Preventing Opioid Overdose for 6 Months Post-Prison Release: An Evidence Based Program

This presentation will be featured at Indonesia 2025, on the 18.09.2025.

Author:

Hendrée Jones - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract:

Inadequate substance use disorder (SUD) treatment resources for incarcerated women and men with substance use problems leads to a pressing need for services when they are released. Those leaving incarceration were almost 11 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose in the first year following release than the general population.

Moreover, the greatest likelihood of death from opioid overdose was during the first two weeks post incarceration when the likelihood of death from an opioid overdose was 74 times greater than for the general population. The lack of access to medication to treat opioid use disorder during incarceration creates an imperative for immediate reentry services to connect those at risk of overdose with the evidence-based interventions most likely to keep them alive.

Most people leave prison without reliable phone or transportation access, creating a significant gap between accessible services and the portfolio of services needed to avoid return to use, overdose, and death. Lack of access to comprehensive SUD treatment results in high rates of re-incarceration. Estimates show about 25% of those released from prison are arrested for a new crime within six months of release.

This presentation will summarize three studies in over 600 participants that evaluated comprehensive care coordination protocols which yielded no fatal overdoses at six month post-release, a 2% return to incarceration and a variety of improved family outcomes. Practical tips for implementing and replicating this work will be provided.