Impact of Two Pilot Methadone Treatment Programs in Connecticut Correctional Facilities on Post-Release Outcomes.

9781392666494

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2019

1 online resource (38 p.)

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Background and Aims. Despite the high prevalence of opioid use disorder among individuals in criminal justice settings, the role of methadone treatment programs for incarcerated populations has received little attention. In 2013 and 2014, two pilot programs were established by the Connecticut Department of Correction in the New Haven and Bridgeport Correctional Centers to provide treatment for this particularly vulnerable demographic. We sought to assess the post-release outcomes (reincarceration, non-fatal overdose, and fatal overdose) associated with implementing methadone programs in correctional settings.Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study that involved linking datasets from the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC), the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH). Per-subject profiles were generated and post-incarceration outcomes were analyzed on an individual basis. Included in analysis were data on 2,089 male inmates at the New Haven and Bridgeport Correctional Centers who arrived at the facilities between January 1, 2014 and November 30, 2018.Results. Receiving methadone while incarcerated was associated with a significant decrease in non-fatal overdoses post-release but was not associated with significant changes in fatal overdoses and instances of reincarceration.Conclusions. Providing opioid agonist treatment to individuals while they are incarcerated can significantly improve post-release outcomes in terms of subsequent non-fatal overdose events. While there are no significant differences in other post-release outcomes based on access to treatment in criminal justice settings, given the potential to decrease the opioid-related burden in communities throughout the state and country, expanding these treatment programs to additional correctional settings is a critical step in addressing issues of opioid use disorder and overdose in the United States.

Dissertations & Theses @ Yale University.

Books / Online / Dissertations & Theses

English

July 15, 2020

Thesis (M.P.H.)--Yale University, 2019.

Yale University. School of Public Health.