates through the prison gate after release on probation or parole.
Dr. Jonathan Ward, Managing Director of Breaking Free Group, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with GTL to address substance abuse, which is a key driver of recidivism. Our digital solution, which is accredited by the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advice Panel at the UK Ministry of Justice and endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence at the UK Department of Health, is having a major positive impact in British prisons. Now, through GTL’s innovative technology, inmates with drug and alcohol problems across the United States can access this continuous, evidence-based behavioral support to assist their recovery and rehabilitation.”
“GTL is leveraging its global footprint in order to bring best-in-class content to its customers,” said Dr. Turner Nashe, GTL Executive Vice President, Education Services. “We recognize that the human experience goes beyond the classroom and is often inside our relationships and ourselves. We believe strongly in helping our clients in four directions — ‘up’ to the spiritual self, ‘forward’ to unlocking potential, ‘back’ to remember the past, and ‘down’ to offer a firm hand-up to fellow human beings. We all must remember that a hand-up is most often referred to as a second chance. GTL offers opportunities for thousands of second chances within our corrections community, especially through these proven substance abuse interventions from Breaking Free Group.”