Abstract

Studies estimate that least 65% of people incarcerated in the United States have Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a proven effective treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). MAT reduces the number of people who die each year from OUD by fifty percent and ninety percent of individuals in recovery maintain sobriety after two years. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers the programs and services provided by state and local governments including correctional facilities. Under the ADA, correctional facilities must make reasonable modification to policies and practice to allow inmates in recovery to have access to MAT. In this article, we discuss how the ADA applies to correctional facilities and the impact that MAT has for people who have OUD.

Keywords:Americans with Disabilities Act; ADA; Addiction; Substance use; Opioid use; Recovery; Medication-Assisted Treatment; Medications for Opioid Use Disorder; Jails; Prisons; Correctional facilities

Abbreviations: ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act; SUD: Substance Use Disorder; OUD: Opioid Use Disorder; MAT: Medication-Assisted Treatment; MOUD: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder; FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration