RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prescribing Opioid Replacement Therapy in U.S. Correctional Settings
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 472
OP 477
VO 45
IS 4
A1 Farahmand, Pantea
A1 Modesto-Lowe, Vania
A1 Chaplin, Margaret M.
YR 2017
UL http://jaapl.org/content/45/4/472.abstract
AB Opioid addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder associated with criminality, unemployment, infectious diseases, and legal problems. Such addictions are typically over-represented in correctional populations. Inmates with untreated opioid addiction often relapse shortly after release into the community, thereby increasing the risk of overdose, serious illnesses (HIV, hepatitis C) and psychosocial problems (e.g., crimes, recidivism, and reincarceration). There are three U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Opioid replacement therapies (ORTs) are associated with significant benefits, including reducing the incidences of HIV, criminality, and opioid-related mortality. However, most opioid-dependent Americans who are incarcerated are forced to discontinue ORT upon prison entry. This article offers a rationale for providing ORT to addicted prisoners while incarcerated and providing appointments with outpatient providers for continued treatment.