Addressing Misconceptions and Barriers to Medication-Assisted Treatment in Criminal Justice Settings

Despite a recent increase in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in criminal justice settings, comprehensive MAT (offering all three MAT medications) is still underutilized in jails, prisons, and reentry programs. Often, misconceptions about MAT may deter its use in criminal justice settings. Barriers to MAT—such as lack of funding, lack of buy-in from staff, and other challenges—also hinder the implementation of MAT.

This webinar covers documented misconceptions and barriers to MAT found in criminal justice settings and opportunities for reframing misconceptions and developing solutions to overcome these barriers. Researchers and practitioners will:

• Describe three common misconceptions and barriers to implementing MAT in criminal justice settings.
• Discuss one way to reframe a common misconception regarding MAT in criminal justice settings.
• List potential solutions for a barrier to providing MAT in criminal justice settings.

Presenters

• Melissa Stein, DrPH, Policy Research Associates, Inc.
• Alex Dorman, MNO, MA, Oriana House, Inc.
• Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County, Colorado

To view a PDF version of the slide deck that was used during this presentation, click here.