Pubdate: Fri, 18 Dec 2015
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2015 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Steven W. Tompkins
Note: Steven W. Tompkins is sheriff of Suffolk County and president 
of the Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association.

A COORDINATED RESPONSE TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE

As sheriff of one of the largest urban jail systems in the country, I 
see the devastating impact that the lack of substance abuse and 
mental health resources has on the women and men in our custody. The 
hallmark of a great society is how we care for our most compromised, 
and, as our current treatment policies stand, we are grossly negligent.

County sheriff departments serve as the de facto health and addiction 
service providers for residents who do not seek, or have access to, 
care in the community. We deliver detoxification, recovery treatment, 
and long-term case management for addiction. Individuals in our 
custody who are struggling with mental illness have access to care 
and treatment that they could not obtain, much less afford, outside 
of our walls. But our fellow citizens should not have to go to jail 
in order to receive treatment.

How should the state address widespread substance abuse that is often 
coupled with mental illness? The answer is not easy. It will take a 
coordinated response to change the way we deliver social services.

We need to ensure that we have both short-term crisis intervention 
programs as well as sustainable plans to deliver services in the long 
term. County jails are uniquely positioned to be part of the 
solution. We can deliver critical crisis-intervention services to 
individuals who need them most. The Suffolk County Sheriff's 
Department proposes an opioid treatment plan that would consist of:

1. Opening and operating two detoxification units at the Suffolk 
County House of Correction for pre-trial detainees in need of 
immediate treatment post-arrest. View Story

The end of hitting rock bottom

The CRAFT approach is like an etiquette guide for dealing with 
addicts, yet its goals are much more ambitious. Donald N.S. Unger: My 
chronic pain isn't a crime Editorial: Doctors should work with Baker 
on opioid plan

2. Providing medically assisted addiction recovery to all inmates 
housed at the Suffolk jail.

3. Hiring "wellness navigators" to oversee the treatment and recovery 
process both during and after incarceration.

4. Creating a pilot program that connects the Suffolk County 
Sheriff's Department with neighborhood health centers to make the 
transition from incarceration to reintegration seamless, using a team 
approach to handle recovery and reentry services within an 
individual's own neighborhood.

Society must also find ways to provide communities with the resources 
they need to care for addicts so that a jail sentence will no longer 
be a prerequisite for treatment. Improvements must be made in 
education, civic engagement, housing, and vocational training. The 
more resources a community has, the more it can prevent crime, opioid 
deaths, and untreated mental illness.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom