Community Alternative Program (CAP)
Finding an alternative to jail sentencing in Washington County
Providing 24 beds for 120 days, Community Alternative is partnered with Washington and
Benton County to offer a transitional living program to individuals facing incarceration due to
new charges and supervision infractions. This program is designed to hold individuals
accountable for their actions while allowing them an opportunity to learn a new way to think,
behave, heal, and live.
Each year, 45,000 people are booked into local jails in Arkansas. Many of these consist of
possession of a substance and other crimes that resulted from one bad decision. At Returning
Home, we know the value of mentorship, education, and working through decision-making
abilities. This is why we have created the Community Alternative Program.
Incarceration has been the preferred method for treating underlying behaviors and symptoms
associated with addiction. The unfortunate negative outcome of an incarceration environment
may include an increase in substance use disorder symptoms and other mental health
disorders, particularly the affective disorders of anxiety, depression, social phobia, and post-
traumatic stress syndrome. Statistics show that 41% of this population has experienced
childhood sexual trauma, and 100% struggle with mental health paired with a substance use
disorder.
To combat these factors, CAP provides safe and sober housing, food security, hygiene kits,
clothing, case management, mental health counseling, employment preparedness alongside job
placement assistance, financial education, medication management, addiction support, and
recovery connection.
Our program assists clients in obtaining medical insurance, identification, records, driver’s
license, child support needs, and fulfilling all legal obligations. Participants engage in a
classroom setting daily. The curriculum is designed to reduce recidivism by improving behavior,
skills, mental health, social functioning, and access to education and employment. Evidence-
based programs include Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, and Thinking for a Change. Clients are submerged within a recovery community and
held accountable to the standards of a healthy lifestyle. Our goal is to help our clients become
self-sufficient, responsible, and stable members of the community.
OUR Facility
We are currently in the phase of raising the funds for a new facility for CAP. We have the design and amount needed to proceed, we just need donors like you to contribute to the cause. If you would like to see a difference made in jail populations and reforming the lives of men and women, click the button below to make a donation.
