UMass Medical, law enforcement to study prison substance abuse
The University of Massachusetts Medical School is working with departments of correction to improve treatment of substance abuse among inmates.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) is partnering with departments of corrections in Connecticut and Rhode Island and sheriffs in Middlesex and Barnstable counties to study best practices in treating substance abuse in prisons and jails, according to a statement from UMMS on Tuesday.
The grant-funded collaborative will address substance abuse by assessing current screening and treatment practices for opioid addiction among inmates, making recommendations for improvements and implementing proven practices, according to UMMS.
Nationwide, 65 percent of inmates meet the medical criteria for substance abuse disorder, but just 11 percent receive treatment while incarcerated, UMMS said.
Ongoing efforts aimed at combatting drug use in correctional facilities among members of the collaboration include medication-assisted treatment in both Connecticut and Rhode Island to help inmates get off opioids, according to UMMS, and sheriffs and Middlesex and Barnstable counties offer medication-assisted treatment to inmates upon release from prison as a way to reduce recidivism.
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