Launched in 1992 and incorporated into CASES in 1998, the Treatment Readiness Program (TRP) operates out of Manhattan Criminal Court as a two-day alternative sentence for first-time misdemeanor drug offenders, individuals arrested for prostitution, and individuals arrested for soliciting sex workers. It is the only program of its kind in New York, providing education and immediate access to drug and alcohol treatment on a voluntary basis for offenders who would otherwise receive up to 15 days in jail. Approximately 200 people are sentenced to the program each month; roughly 23% of these subsequently enroll in treatment programs through TRP.

TRP's premise is that ending drug and alcohol use is the best way to halt drug-related criminal behavior. It offers a unique combination of education, counseling, and the direct experience of visiting alcohol and drug treatment programs. The TRP consists of three components:

Section 1 An Overview of HIV/AIDS discusses how the virus is transmitted, the difference between HIV and AIDS, available treatment options; the importance of condom use; and access to HIV testing. In this segment clients are made aware that it is risk behavior, not risk groups, that makes one susceptible to contracting HIV; that impaired judgment produced from alcohol or other substances is itself a risky behavior; and that the best means of HIV/AIDS prevention is a drug or alcohol-free lifestyle.

Section 2 Understanding Substance Abuse introduces TRP clients to the medical model of addiction, consequential thinking, and the importance of treatment. The biochemistry of addiction for various substances is reviewed, along with genetic predisposition and the physical consequences of continued use. It is in this segment that TRP staff work to break down the clients' denial system, helping them to assess where they are on the spectrum from social or casual use to addiction.

Section 3 Introduction to Drug and Alcohol Treatment builds on the assumption that people can and do stop using drugs once they are provided with both information and adequate means, this interactive segment of the program introduces treatment options. TRP clients visit treatment programs, where receive a tour of the facility, participate in integrated into counseling sessions with clients already in treatment, and taken through an intake session. TRP staff has linkages with many drug or alcohol treatment programs (including Methadone Maintenance Programs) in all of the boroughs, to facilitating easy access to treatment. This easy access is critical for TRP clients who are in the process of considering treatment for their drug or alcohol problem. If a TRP participant makes a decision to enter treatment, an intake interview can be scheduled that same day.