§ 97.4. Assessment of addiction and other treatment needs.

 (a)  The Department will conduct a risk assessment and assess the addiction and other treatment needs of a defendant committed to its custody for purposes of an evaluation. The assessment of addiction shall be conducted using a nationally recognized assessment instrument or an instrument that has been normed and validated on the Department’s inmate population by a recognized expert in these matters. The instrument will be administered by persons skilled in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction and trained to conduct assessments. The assessment will be reviewed and approved by a supervisor with at least 3 years of experience providing drug and alcohol counseling services.

 (b)  The Department will provide a report of its assessment to the court, the defendant, the attorney for the Commonwealth and the Commission within 60 days of the commitment of the defendant to the Department for purposes of evaluation. If the Department determines that the defendant will benefit from a DOTP and placement in a DOTP is appropriate, the report will include a proposed DOTP detailing the type of treatment proposed for the defendant. If the Department determines that the defendant will not benefit from a DOTP or that placement in a DOTP is inappropriate, the report will set forth the reasons for the Department’s determination.

 (c)  The act provides that the court may not modify or alter the terms of the Department’s proposed DOTP without the agreement of the Department and attorney for the Commonwealth. A request for modification of the terms of a proposed DOTP shall be sent to the Deputy Superintendent for the Diagnostic and Classification Center at SCI-Camp Hill for male inmates and the Deputy Superintendent for Centralized Services at SCI-Muncy for female inmates. If the Department agrees to a request for modification, it will forward an amended report to the court, defendant, attorney for the Commonwealth and the Commission.