Residential Drug Abuse Program

Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) is an intensive substance abuse program administered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) offered to federal prisoners who qualify and voluntarily elect to enroll. Upon successful completion of the program, prisoners who meet the necessary criteria are eligible for a 12-month reduction of their sentence and possibly six months in a halfway house. Michael Vick was rumored to have entered the program while serving out his sentence at a Federal Prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Violent offenses normally disqualify defendants from the early release portion of the program. Felony or misdemeanor convictions for homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and child sexual abuses all render a prisoner ineligible to participate.

The program is open to inmates with a documented history of substance abuse in the 12-month period prior to arrest for the sentence they are currently serving. It is authorized in 18 U.S.C. § 3621. RDAP is only available to inmates in federal prisons. State prisoners are not eligible to participate.

Consulting with a professional experienced in sentence mitigation improves a defendant's acceptance rate into the program, particularly when charges implicate an individual in a violent crime. Criminal defense attorneys provide advice on these matters, as do nationally-recognized RDAP consultants, such as Herbert Hoelter and the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives.

Research commissioned by the BOP revealed lower rates of recidivism and a higher quality of life upon returning to civilian life for offenders who successfully complete the program.