The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program (RSAT) was created to fund the development of substance abuse treatment programs in state and local correctional facilities. The program encourages states to adopt comprehensive approaches to substance abuse treatment for offenders. The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program is divided into three components:

• The requirements for the RSAT Program in prisons and juvenile detention facilities are statutorily mandated. As such, a program must be: designed to last between 6 to 12 months; provided in residential treatment facilities set apart from the general correctional population; directed at the substance abuse problems of the inmate; and develop the prisoners cognitive, behavioral, social, vocational, and other skills to solve the inmates substance abuse and related problems. It is preferred that treatment commences 6 to 12 months before release from prison.
• The jail-based treatment program requirements also are statutorily mandated. It requires: a program must be designed to last at least three months; make every effort to set apart the treatment population from the general population; focus on the substance abuse problems of the offender; develop the prisoners cognitive, behavioral, social, vocational, and other skills as to solve the inmates substance abuse and related problems; and be science-based and effective.
• Treatment after-release provides substance abuse treatment, for up to one year, to parolees after incarceration. The program must focus on the substance abuse problems of the offender and must develop the inmate's cognitive, behavioral, social, vocational, and other skills as to solve the substance abuse and related problems.

Each component must provide urinalysis and/or other certified forms of drug and alcohol testing of individual participants during their participation in the program.

The goal of the program is to develop one underlying, evidence-based treatment model that will strengthen the program by providing uniform treatment for all participants and provide staff with specific curriculum training to ensure familiarity with the treatment selected. Also, the program should focus on providing coordinated services for offender after-release treatment and re-entry to the community.