Addiction Recovery Management Services Unit

The Addiction Recovery Management Services Unit (ARMSU) offers comprehensive training, clinical supervision, and education to IDOC staff, vendors, and personnel from local and state agencies. ARMSU is also responsible for monitoring all substance use programs within the Department, providing oversight for the development of additional substance use treatment programs, and serving as the liaison between other community and state agencies.

The ARMSU's mission is to formulate consistent guidelines for the development and implementation of addiction recovery management programs and the continuum of care within the Department; to coordinate the screening, assessment, and referral of individuals in custody needing and/or requesting addiction recovery services; to monitor the care and standards of substance use treatment provided to individuals in custody; to serve as a resource for the agency and provide consultative services and training to agency staff and community providers around addiction issues.

ARMSU facilitates Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) training sessions for staff in the CADC process, IDOC-certified staff, and vendor staff, as well as continuing education units in need of training. Those attending in staff positions include Parole Agents, Parole Supervisors, Clinical Services Supervisors, Correctional Casework Supervisors, Counselors, Correctional Assessment Specialists, Mental Health Professionals, and substance abuse counselors. 

Training topics include:

• Screening, Intake, and Assessments
• Ethics, Confidentiality, and Boundaries
• Documentation and Record Keeping
• Cultural Competence and Diversity
• Trauma Informed Care
• Gender Specific Treatment Approaches
• Co-Occurring Disorders
• Special Treatment Populations
• Portfolio Development
• Psychopharmacology
• Relapse Prevention and Recovery Services
• Criminal Thinking and Re-entry Planning
• Clinical Supervision and Field Work

The ARMSU also participates in the IAODAPCA Conferences in Northern and Southern Illinois, the AECS Conference, and the IADDA Conference.

In the Women & Family Services Division, all treatment programs are gender-specific and utilize a modified therapeutic community model of treatment.

Sheridan and Southwestern are dedicated treatment facilities with services that bridge the gap between incarceration and the community. With state, community, and local service providers, Sheridan and Southwestern provide intensive substance use treatment to individuals in custody identified as in need of treatment in an intensive, multi-modality therapeutic setting. All elements of research-proven programming are present at Sheridan and Southwestern, including: clinical re-entry management, vocational counseling, job placement, community involvement, and restorative justice. In addition, their treatment will continue upon completion of their sentence under a highly supervised transition back to their communities.

What distinguishes the programs at Sheridan and Southwestern is their extensive focus on community safety, as well as their re-entry program's status as the most highly supervised and supported re-entry program in state history.

Continuing research indicates significant improvements in recidivism rates. All the adult male treatment programs are DASA licensed and utilize the modified therapeutic community model of treatment. Additionally, there are Dual Diagnosis Treatment Units for adults at Dixon Correctional Center and Logan Correctional Center.

Baseline services provided throughout the agency are:

• Drug Awareness—All sites are equipped to provide the Hazelden Curriculum, which raises awareness and informs. This service is a voluntary, 5-week group designed for surface-level information about drugs.
• Drug Education – All sites are equipped to provide the Hazelden Curriculum, designed to change attitudes and behaviors. This service is a voluntary, 12-week-long group for in-depth knowledge and skill building.
• Substance Abuse Screenings – All sites are equipped to administer the standardized Texas Christian University Screening Tool, which helps identify individuals in need of substance use treatment. Additionally, all individuals entering the Department of Corrections are screened using this tool by TASC and other vendors or staff. The statewide substance use wait list is generated through the Reception and Classification Units as a result of the front-end identification of individuals who require substance use treatment.
• Support Groups – All sites provide Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Adult Children of Alcoholics.

The Department collaborated with both the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to secure funding for services not only within facilities, but also to fund programming within all Adult Transitional Centers and for Pre- and Post-Release Clinical Re-entry Services.

All substance use treatment is voluntary, and individuals in custody who desire access to treatment are referred to the most appropriate level of services based on their need, the length of time to Mandatory Supervised Release, security level, and motivation to change.