An estimated 65% of the US prison population has an active substance use disorder (SUD) and another 20% did not meet the criteria but were under the influence at the time of arrest. Over 49% of incarcerated individuals in New York State prisons have a SUD. Research has shown overdoses to be the leading cause of death among people recently released from incarceration and a lack of correlation between incarceration rates and states’ drug related problems. Increasing overdose education and access to naloxone, along with linking and retaining people in care with medications for opioid use disorder, are hallmarks of the Opioid-overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach in the Communities That HEAL intervention which was implemented during the the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) from January 2020 to December 2023. Community partnerships within the criminal legal system – also referred to as the criminal “justice” system – are a vital component of these programs and saving lives.
Please join SIG, CHOSEN and the HCS team for a webinar on May 9th from 4 - 5:30pm to discuss innovative and impactful community partnerships with the criminal legal system that aim to reduce opioid overdoses. Learn about the Sequential Intercept Model, which details how individuals with mental and substance use disorders come into contact with and move through the criminal legal system, and concrete examples of community partnerships with law enforcement, community coalitions, social workers, peers, medical providers, and other key stakeholders.
Speakers include the Associate Commissioner for Division of Criminal Justice, NY State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, people with lived experience, and leaders from NY county jails, local police departments and treatment courts, parole and probation offices, and community-based organizations.