A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Medication Assisted Therapies for Opioid Addiction on Criminal Justice Outcomes

• In Event: Opioid Use: Correlates, Consequences, and Control

Abstract

Medication assisted therapies (MAT) have become a prominent method for treating opioid addiction. Research shows that MAT can be effective for achieving health and addiction outcomes; however, its impact varies according to the variety of MAT, outcome studied, target population, and other contextual factors. The current paper is a systematic review of MAT effectiveness in relation to various criminal justice outcomes. It adds to existing research by a) providing an updated analysis of extant research, b) including all widely used forms of MAT for opioid addiction, and c) examining an array of criminal justice outcomes, including re-arrest, re-incarceration, specialty court docket failure, and community supervision violations. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.

Authors

• Sarah M. Manchak, University of Cincinnati

• Catherine Strange, University of Cincinnati

• Cory P. Haberman, University of Cincinnati