About 4 million people who reported use or misuse of prescription opioids or heroin in 2014 also reported having a concurrent arrest or active probation or parole status. Individuals who report opioid use are significantly more likely to have been arrested compared to those who do not use opioids.
Opioid agonist treatment, which includes federally approved medications such as methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, reduce withdrawal symptoms, cravings, block the effects of opioid use and reduce the risk of death by 33 percent. Yet, this treatment among justice-involved individuals is relatively rare.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University ’s College of Social Work and Criminal Justice and collaborators conducted a study on the differences between criminal justice-involved individuals who received opioid agonist treatment as part of their treatment plan and those who did not. They compared demographics, substance use severity, and access to treatment and identified predictors of treatment to account for disparities within a criminal justice population in the United States.
The nationally representative database they used comprised of 105,988 admissions referred to treatment by the criminal justice system who reported heroin or other opiate as their primary, secondary, or tertiary substance used.
Results of the study, published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse , showed that fewer than 6 percent of criminal justice cases received opioid agonist treatment as part of the treatment plan. Those with daily substance use, comorbid psychiatric problems, prior treatment, females, Latinos, and those who were older and those who were living independently were more likely to receive this treatment, as were those living in the Northeast and with government health insurance.
“The criminal justice system is well-positioned to facilitate an individual’s engagement in effective care at several intervention points including contact with first responders, case adjudication, sentencing, supervision and reentry,” said Wendy P. Guastaferro , Ph.D., senior author, director and associate professor, FAU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice . “We know that opioid agonist treatment is related to better outcomes for justice-involved individuals, including reduced opioid use, reduced overdose deaths, improved treatment engagement, reduced criminal behavior, and lower crime costs. However, only a fraction of justice-involved individuals receive this treatment even though its effectiveness is well-established.”
Among the study findings:
Although largely framed as a problem that affects white individuals, opioid use has had significant and growing impact on nonwhite communities as well. Between 2010 and 2018, opioid overdose deaths increased 355 percent among black individuals and 218 percent for Hispanic individuals.
“Dismantling barriers to treatment can improve both public health and community safety,” said Guastaferro. “The criminal justice system must reduce regulatory burdens and systemic resistance to opioid agonist treatment while increasing funding for access to treatment to effectively serve those struggling with opioid use disorder.”
Other study co-authors are Deborah Koetzle , Ph.D., professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice , the City University of New York ; Laura Lutgen-Nieves , Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Southern Indiana ; and Brent Teasdale , Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Criminal Justice Sciences , Illinois State University .
- FAU -
About the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice:
The College of Social Work & Criminal Justice encompasses the Phyllis & Harvey Sandler School of Social Work and the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, which collectively offer one doctoral, two master’s and two undergraduate degree programs; three specialization certificate programs in child welfare, healthy aging and addiction; and four post-graduate certificate programs, including Paralegal, Legal Nurse Consultant, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The college also houses a number of research and service centers, including the Child Welfare Institute, the Healthy Aging Academy, the Office of Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health, and Recovery Research; and the Robin Rubin Center for Happiness and Life Enhancement. Additionally, more than 300 community agencies from Miami-Dade to Vero Beach have partnered with the College of Social Work & Criminal Justice to provide students with meaningful experience and job readiness skills in their chosen field. For more information, visit fau.edu/sw-cj.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu .
Substance Use & Misuse
Meta-analysis
People
Opioid Agonist Treatment Recipients within Criminal Justice-Involved Populations
16-Feb-2022