A Randomized, Open Label Trial of Methadone Continuation versus Forced Withdrawal in a Combined US Prison and Jail: Findings at 12 Months Post-Release

Research carried out in North America has found that offering continued methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) to those entering the prison system can have positive outcomes.

Where incoming prisoners with Opioid Use Disorders have been offered continual treatment with methadone rather than mandatory detoxification it was shown that a year later this could have a positive impact on individual's methadone treatment engagement, use of heroin, practice of injecting drugs, and impact on non-fatal overdose.

Published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, A Randomized, Open Label Trial of Methadone Continuation versus Forced Withdrawal in a Combined US prison and Jail: Findings at 12 months Post-Release, highlights the increased risk individuals who had used heroin prior to entering prison were at to overdoses upon leaving. This risk is increased as while in prison most individuals will go through detoxification and remain abstinent from opiate use - upon exiting prison their tolerance to the substance will have dropped significantly but they may return to the patterns of use and dosage they practiced prior to entering prison and detoxification. 

Currently few prisons in the USA offer MMT which it is suggested by this research to be something that can instigate sustained change in the outcomes of individuals with opioid use disorders who enter and pass the prison system.