Opioid Addiction and the Criminal Justice System
Each year, the increasing number of people who have opioid addictions impacts communities across the United States. In 2016, substance overdoses (fueled by opioid addictions) surpassed death by car accidents and guns as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old, and in 2017, 134 people died each day from opioid overdose. Opioid use has a significant correlation to criminal justice involvement, and the consequences of opioid addictions can impact everyone from the people seeking recovery to law enforcement first responders, correctional facility staff, and reentry professionals. Despite efforts to promote recovery and reentry, when people who have opioid addictions are released from prison or jail, they often face a significantly higher risk of overdose and overdose-related death than people who were never incarcerated. In North Carolina alone, the risk of overdose death from opioids was 40 times higher for people released from incarceration in state facilities than it was for the general population in the state.
The resources below are designed to assist correctional agencies, community-based treatment providers, probation and parole agencies, and other service providers in better responding to people who have opioid addictions who are in the criminal justice system.
Webinars

This webinar includes information on planning and coordination, behavioral health treatment, cognitive…
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This webinar is designed for Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and…
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This webinar focusses on best practices for screening and assessment of people…
Read MoreA conversation with U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Scott Stump explores the critical important of workforce development…
Read MoreReentering the community can be a jarring experience. STRIVE, a San Diego-based organization, demonstrates how job readiness programs…
Read MorePennsylvania's Justice Reinvestment legislation, signed into law in December 2019, is expected to save the state millions and…
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A conversation with U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Scott Stump explores the critical important of workforce development training for students in the juvenile justice system.
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Reentering the community can be a jarring experience. STRIVE, a San Diego-based organization, demonstrates how job readiness programs can have a life-changing impact.
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Pennsylvania's Justice Reinvestment legislation, signed into law in December 2019, is expected to save the state millions and improve countless lives. Here, we outline four key questions about the importance of significance of this moment.
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On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump approved funding for key criminal justice programs in FY2020.
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Michigan is one of 17 states that not only offers advanced education opportunities behind bars, but also ensures that the programs offered inside correctional facilities translate to the skills employers need outside of them.
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Former inmates need jobs and employers are looking for workers. So where's the disconnect?
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