Prison contractor squares off with counseling lobby in Capitol

The Illinois-based company that runs Wyoming’s in-prison treatment programs is battling mental health and substance abuse treatment lobbyists in an effort to lower licensing standards for its counselors.

Debate grew bitter Tuesday night as the state’s mainstream mental health and substance abuse lobbyists accused the prison contractor of seeking to bring in less-qualified staff for profit reasons. The contractor’s representative and its legislative supporters, meanwhile, accused the state’s more established addiction counselors of protectionism and of running a smear campaign.

Critics already question the company’s treatment practices. The Gateway Foundation has faced criticism from former inmates and is named as a defendant in two jailhouse lawsuits. Some complaints focused on a lack of staffing and a subsequent lack of counseling time during months-long in-prison residential treatment programs that are designed to help inmates confront their addictions before achieving their freedom.

At the same time, data shows the state continues to suffer from a dearth of mental health and substance abuse treatment resources. Addiction and mental health woes have helped drive growth in Wyoming’s prison population, growth that officials hope to quell with a series of reforms in recent years.

Read more: https://www.wyofile.com/prison-contractor-squares-off-with-counseling-lobby-in-capitol/