Reducing Overdose and Withdrawal-Related Deaths and Implementing Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Programs in Jails and Prisons

By increasing access to evidence-based treatment, prisons and jails can prevent overdose deaths and the civil litigation that can result, as well as move patients toward the path to recovery. This session will provide practical information on preventing in-custody deaths related to drug use, including case studies of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) programs in a state prison and local jail.

The first team of presenters will provide an overview of the legal risks that jails face for the failure to provide adequate medical care for substance use disorder (SUD) and withdrawal management. They will discuss an empirical analysis of the facts giving rise to civil litigation due to wrongful drug-related deaths in jails and the resulting civil damages awarded. They will share results of a 50-state snapshot that summarizes legislation, litigation, and policies related to access to MOUD in jail. They will present a model law that incorporates best practices in treating SUD in jails and discuss implementation. They will provide practical implementation tools to help communities advocate for the integration of evidence-based treatment in jail settings across the country.

The second team of presenters will discuss the mechanics of making MOUD happen in prisons and jails. From the Middlesex House of Corrections, which has provide MOUD since 2014, the sheriff will explain how inmates with SUD are engaged by health staff at the time of incarceration and offered all forms of MOUD approved by the Federal Drug Administration. That process is an opportunity to address a factor ― SUD ― that led to the person's incarceration. From the Kentucky Department of Corrections, participants will hear from the director of the Division of Addiction Services, which is responsible for clinical and administrative oversight of SUD treatment for inmates, parolees, and probationers, including treatment in prisons, jails, reentry service centers, Recovery Kentucky Centers, and intensive outpatient programs through a partnership with regional community health centers. The division has implemented programs in jails and prisons statewide.