NRDAP, the Challenge program and other BOP drug treatment

This page covers BOP's drug programs other than RDAP. For RDAP itself, start with what RDAP is.

Drug abuse education course

Every BOP prison offers a drug abuse education course. It is a short class about drug and alcohol use. It also helps BOP find people who need more treatment.

The rule gives the course two goals:

"(1) Inform inmates of the consequences of drug/alcohol abuse and addiction; and (2) Motivate inmates needing drug abuse treatment to apply for further drug abuse treatment, both while incarcerated and after release."

Who takes the course

BOP gives "primary consideration" to people sentenced after September 30, 1991, or returned to custody as a violator after that date. Staff look at interviews and your file. You get primary consideration if staff find any of these (28 C.F.R. § 550.51(b)(1)):

• alcohol or drug use helped lead to your offense
• alcohol or drug use was a reason you violated supervised release, parole or a BOP community placement
• the judge who sentenced you recommended drug programming, or an evaluation, while you are in prison
• you have a history of alcohol or drug use

BOP policy says people who meet these criteria "are required to take the DRUG ED course" (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.3.2, p. 1). Your unit team checks your file when you arrive.

Unit team

The BOP staff in your housing unit who handle your case, such as your case manager and counselor.

You can also volunteer for the course. People who are required to take it get placed first (§ 550.51(b)(2); P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.3.3, p. 2).

You may not be placed in the course if you do not have enough time left to finish it. You also may not be placed if you volunteer for, enter or finish RDAP (§ 550.51(b)(3)).

What the course involves

BOP policy says the course lasts 12 to 15 hours. It covers your own drug use, the link between drug use and crime, and other BOP programs (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.3.6, p. 3). It is ordinarily given within 12 months after your sentence starts (§ 2.3.5, p. 3).

To finish, you must attend, take part and pass a final exam. You ordinarily get at least three chances to pass (28 C.F.R. § 550.51(d)). BOP policy sets the passing score at 70% correct answers (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.3.6, p. 4).

If you refuse or do not finish

These effects apply only if you were placed under the primary-consideration rule above. If you refuse, quit, are expelled, or do not meet the attendance and exam rules, you cannot get (28 C.F.R. § 550.51(e)(1)):

• performance pay above the maintenance pay level, bonus pay or vacation pay
• a Federal Prison Industries job, unless the warden makes an exception for labor needs

The warden may make exceptions to these rules for good cause (§ 550.51(e)(2)).

Non-residential drug abuse treatment (NRDAP)

NRDAP is a weekly group treatment program. Every BOP prison has it, and it is voluntary.

"All institutions must have non-residential drug abuse treatment services, provided through the institution's Psychology Services department. These services are available to inmates who voluntarily decide to participate."

Non-residential drug abuse treatment (NRDAP)

Drug treatment you take while you keep living in your regular housing. BOP's program guide calls it a group "designed for general population individuals" who report problem substance use (BOP First Step Act Approved Programs Guide, p. 18). BOP policy writes it as "NR DAP."

Who NRDAP is for

BOP policy lists these groups (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.4.2, p. 5):

• people waiting to enter RDAP
• people who do not meet RDAP's admission rules but want less intensive treatment
• people referred by psychology or other prison staff
• people whose judge recommended drug treatment but who do not want RDAP or do not qualify for it
• people who went through detox from alcohol or drugs when they entered BOP custody
• people found guilty of an incident report for using alcohol or drugs

BOP's website adds people with short sentences, people moving back to the community, and people who had a positive urine test (BOP: Substance Abuse Treatment).

How long NRDAP lasts

BOP policy says NRDAP meets 90 to 120 minutes a week. It lasts at least 12 weeks and no more than 24 weeks (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.4.4, p. 5). BOP's website calls it a "12-week, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatment program" held mostly in groups (BOP: Substance Abuse Treatment).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

A kind of treatment that works on how your thoughts affect your feelings and actions.

Your prison may also offer self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. BOP policy says these groups support treatment, but they "do not substitute for NR DAP or residential treatment hours" (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.4.3, p. 5).

Rewards and removal

BOP policy says wardens are "strongly encouraged" to approve people who finish NRDAP for the longest halfway-house stay. Bed space or safety concerns can change that (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.4.8, p. 7).

The Drug Abuse Program Coordinator (DAPC), the staff member who runs drug treatment at your prison, can remove you from NRDAP. The reasons are disruptive behavior or poor progress in treatment (P5330.11, ch. 2, § 2.4.7, p. 7).

RDAP vs. NRDAP

RDAP is longer, you live in a separate unit, and it can lead to time off. NRDAP is a weekly group, you stay in your regular housing, and it does not lead to the RDAP time off. Separate First Step Act time-credit rules may still apply to it.

To see if you can get into RDAP, read the eligibility guide. To learn how much time RDAP can take off, read the sentence reduction guide.

The Challenge program

The Challenge program is a live-in treatment program in BOP's high-security prisons. It is for people with drug problems, mental illness or both. It is not RDAP.

BOP policy calls it "a residential, evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral treatment program" (P5330.11, ch. 5, § 5.1, p. 1). It has a core program and two tracks: a drug abuse track and a mental illness track (§ 5.1.1, p. 1). People in the program live in a unit separate from the general population (§ 5.1.2, p. 1).

To get in, you must meet one of these criteria:

"A history of drug abuse as evidenced by self-report, Presentence Investigation Report (PSR) documentation, or incident reports for use of alcohol or drugs. A major mental illness as evidenced by a current diagnosis of a psychotic disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, or personality disorder."

You can ask to join by sending an Inmate Request to Staff form to the Challenge Coordinator (P5330.11, ch. 5, § 5.3.2, p. 2). BOP's program guide says you need at least 18 months left on your sentence (BOP First Step Act Approved Programs Guide, p. 15).

The early release rule applies to people who finish RDAP, as § 550.53 describes it (28 C.F.R. § 550.55(a)(2)). Challenge is a different program in its own chapter of BOP's treatment policy.

Completing Challenge by itself does not show that all the required parts of RDAP were completed (28 C.F.R. § 550.53(a); § 550.55(a)(2)). The Challenge chapter does not say its drug track counts as finishing RDAP (P5330.11, ch. 5, pp. 1–6).

These programs and the First Step Act

BOP's First Step Act guide lists drug education, NRDAP and Challenge among its programs (BOP First Step Act Approved Programs Guide, p. 13). First Step Act time credits are separate from the RDAP time off.

Whether a person can earn and apply them is its own question, and this site does not cover it. How the First Step Act affects RDAP: firststepact.com.

Does a BOP drug program other than RDAP lead to time off?

Not the § 3621(e) RDAP time off, which requires finishing RDAP itself. Separately, taking part in an approved program may count toward First Step Act time credits for a person who is eligible for them. A program being on BOP's list does not show that a given person can earn or apply credits.

Ask staff what your prison actually offers, whether you need a referral, and how your participation is recorded. A rule that every prison must offer a service does not mean an immediate opening or a spot in every special program.