COVID-19 impact on opioid overdose after jail release in Massachusetts

Release from incarceration is a high-risk period for opioid overdose. Concern about COVID-19 spread in jails led to early releases; it is unknown whether pandemic era releases of persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) contributed to increases in community overdose rates. Observational data compared overdose rates three months after release among jailed persons with OUD…

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“And Then COVID Hits”: A Qualitative Study of How Jails Adapted Services to Treat Opioid Use Disorder During COVID-19

ils in Massachusetts are among the first nationwide to provide correctional populations with medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD). The COVID-19 pandemic caused jails to pivot and adapt MOUD programming. To facilitate continued access to MOUD, both during incarceration and also at community reentry, jail staff quickly implemented changes in MOUD regulations and dosing…

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Offering Buprenorphine Prior to Release from Jail May Reduce Recidivism

Findings from JCOIN’s Massachusetts Research Hub Individuals leaving incarceration with opioid use disorder (OUD) are at a high risk for overdose, recidivism, and adverse health outcomes. Providing medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) prior to incarceration and post-release is effective in reducing negative outcomes. Existing studies tend to examine how the use of methadone and/or…

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Massachusetts Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (MassJCOIN)

The goal of this study is to conduct a Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of seven jails in Massachusetts that deliver all FDA-approved MOUDs (naltrexone, buprenorphine, methadone) to produce findings with implications for policies for OUD in criminal justice settings. This research will focus on (1) post-release recidivism, overdoses, and MOUD initiation, engagement, and retention,…

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