Championing Change to Save Lives: A Call to Action to Implement Reforms to Increase Use of Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder in Correctional Settings

Abstract

The disproportional rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) in U.S. correctional facilities make them prime intervention points to treat OUD utilizing medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD), the evidence-based clinical standard of care. MOUD has been shown to be effective to support recovery and reduce recurrence of OUD, overdose deaths, and recidivism for justice-involved persons both while incarcerated and once they reenter their communities. Despite the high prevalence, most jails and prisons do not offer MOUD. Litigation has spurred expanded access in more facilities, but widespread MOUD access can only become a reality through a comprehensive effort of corrections officials, medical experts, advocates, legislators, and other champions to raise awareness and affect ideological and policy change. It is a legal and ethical imperative that the lives of justice-involved persons not be jeopardized by the lack of evidence-based treatment for OUD in correctional settings.

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) experiences and release plans among federally incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in Ontario, Canada: a mixed-methods study

“…Furthermore, participants indicated that a lack of clarity around their impending release details contributed to anxiety and an inability to adequately plan for OAT care and general reintegration. These observations underscore the need for timely, consistent, and collaborative community release planning and case management that takes personal readiness/motivation and key determinants of release outcomes into consideration towards setting individuals up for improved community reintegration and success [ 120 ]. Participants also expressed that an important facilitator to successful community reintegration was familial support; meanwhile, they indicated a main barrier would be returning to places where their families reside, possibly increasing the risks of exposure to deviant social networks and re-accessing or relapsing to substance use.…”