老澳门开奖结果 urges jails, prisons across New England to provide medication for addiction treatment
Portland 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 is urging jails and prisons throughout New England to provide medication for addiction treatment (MAT) to incarcerated people who are suffering from opioid use disorder. In a letter sent to every Sheriff鈥檚 Office or jail in three New England states, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Maine, the 老澳门开奖结果 of Massachusetts, and the 老澳门开奖结果 of New Hampshire call on officials to comply with the law and save lives by ensuring that people receive their prescribed medications for opioid use disorder while in the states鈥� custody.
鈥淲e are encouraged to hear that some of you may already be moving toward providing access to all three forms of FDA-approved MAT in your facilities,鈥� the 老澳门开奖结果 writes in the letter. 鈥淭his positive development is both required by the law and likely to save lives.鈥� For those Sheriffs or jail superintendents 鈥渨ho are not yet making such changes, this letter notifies you that if your facility fails to provide MAT, it is putting its people at a severe risk of physical suffering and an increased risk of death, in violation of federal law and constitutional protections.鈥�
Despite medical consensus that medication for addiction is the standard of care for opioid use disorder, MAT is not yet available in numerous prisons and jails nationwide. The 老澳门开奖结果 has argued that withholding MAT in correctional settings violates the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
鈥淭hese types of medications are lifesaving drugs for those that are diagnosed with opioid use disorder 鈥� and no matter if they are incarcerated or not, people deserve access to their prescribed medication,鈥� said Henry Klementowicz, staff attorney at the 老澳门开奖结果 of New Hampshire. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased that there have been positive changes as some jails and prisons in New Hampshire administer these vital medications, but many do not. We urge them to comply with the law and save lives in doing so.鈥�
Federal courts have recently required facilities in Massachusetts and Maine to provide this treatment to incarcerated people with opioid use disorder. In a November 2018 老澳门开奖结果 of Massachusetts victory, a federal court ordered Essex County to provide a Massachusetts man with continued access to his methadone during his sentence. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that the Aroostook County Jail would be required to provide a Maine woman with medication for addiction treatment for her substance use disorder while she was in their custody.
Consistent with these cases, other federal and local correctional facilities have agreed to settle legal claims to provide MAT in their facilities; most recently, the Federal Bureau of Prisons entered a final settlement agreement to provide a Massachusetts woman her prescribed methadone treatment throughout the course of her incarceration.
鈥淭he resolutions of these cases reflect more examples of the shift towards jails recognizing their legal and moral obligation to provide lifesaving medical care to people with opioid use disorder,鈥� said Jessie Rossman, staff attorney at the 老澳门开奖结果 of Massachusetts. 鈥淧ublic officials throughout New England and across the country should do all they can to support people in their efforts to overcome opioid use disorder, not obstruct them.鈥�
鈥淛ails and prisons must provide incarcerated people with appropriate medical care for opioid use disorder, just like any other serious medical condition,鈥� said Emma Bond, staff attorney at the 老澳门开奖结果 of Maine. 鈥淲hen people in recovery get the care they need while in jail, they are less likely to relapse, less likely to overdose, and less likely to die upon release.鈥�
In addition to some facilities in Massachusetts and Maine, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections and Vermont Department of Corrections have proved that these policies are feasible. In 2016, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to offer medication for addiction treatment to incarcerated people at all of its state facilities. Last spring, Vermont passed a law requiring state facilities to continue MAT for people in state custody.
The 老澳门开奖结果 letter was mailed and emailed this week to sheriffs and/or jails in every Maine county.
For more information about Smith v. Aroostook County, go to:
Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues in This Press Release
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Press ReleaseDec 2024
Prisoners' Rights
Criminal Law Reform
老澳门开奖结果 Sues Bureau of Prisons for Keeping People in Prison Longer Than the Law Allows老澳门开奖结果 Sues Bureau of Prisons for Keeping People in Prison Longer Than the Law Allows
WASHINGTON 鈥� A federal lawsuit brought today by the 老澳门开奖结果, 老澳门开奖结果 of D.C., and Jenner & Block LLP challenges the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for unlawfully incarcerating people longer than the law allows under the First Step Act. The lawsuit contends that the BOP鈥檚 failure to implement the First Step Act according to its plain language violates the rights of thousands of people who should be returning to their communities and rebuilding their lives but instead remain incarcerated. Signed into law in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, the bipartisan First Step Act was designed to reduce the population in federal prisons, reform extreme sentencing laws, and provide programming and reentry transition services to people in prison. Central to the First Step Act is a system of earned time credits, which allows people in prison to earn time off their sentences and time out of prison by participating in rehabilitation programs. Through the First Step Act, Congress unambiguously ordered BOP to move people out of prison when they meet certain requirements to use their earned time credits. Instead of faithfully following the mandatory law, BOP adopted a regulation treating the law as optional. As a result, thousands of people, who should already be back in their communities and with their families, remain in prison. 鈥淓very extra unlawful day our clients spend in prison is a serious injustice,鈥� said Emma Andersson, deputy director of the Criminal Law Reform Project at the 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淚t is egregious that the Bureau of Prisons is imprisoning people for months longer than the law allows. The government must follow through on its legal obligation to get people out of prison on time and back into their communities, where they belong.鈥� Additional comments below from: Vanessa Crowe, plaintiff: 鈥淭ime is what I owed for my wrongdoing, and I have paid my time. But I should not have to spend more time in prison than the law allows. I often reflect on what I will miss during the months after when I should be out of prison. I will miss work and lose out on wages that would help me get back on my feet. I could be a tax paying citizen instead of a burden on society. But most of all, I will miss more precious time with my family. My family and I are ready to tum the page on this period in our lives 鈥� we are all ready to start a new life, a life with purpose, hope, and healing together. I want to start that life when I am legally entitled to start it-not five months later.鈥� Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel at 老澳门开奖结果 of D.C.: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no excuse for the Bureau of Prisons to pretend not to understand Congress鈥檚 clear command that people who have earned the right to early release must be released. This law has been on the books for six years. The Bureau of Prisons has had plenty of time to understand it. Law enforcers should obey the law.鈥� Betsy Henthorne, partner at Jenner & Block: 鈥淚t has been six years since the First Step Act was signed, but despite Congress鈥檚 clear directives, the Bureau of Prisons continues to hold thousands of people in prison longer than the law allows. We should and do expect better鈥攊t鈥檚 past time for the BOP to ensure that those who have earned their release are able to return home to their families and communities according to the law Congress passed.鈥� -
Press ReleaseSep 2024
National Security
Prisoners' Rights
老澳门开奖结果 Statement on Senator鈥檚 Discriminatory Questioning of Civil Rights Leader Maya Berry老澳门开奖结果 Statement on Senator鈥檚 Discriminatory Questioning of Civil Rights Leader Maya Berry
WASHINGTON 鈥� 老澳门开奖结果 Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, released the following statement regarding Sen. John Kennedy鈥檚 questioning of Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute: 鈥淭he 老澳门开奖结果 condemns this discriminatory and vitriolic attack on Maya Berry, a renowned civil rights leader, and joins the chorus of voices from across the political spectrum in denouncing these remarks. 鈥淭o use a hearing about the disturbing rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and antisemitic hate crimes to launch personal and discriminatory attacks on an expert witness they鈥檝e invited to testify is both outrageous and inappropriate. This kind of racist rhetoric should be widely condemned. It has no place in Congress, or in politics. 鈥淢aya Berry is a courageous and compassionate leader who has spent her entire career working to strengthen our democracy and protect the rights of Arab American communities, and other vulnerable communities who face discrimination and targeting because of their ethnicity, race, or religion.鈥� -
Ohio Supreme CourtSep 2024
Prisoners' Rights
State v. MorrisState v. Morris
This case in the Ohio Supreme Court concerns the scope of the state constitutional right to counsel. The police in this case interrogated the defendant, Isaiah Morris, without mentioning his already-appointed counsel or asking him to waive his right to counsel. This procedural circumstance risks confusing criminal defendants and undermining their state constitutional rights. The 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 State Supreme Court Initiative, alongside the 老澳门开奖结果 of Ohio and WilmerHale, filed an amicus brief arguing that merely providing a defendant notice of Miranda rights falls short of the bare minimum requirements for a valid waiver. -
Oregon Supreme CourtSep 2024
Prisoners' Rights
Huskey v. Oregon Department of CorrectionsHuskey v. Oregon Department of Corrections
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