New Report Sheds Light on New York’s Implementation of a Promising Harm Reduction Approach to Substance Use in Prisons
Contact: media@correctiona.association.org
BROOKLYN, NY – Today, the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) released a new report on the implementation of a program for the use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), also known as the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for incarcerated people in New York prisons.
Legislation establishing the MAT program in New York was signed into law on March 18, 2022, in response to a rise in overdose deaths in New York State, and to address the heavy burden of the opioid crisis on people involved in the criminal justice system. New York’s implementation of MAT in prisons recognizes the growing body of evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of MAT in reducing opioid use, reducing transmission of HIV and HEP-C, reducing fatal overdoses, and supporting re-entry and engagement with treatment in the community.
Since New York’s MAT law came into effect, there has been a significant increase in participation. CANY’s report cites a 552% increase in total active participants from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, and an additional 19% increase from July 1, 2023, to March 1, 2024. As of March 1, 2024, there were 3,568 MAT participants across DOCCS facilities, comprising 10% of the total populationincarcerated in state prisons.
CANY’s report documents the experiences of incarcerated people participating in the program, as well as feedback from health, security and executive staff implementing it. The report highlights strides DOCCS has made in increasing access to MAT across facilities, while also noting operational challenges impacting patients’ experience of the program. CANY pointed to high staffing vacancies across health services affecting access and quality of care. CANY’s analysis of staffing data demonstrated a 25% vacancy rate across health services in all facilities in January 2024, with vacancies of 28% in maximum, 22% in medium and 13% in minimum security facilities.
CANY’s report makes several recommendations, including:
Providing substance use counseling and peer support services to MAT participants to address needs across the various stages of recovery.
Additional training for DOCCS staff across health services, security and executive teams, to address stigma towards MAT participants and to ensure the safe implementation of the program.
Increasing transparency regarding policies and procedures to better set expectations for prospective and current participants.
“The implementation of MAT in the state’s prisons demonstrates a shift away from the ‘abstinence-only’ norms that have traditionally underscored approaches to substance use treatment in correctional facilities,” said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York. “While there is certainly room for improvement, as we note in our report, we commend the state for its implementation of life-changing treatment for incarcerated people.”
About the Correctional Association of New York:
CANY, under §146, of New York’s Correction Law, is charged with visiting and examining the state's correctional facilities to identify and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated individuals, and the administration of policy promulgated by the executive and legislature. Founded in 1844 by concerned citizens of the state and deputized by the state to provide monitoring and oversight of the state’s prisons in 1846, CANY is one of the first organizations in the country prescribed to administer civilian oversight of prisons.
