Program Overview
Staten Island TASC provides alternatives to incarceration services to individuals on Staten Island who are involved in the criminal justice system and suffering from alcohol and substance use.
Clients Served Last Year:
457
Program Contact:
Abagail Sass-Diaz, LCSW
Program Director
Funding Generously Provided by:
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (OPCA), the New York City Council through the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office, and private donations.
Contact Information:
120 Stuyvesant Place
Suite 410
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 727-9722
Abigail.sass-diaz@eac-network.org
Program Description
The Problem:
Studies have shown there is a definite link between substance abuse and crime. Heroin and opioid abuse have become a particularly alarming problem on Staten Island.
Our Solution:
Provide referrals for treatment as well as case management as an alternative to incarceration.
How We Do it:
Established in 1985, the intention of the Staten Island TASC program is to provide diversion out of the criminal justice system and into treatment programs for offenders who are found to have a substance abuse issue.
The TASC model comprises four discrete activities:
1) identification of alcohol or drug-involved and/or mentally ill individuals to determine their appropriateness for referral by the criminal justice system into the TASC case management system;
2) assessment of the individual’s behavioral health treatment needs;
3) referral to the appropriate treatment placement; and
4) continuous case management through reporting protocols, urine monitoring, and ancillary requirements to ensure compliance with criminal justice orders and the treatment regimen.
How You Can Help:
To support Staten Island TASC with a gift, click here or call (516) 539-0150 x117.
The Outcomes of Staten Island TASC
Individuals that participate in Staten Island TASC are able to gain treatment, learn from their mistakes, and re-enter society as better citizens.
What People Say About Staten Island TASC
Ten years ago I was a client of Staten Island TASC as a self-destructing and lost teenager. I write this now as a successful man, who has long conquered the demons of addiction and found a better way through the fire by completing the TASC program. At 27 years old, I am working as a Certified Public Accountant and just purchased a new home. TASC provides you with the tools you need to get clean and maintain sobriety. The staff members treat you like a person in need, not an inconvenience or an inmate. The motivation to complete the program will have to come from within you, but given the resources you have available with TASC, success is right in front of you. Stay the course, improve your life, and stay clean. It is all worth it.
