Medication Assisted Treatment – Law Enforcement, Corrections and Justice Settings

The use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) has increasingly been adopted in justice settings including correctional facilities, re-entry programs, and treatment courts. This collection includes:

  • An 11 minute video featuring the stories of individuals who achieved recovery from addiction through receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) while in jail
  • A comprehensive toolkit from the National Council on Behavioral Health and Vital Strategies to guide correctional staff in creating and managing medication assisted treatment programs for individuals with opioid use disorder in jails and prisons
  • A 2019 overview from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of MAT in criminal justice settings
  • A 2019 report from the O’Neill Institute for Global Health Law on legal, legislative and fiscal strategies to implement MAT in correctional facilities, treatment courts and the child welfare system
  • A report from the National Sheriff’s Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care on implementing MAT programs in the jail setting
  • A guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Bureau of Justice Assistance to preventing and addressing medication diversion for medication assisted treatment (MAT) programs in correctional facilities
  • A report from the Legal Action Center on MAT in treatment courts
  • A report from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force on MAT for youth and young adults with justice-involvement
  • An overview from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force of MAT in criminal justice settings
  • A report from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force describing promising strategies for increasing access to MAT in rural areas

Note: If you know of a resource we can include in this collection of resources about MAT in the criminal justice setting, please let us know by visiting our call for submissions page.

 

Policymakers & Community Leaders

Addiction Treatment in California County Jails

Source: California Health Care Foundation

This 11 minute video features the stories of individuals who achieved recovery from addiction through receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) while in jail. The video includes testimonials from patients as well as interviews with sheriff,s health care providers, and corrections staff and explains how the programs work in several California counties.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Criminal Justice System: Brief Guidance to the States

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

This 2019 publication by SAMHSA discusses the challenges to providing medication assisted treatment in criminal justice settings such as correctional facilities, reentry programs, and treatment courts and provides policy makers with strategies to overcome these challenges. Funding Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Applying the Evidence: Legal and Policy Approaches to Address Opioid Use Disorder in the Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Settings

Source: O'Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law at Georgetown Law

A comprehensive report on increasing access to evidence-based treatments for substance use disorder in the criminal justice and child welfare systems from researchers at the Addiction & Public Policy Initiative of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law Center. The report specifically addresses increasing access to medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD) in jails and prisons, in treatment court settings, and in the child welfare system. The report reviews programs in multiple states and summarizes legal, legislative and fiscal strategies to implement and manage evidence-based, public-health focused interventions in these settings.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Medication-Assisted Treatment Inside Correctional Facilities

Source: SAMHSA and Bureau of Justice Assistance

This guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Bureau of Justice Assistance provides resources for preventing and addressing medication diversion for medication assisted treatment (MAT) programs in correctional facilities.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Medication-Assisted Treatment for Adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder

Source: National Judicial Opioid Task Force

This briefing paper from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force presents an overview of medication assisted treatment for youth and young adults with opioid use disorder in the context of the judicial system. Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are briefly reviewed.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

Source: National Judicial Opioid Task Force

This report from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force provides information about medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) . It includes a description of MAT medications and legal considerations about MAT.

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Policymakers & Community Leaders

Promising Strategies in Providing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment to Rural, Frontier, and other Underserved Communities.

Source: National Judicial Opioid Task Force

This briefing paper from the National Judicial Opioid Task Force describes effective strategies to improve access to treatment for opioid use disorder in rural regions. The article discusses barriers to treatment in rural areas, particularly stigma against medication assisted treatment, and describes successful programsin rural communities across the country, including programs in Indian Country.

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