Individuals with opioid use disorders (OUD) are overrepresented in U.S. correctional facilities. Transitioning to the community following incarceration is a particularly high-risk period for overdose death, especially during the first few weeks of release. Jails and prisons can play a pivotal role in addressing the opioid overdose epidemic by providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during incarceration and services for the continuation of MOUD at community re-entry, which has shown to be effective in the continued use of MOUD after release and reductions in the risk of overdose death and recidivism.

 

This webinar will present recent findings from the Massachusetts Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (MassJCOIN) Clinical Research Center on the implementation and outcomes of a state law to expand the use of all three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in seven county jails across the state. Panelists will discuss the benefits of implementing MOUD programs in correctional facilities, including the impact MOUD has had on reducing recidivism rates. Panelists will also discuss promising practices in program design to help limit medication diversion and provide guidance for correctional professionals and lawmakers as they consider implementing MOUD treatment in jails and prisons.

 

This webinar is sponsored by the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN), an initiative funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The webinar is also in partnership with the Addiction Policy Forum.

 

Speakers:

• Peter Friedmann, MD, MPH, DFASAM, FACP, Associate Dean for Research at UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate and Chief Research Officer at Baystate Health
• Elizabeth Evans, PhD, MA, Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Health Promotion and Policy, UMass Amherst
• Tisha Wiley, PhD, Branch Chief, Associate Director for Justice Systems, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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