Welcome to the Jail and Prison Opioid Project (JPOP)

Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the gold-standard treatment for opioid use disorder, however, it remains widely unavailable to people involved the criminal legal system.

The mission of this website is to increase access to MOUD for people who are incarcerated and who are transitioning back to the community. We 1) track, share, and collect information on MOUD programs in prisons and jails and, 2) serve as a repository for resources and a catalyst for the development of MOUD programs.

We encourage you to engage with the resources and tools here. Ultimately, we hope this website will lead to increased access to medication, and by doing so reduce overdoses and health disparities.¹

Learn more

Facts and Resources

Who has access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in Correctional Settings?

Out of the 876 state prisons in the United States…

375

are know to offer any form of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).²

836 jails in the United States were surveyed

32.1%

are know to offer any form of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). ^{8, 9}

While there are roughly 2,300,000 people incarcerated in the United States, only…

43305

are known receive any form of MOUD while incarcerated.³

Total facilities offering MOUD over time (graph only includes programs with known start dates)

Explore the Data

How did we get here?

Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid use disorder (OUD), or opioid addiction, is a problematic pattern of ongoing opioid use despite negative consequences.⁴ More diagnostic information can be found here.

As of 2018, 2 million people had been diagnosed with OUD in the United States.⁵
The Four Waves
The current opioid crisis has been defined by four “waves” or phases:
- 1990s: Prescription opioids
- 2010: Heroin
- 2013: Synthetically manufactured opioids (fentanyl and related compounds)⁶
- 2019: Increase in Polysubstance use involving illicit fentanyl in stimulants
Criminal Legal System
Due to the criminalization of people who use illicit substances, individuals with OUD are overrepresented in the criminal legal system. It is estimated that 65% of people incarcerated have a substance use disorder.⁷
Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) is the gold-standard of care for individuals with OUD. There are three approved medications (methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone) that are commonly used to treat OUD. When administered properly, these medications block the effects of opioids and:
- Curb withdrawal symptoms and cravings
- Reduce the risk of overdose
- Improve quality of life
Lack of essential treatment in corrections
MOUD is critical to addressing the opioid epidemic. Many people become involved with the criminal legal system as a result of OUD and yet, very few of these individuals have access to MOUD with linkage to treatment in the community.

Rhode Island Department of Correction’s MAT Program Overview

This video provides a brief overview of the program successfully implemented throughout Rhode Island correctional facilities in 2016 to provide all three forms of MOUD to people incarcerated with opioid use disorder. The program resulted in a 61% decrease in post-incarceration overdose deaths.

News

March 25, 2024

Events

References

Binswanger IA, Stern MF, Deyo RA, et al. Release from prison–a high risk of death for former inmates [published correction appears in N Engl J Med. 2007 Feb 1;356(5):536]. N Engl J Med. 2007;356(2):157-165. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa064115 ←
Calculated by JPOP on 12/8/23.
Calculated by JPOP on 2/28/2022. See Methodology to understand how this number was derived. ←
CDC. Prevent Opioid Use Disorder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Updated October 11, 2017. Accessed June 10, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/prevention/opioid-use-disorder.html ←
Lipari RN, Park-Lee E. Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2019. 2. HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068. NSDUH Series H-54. Published August 2019. Accessed June 10, 2021. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf ←
CDC. Understanding the Epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Updated March 17, 2021. Accessed June 10, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html ←
NIDA. Criminal Justice DrugFacts. National Institute on Drug Abuse website. Updated June 1, 2020. Accessed June 10, 2021. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/criminal-justice#ref ←
Sufrin, C., Kramer, C., Terplan, M., Fiscella, K., Olson, S., Voegtline, K., & Latkin, C. (2022). Availability of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in U.S. Jails. Journal of general internal medicine, 10.1007/s11606-022-07812-x. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07812-x
NORC at the University of Chicago, 2023. JCOIN’s National Survey of Substance Use Services in Jails: Describing U.S. Jails and Their Screening, Treatment, Recovery, and Re-entry Practices. Accessed at https://jcoinctc.org/MAT-results-from-JCOIN-national-jail-survey/ on 12/8/2023.

Welcome to the Jail and Prison Opioid Project (JPOP)

Facts and Resources

Key Toolkits

Resources

Literature

Explore the Data

News and Events

Who has access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in Correctional Settings?

How did we get here?

Opioid Use Disorder

The Four Waves

Criminal Legal System

Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

Lack of essential treatment in corrections

Rhode Island Department of Correction’s MAT Program Overview

News

Jail Characteristics and Availability of Opioid Treatment Services: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey

Characteristics of Substance Use Screening at Intake in a Sample of U.S. Jails

Prison Buprenorphine Implementation and Postrelease Opioid Use Disorder Outcomes

Legislature passes bill allowing methadone and other medical assisted treatment programs in Utah prisons

Real-time Tracking Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Availability in US Prisons

Events

References

Contact Information