New York, NY (December 15, 2022)—CAI has been awarded two years of additional funding from the SAMHSA Opioid Response Network to expand Project SUCCEED, which helps organizations give incarcerated people the tools and support they need to manage substance use disorders before they are released from prison, so that they can self-manage relapse prevention over the long term once they’re released.
Project SUCCEED is a training curriculum and learning collaborative developed by CAI in 2021. In its first year, CAI trained staff at six sites throughout the country to deliver the SUCCEED curriculum and improve their referral systems with community-based organizations. In turn, the agencies provided training to 48 justice-involved individuals that helped them build communication, stress management, and problem-solving skills. The agencies also connected them to community-based organizations where they could access ongoing support.
As part of the Project SUCCEED evaluation efforts, CAI conducted surveys with the people served by the organizations CAI trained last year. More than 80 percent of these individuals reported that they feel confident that they can use the skills they learned through SUCCEED in the future, and 100 percent said that participating in SUCCEED helped them with stress management.
The continued funding will allow CAI to provide training and support to up to four more organizations, develop additional training materials on topics including managing stress and trauma, and conduct more extensive evaluation efforts.
“By training professionals to help incarcerated and previously incarcerated individuals build life skills and connections, SUCCEED has the potential to reduce recidivism, relapse, and deaths from overdose,” said Rusty Chambliss, CAI Vice President. “This new funding will allow us to serve more agencies and ultimately help break the cycle of substance abuse and heal families.”