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YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri |
October 1, 2002
Report No. 2002-105
The following problems were discovered as a result of an audit conducted by our office of the Department of Mental Health, Management of the Substance Abuse Traffic Offenders Program (SATOP).
The SATOP program is a statewide system of comprehensive, accessible, community-based education and treatment options for individuals arrested in Missouri on alcohol and drug-related offenses.� State law requires suspension of an offender's driver's license until he/she successfully completes an acceptable substance abuse traffic offender program.� Depending on severity and frequency of offense, offenders can be ordered to different levels of treatment.
Questionable treatment level for repeat offenders
Some repeat offenders do not advance to higher level treatment programs as required by the program manual. Of the total 64,836 offender screenings performed, 23,029 (36 percent) were considered repeat offenders with two or more driving while intoxicated offenses.� Our review identified 1,247 (5 percent) of these repeat offenders who were still assigned to a Level I program.� According to the division's program manual, offenders with more than one conviction for driving while intoxicated are not eligible to attend an entry-level program.
Some offenders are not required to complete higher level programs if they live more than 30 miles from a provider offering such programs.� According to the program manual, offenders do not have to attend recommended higher level programs if they live more than 60 miles from a Level II program provider, or 30 miles from a Level III program provider. Instead, they may attend a lower level program.� The division does not track how often distance allowances are granted, or whether such allowances are granted to repeat offenders.
Offenders must complete questionnaires and a driver risk inventory during the screening process.� These screening tools require offenders to provide information about previous treatment programs completed and previous alcohol or drug-related traffic offenses.� Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse personnel stated that federal guidelines prohibit giving offender management units access to the offenders' prior program history.� As a result, the screeners cannot verify the information provided by the offenders.
Procedures need improvement
Division personnel need to ensure accurate and complete information is recorded in data systems, and implement several management reconciliations regarding thisinformation.� These changes are necessary to ensure offenders actually complete the assigned treatment program, the state screening fees are remitted to the state, and proper payments are made to providers.� Information such as social security number, birth data, first name and middle initial, blood alcohol level, repeat offender status, and program level assigned is often not entered in the division's data systems.
Fees not remitted timely
Offender management units do not always remit the state's portion of screening fees timely.� Total fees received for fiscal year 2000 and 2001 were $1,687,868 and $1,655,748, respectively.� Our fiscal year review showed the offender management units made late payments for approximately 48 percent of payments in 2000 and 43 percent in 2001.� Some payments were significantly late.� For example, a review of 1,368 January 2001 screenings with remittances due by February 15, 2001, showed 1,004 screenings (74 percent) paid after that date, with 329 of these screenings (24 percent) remaining delinquent as of March 1, 2001, and some not paid until May 2001.