According to the US NIH fewer than half (43.8%) of 1,028 jails surveyed across the nation offered any form of medication for opioid use disorder, and only 12.8% made these available to anyone with the disorder. With two-thirds of people who are incarcerated in U.S. jails experiencing a substance use disorder in many cases, an opioid use disorder, the failure to make these medications widely available in criminal justice settings represents a significant missed opportunity to provide life-saving treatments in an environment where people in need of care can be easily reached.
The US NIH further stated that the criminal justice system is a crucial point of intervention in the overdose crisis. Overdose is the leading cause of death among people returning to their communities after incarceration.
A recent county-level study found that 21% of individuals who died of a fatal overdose had been in jail, a facility for short-term stays, where most people are awaiting trial, sentencing, or serving a short sentence.
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