The most significant and long-standing federal drug treatment program is RDAP, the Residential Drug Abuse Program, which has been operating for about 30 years. It is not new but it remains the most impactful program available to federal inmates with documented substance abuse histories.
RDAP is an intensive nine to twelve-month residential treatment program offered at select Bureau of Prisons facilities. For eligible inmates who successfully complete it, the benefits are substantial. Up to 12 months off the sentence and at a minimum of 6 months of halfway house placement before final release. That combination can meaningfully compress the total time between sentencing and coming home.
The critical word is eligible. Not every drug offender qualifies. RDAP requires a documented history of substance abuse that predates the incarceration. That documentation needs to be established before he goes in, specifically during the Pre-Sentence Investigation process. The PSI is the report prepared by the probation officer before sentencing that the judge uses to inform the sentence. Getting substance abuse history properly documented in the PSI is what creates the eligibility pathway for RDAP later.
This is worth doing now, before sentencing, while there is still time to do it correctly. His attorney should be raising this with the probation officer conducting the PSI.
There are people who charge significant money to help families navigate this process. InmateAid provides that information at no charge because we believe families going through this should not have to pay a premium to access information that is available if you know where to look. If you have questions about how to position for RDAP eligibility, email aid@inmateaid.com.