Studies have shown that incarcerated people with substance use disorders or mental illness find it more comfortable and easier to work with what’s called peer support specialists who have recovered from addiction or had mental health issues themselves.
That’s the motivation for a legislative measure that would create a pilot program within the state’s Department of Corrections to provide participating inmates with a path to becoming certified peer specialists. The program would offer these inmates training hours and experience needed for certification while incarcerated and would assist inmates who complete the program with employment once they have completed their sentence.
A peer specialist is defined as someone who self-identifies as a person living in recovery from mental health or substance use conditions who has a desire to use their experiences to help others with their recovery. This individual has the proper training and experience to work in a provider role. That definition is from the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to legislative analysis.
Hart successfully co-sponsored a bill in last year’s regular session that reduced the barriers of background screenings and offered more flexibilities for individuals to become peers for those in recovery.
“Research has shown that social support provided by peers is beneficial for those in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental illness,” Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart told the House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday. “This act supports the department’s efforts to provide effective treatment and relapse prevention as well as increase the chances of successful reentry of incarcerated individuals.” Hart also is the chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.
Hart’s co-sponsor on the bill is fellow Tampa Bay area Rep. Berny Jacques, a Republican and former Pinellas County prosecutor.
“As a former prosecutor, the vast majority of a lot of crimes that I prosecuted, especially property crimes, a lot of individuals were struggling with substance abuse,” Jacques said. “I’m all for people doing the time, that’s very clear. But while they are doing the time, what kind of services are being provided to make sure that we are addressing these issues that they don’t come back into our court system? And this is the type of program that…would allow individuals who have gone and walked that path, will allow these individuals to break the shackles of addiction, and ultimately cut down on crime.”
As currently proposed, the pilot project would take place at four prisons in Florida: The Gadsden Re-Entry Center in Havana; the Baker Re-Entry Center in Northeast Florida; Lowell Correctional Institution Annex in Ocala; and Marion Correctional Institution in Marion County.
The Peer Specialist Gateway Pilot Program as it’s being called (HB 1045), and if ultimately approved, would have those facilities recruit and enroll inmates who have completed certain treatment programs while incarcerated into peer specialist programs. The inmates would be provided educational training and on-the-job work experience to meet all of the requirements for peer specialist certification. The Department of Corrections would then “assist” in placing the outgoing inmates to get employment as certified peer specialist professionals upon their release.
Not every inmate would qualify. Those who have convictions for murder, a felony sexual offense, kidnapping, aggravated battery, arson or a series of other crimes would not be eligible for the program.
Broward County Democrat Mike Gottlieb is an enthusiastic backer of the proposal.
He said that as a “member of the recovery community,” he said the program is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous in respect to having a sponsor, which he said has been extremely effective in helping people combat alcohol abuse for nearly a century.
“I think this is a very important piece of legislation that will help us study whether programs like this are effective, and they have been proven to be effective for almost 100 years at this point in time and peer recovery and what’s called sponsorship is the most effective form of – without medical science, of course getting people off their drug of choice.”
The House Justice Appropriations Committee voted unanimously in support of the proposal, 15-0. The measure has one more stop in front of the Judiciary Committee before getting to the House floor. A Senate version (SB 1012) has cleared one committee and will go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared in florida phoenix