Haas, A., Viera, A., Doernberg, M., Barbour, R., Tong, G., Grau, L. E., & Heimer, R. (2021). Post-incarceration outcomes for individuals who continued methadone treatment while in Connecticut jails, 2014-2018. Drug and alcohol dependence, 227, 108937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108937 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34371235/ 

This study followed 1,564 men who were incarcerated and the rates of overdose, reincarceration, and seeking MOUD treatment in the community. The study was conducted from January 1, 2014 – December 30, 2018. 42.2% of participants received methadone treatment while incarcerated. It was found that participants who received methadone during incarceration were more likely to resume treatment after release, had lower overdose rates, and the time to fatal overdose was longer. There was no significant difference for reincarceration between those who received methadone while incarcerated and those who did not, but treatment in the community seemed to be a protective factor against reincarceration. 

Bottom Line: This study found that methadone treatment during incarceration increased the likelihood of a person continuing treatment after release, lowered risk of overdose, and increased length of time until fatal overdoses.