As with many other chronic medical conditions, treatment is available for SUD. While no single treatment method is right for everyone, recovery is possible and help is available for individuals with SUD. Treatments for SUD may include outpatient counseling, inpatient treatment, behavioral health care, or a combination of some or all of these. For individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three highly effective medications: methadone, buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone. These medications alleviate withdrawal symptoms and reduce opioid craving, making people with OUD less likely to return to drug use and risk fatal overdose.¹ Of particular note for criminal justice agencies is that a former inmate’s risk of death within the first 2 weeks of release is more than 12 times that of other individuals, with fatal overdose being the leading cause of death, but one study found a reduction in post-incarceration overdoses among individuals who had received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in correctional facilities.²

Criminal justice agencies can help make connections to treatment for individuals under their supervision, and jails in particular can provide access to treatment while an individual is incarcerated. Many communities currently do not offer adequate access to treatment or utilize MAT among arrestees or inmates, or assist with making connections to treatment upon release, even though research has shown many benefits of incorporating treatment into criminal justice programs. For example, inmates who receive buprenorphine or methadone treatment prior to release are more likely to engage in treatment after their release than inmates who only participate in counseling.³