Behind Bars and Beyond: Impacts of Access to Medication for Substance Use During and After Incarceration

Featuring

[Moderator] Jessica Shortall, Safer From Harm Coalition Manager and Strategic Partnerships Lead, R Street Institute

[Moderator] Sarah Anderson, Associate Director, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, R Street Institute

Commissioner Randall Liberty, Maine Department of Corrections

Samantha Oney, Medication-Assisted Treatment Director, NaphCare, Inc., Hamilton County, Ohio Justice Center

Overview

In the United States, more than 1.8 million people are incarcerated in prisons and jails, interacting with nearly 400,000 correctional staff. But while more than half of incarcerated people meet the criteria for opioid use disorder, fewer than half of U.S. jails offer medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) like methadone and buprenorphine. Considered the “gold standard” for opioid addiction, these medicines are both lifesaving and effective for long-term recovery. Access to these medications can positively impact the health, safety, and well-being of the individuals taking them as well as other incarcerated people, medical and correctional staff, the community (upon re-entry), and the taxpayers who foot the bill for criminal justice involvement.

Join us for a panel discussion featuring people with direct experience providing MOUD in jails and prisons and facilitating ongoing treatment once individuals return to the community. 

Topics will include:

• Facility conditions 
• Impacts of MOUD provision on staff, incarcerated individuals, and communities
• Broader approaches that intersect with MOUD (e.g., education, work, behavioral health support)
• Cultural considerations in and barriers to implementing MOUD access in carceral settings
• What’s needed to support ongoing treatment upon release
• The question of MOUD diversion in carceral settings and in communities