Medication for Substance Use Disorders in Prisons and Jails

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) are evidence based/informed practices that show tremendous promise in carceral settings. To educate correctional staff and administrators about medication for SUD/OUD in prisons, we selected three articles that highlight what these treatments are, how jails/prisons can partner with community providers to offer them, and what barriers and facilitators to MAT/MOUD implementation institutions may want to consider before adding this type of treatment to their roster of services.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

Evans, E. A., Wilson, D., & Friedmann, P. D. (2022). Recidivism and mortality after in-jail buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 231, 109254.

Ferguson, W. J., Johnston, J., Clarke, J. G., Koutoujian, P. J., Maurer, K., Gallagher, C., ... & Taxman, F. S. (2019). Advancing the implementation and sustainment of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders in prisons and jails. Health & Justice, 7(1), 1–8.

Moore, K. E., Roberts, W., Reid, H. H., Smith, K. M., Oberleitner, L. M., & McKee, S. A. (2019). Effectiveness of medication assisted treatment for opioid use in prison and jail settings: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 99, 32–43.

This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.