The overdose crisis is claiming lives across the United States, but it reaches new depths of despair in the criminal justice system. Overdose is the leading cause of death among people returning to their communities after being in jail or prison. Providing addiction treatment in these settings could change that.
To identify implementation barriers and facilitators to the adoption and implementation of programs that provide opioid agonist treatments (OAT) with methadone and buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder in jails and prisons in the United States.
America’s substance misuse crisis is a public safety and public health emergency that threatens the well-being of individuals who misuse drugs as well as their families, communities, and, ultimately, the nation. It impacts first responders, the criminal justice system, child welfare and foster care, behavioral health systems, and victim service providers. Supporting the field in addressing this epidemic is one of the U.S. Department of Justice’s top priorities and, at the center of this response, is the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP).
The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program (42 U.S.C. § 10421 et. seq.) assists states and local governments in the development and implementation of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs in state, local, and tribal correctional and detention facilities. The Program also provides funds to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for individuals who are released from incarceration.
This brief presents prevalence estimates of two mental health indicators based on data reported by state and federal prisoners: the prisoner reported experiences that met the threshold for serious psychological distress (SPD) during the 30 days prior to their interview and the prisoner having a history of a mental health problem. Findings are based on self-reported data from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates.
The Stepping Up initiative supports local jurisdictions in establishing and reaching measurable goals that demonstrate reduced prevalence of serious mental illness across the justice system.
CDC provides guidance for correctional and detention facilities and other groups that support persons who are incarcerated or detained.
The publication, “The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Opioid Crisis: Combating Discrimination Against People in Treatment or Recovery,” is intended to help people with OUD who are in treatment or recovery understand their rights under federal law and to provide guidance to entities covered by the ADA about how to comply with the law.
During the reentry process, people work across various sectors to offer support to people who are being released from incarceration by providing connections to care for behavioral health, housing, transportation, and other supportive services. While there are challenges providing connections to care, there are also some success stories that Second Chance Act grantees can offer insight on. This webinar features two grantees who have utilized innovative ways to provide post-release connections to care for people who are returning to various communities. Video Run Time: 1 hr., 12 mins
Individuals entering jails and other correctional settings are more likely to have a chronic health condition or infectious disease, resulting in an increased risk to their physical health and well-being while incarcerated. A close look at statistics from local jails demonstrates that, far from being a safe haven from these converging crises, a failure to prioritize implementation of adequate policies and protocols addressing these issues in many local jails are fueling these crises for the individuals inside and everyone in our communities