BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Case for MAT in Jails and Prisons
Research shows medication-assisted treatment for opioid withdrawal works, but challenges and obstacles slow its progress.
“J
ails represent perhaps the most unique place to get individuals off drugs and on the path to long-term recovery,” notes Jonathan F. Thompson, executive director and CEO, National Sheriffs’ Association. Jails have become a revolving door for individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders, he continues in a resource guide published in October 2018. “More than 10 million individuals pass through jails around the country annually, with at least half of those individuals having substance use disorders, half of whom are opioid abusers.” 32 CORRECTIONS FORUM • MARCH/APRIL 2020
He furthers: “Without effective intervention, this drives our nation’s crime rate dramatically, while those who are most vulnerable remain sick.” However, jails are in a unique position to initiate treatment in a controlled environment, he points out. The resource guide Jail-based Medication-Assisted Treatment, Promising Practices, Guidelines and Resources for the Field, sponsored by National Sheriffs’ Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, outlines a course of action for MAT in jails, and includes jails that have successful MAT programs. (To find this resource online, visit www.ncchc.org/jail-based-mat.)
The publication makes clear that pharmacology—i.e., medication-assisted treatment—is widely held to be a cornerstone of best practice for recovery from substance abuse, according to James R. Pavletich, CEO of NCCHC. He notes: “Effective treatment, including MAT, particularly when coupled with evidencebased behavioral treatment, improves medical and mental health outcomes and reduces relapses and recidivism.” In 2016 the National Institute on Drug Abuse published authoritative research that MedicationAssisted Treatment, utilizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved
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