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Nola Sizemore

Staff Writer

On Thursday, Harlan County Jailer Curt Stallard informed members of the Harlan Fiscal Court a new Substance Abuse Program (SAP) for state inmates will begin at the Harlan County Detention Center sometime in March. He said the program will be available to 32 male only state inmates.

“I applied for the SAP Program through jail inspector and the Department of Corrections,” said Stallard. “They have been working on this for about three months and called me last week to inform me we are getting the SAP Program for M Block at our jail. This program will be available to 32 male only state inmates and they will be housed constantly in our jail. If one successfully or even drops out of the program, the state will require other inmates who have applied for the program at other jails or prisons the opportunity to be transferred to the Harlan County Detention Center to participate in the program, keeping slots filled all the time.”

According to the Department of Corrections policies and procedures 13.8, the SAP Program is available to inmates, probationers and parolees with a history of substance abuse. It is a six- to nine-month residential program that utilizes the therapeutic community model to provide substance abuse services to those with a history of substance dependence. Offenders who are within approximately 24 months of being paroled are admitted to the SAP Program to gain the tools necessary to sustain long-term recovery from substance abuse and its negative consequences.

Stallard said the county will receive $42 per inmate from the state for those who participate in this program. He said $31 of that amount will be for the housing of the inmate and the remaining $11 will be used to help pay for the instructor and supplies.

“The Department of Corrections will handle everything including the hiring of an instructor and all other things involved,” said Stallard. “Right now, we have approximately 100 state inmates, they’ve been pulling them out pretty quick. We lost six in 10 days recently — going to other jails for the SAP Program. So, from here on out we’ll be keeping those state inmates in our jail.”

Stallard also noted the jail will be expanding their gardening program an additional 5 acres this year. Stallard said he hopes to plant at least 3 acres of that this spring.

Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510 or at nsizemore@civitasmedia.com