One hurdle that the county jail outside of Texas faced was that the rules for dispensing methadone from regulatory agencies were for private entities only. Rules had to be tailored for the jail which is, of course, a public entity.

In a test program for administering methadone, it was discovered that some of the inmates who apply do not meet the criteria. To participate, an inmate must have opiate misuse disorder. By using methadone daily, participants do not suffer illness from withdrawal while they are incarcerated. In addition, they do not crave the use of opiates.

Participants are enrolled in Medicaid to cover costs both while incarcerated and following their release. They are also referred to the medical department at the jail. In addition, inmates are paired with community counselors and methadone providers who can assist them upon their release from the jail. Among the re-entry plans are obtaining non-driver identification and/or transportation.

One of the individuals involved with this program said that success can be thwarted by any number of obstacles. For instance, if an inmate is delayed by one hour in getting treatment, their recovery could be derailed. Stumbling blocks that may seem to be minor are actually huge and significant.

See Part 1 and this continuing series for additional information.

This website’s posts are intended as a resource that may be helpful. There is never an intention on this website to suggest that an entity or individual has been involved in any sort of wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor