Open AccessCriminal Justice Barriers to Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders in the United States: The Need for Public Health Advocacy
Author(s) -
Joanne Csete
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2018.304852
Subject(s) - opioid use disorder , prison , criminal justice , public health , economic justice , drug treatment , criminology , medicine , psychiatry , opiate substitution treatment , opioid overdose , health care , political science , law , opioid , buprenorphine , nursing , psychology , receptor , (+) naloxone
Expanding access to treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) is central to addressing the US overdose mortality crisis. Numerous barriers to OUD treatment are encountered in criminal justice institutions and processes, with which people with OUD are disproportionately involved. OUD treatment access is severely limited in US corrections facilities, with few exceptions. Drug treatment courts, which in principle provide court-supervised treatment as an alternative to prison, have also unduly limited treatment options, particularly medication-assisted treatment. The voice and expertise of health professionals are urgently needed to remove these barriers and ensure that criminally accused persons are systematically linked to the care they need.