This manual - which is intended to be a supplement to the training video on “Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Prison/Jail MAT” (medication assisted treatment) – guides correctional administrators in establishing effective MAT prerelease programs for inmates with substance-use disorders (SUDs).
The manual recommends that the video be viewed first, which will broadly acquaint viewers with the state prison and jail programs profiled and stimulate reactions from viewers. Although the manual states a preference for the use of naltrexone in a prerelease MAT program because of stated advantages, it notes that in-prison MAT programs that provide methadone and buprenorphine to appropriate inmates have proven effective, significantly increasing the likelihood of inmate participation in treatment after release. The four correctional MAT programs portrayed in the video and featured in this manual are designed to provide medication for inmates about to re-enter the community after they have completed prison SUD treatment. Of the MAT programs featured in the video, this manual focuses on the Massachusetts Department of Correction program, because it has developed beyond the pilot stage in one prison, has been approved for use in the entire state prison population, and is currently operating in several prisons in the state. This program is called the Medication-Assisted Treatment Reentry Initiative (MATRI). It is designed to provide pre-release treatment and post-release referral, treatment, and support for opioid-addicted and alcohol-addicted offenders at participating sites. Topics discussed in the manual include screening inmates for MAT program participation; features of MATRI participation; funding issues; pre-release and post-release case management; discharge planning; medication and counseling after release; and staff training and technical assistance. Appended bibliography of studies of MAT for justice-involved populations