An Experimental Evaluation on the Effect of Integrating Opioid Treatment into Reentry Services

• In Event: Reentry and Recidivism

Abstract

Heroin abuse is a significant public health problem. Crime, addiction and disease all have clear co-morbidities; risk-taking behaviors contribute to initiation and perpetuation. This is especially true for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Several new interventions have been developed to combat opioid addiction, though few of these new treatments have been employed as part of a comprehensive reentry program for drug-involved offenders. Notably, injectable extended release naltrexone is a long-acting alternative to standard treatments for opioid dependence. This study describes several key findings from an ongoing randomized evaluation of a medicine-assisted reentry program in which participants are provided naltrexone treatment both in prison and post-release to the community. We report preliminary findings from the evaluation, as well as from an inmate survey (n= 1,570) comparing attitudes towards naltrexone compared to methadone, a much more common pharmacological treatment for addiction.

Authors

• Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University

• Bret Bucklen, PA Department of Corrections

• Nicolette Bell, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

• Geoffrey Barnes, Cambridge University