People who have stopped using opioid drugs lose some of their tolerance, putting them at very high risk for overdose if they start again. That’s why the Virginia Department of Corrections is making a concerted effort to warn inmates before they’re released.
Two-thirds of people entering the Virginia Department of Corrections admit they had or still have a substance abuse problem. It could be alcohol, methamphetamines or opioids like fentanyl or heroin. Administrator Jessica Lee says state prisons offer a variety of programs to help people quit.
“We want individuals under our care to get treatment while they’re with us so that when they go out, they are not at highest risk for overdose, because they’re having a low tolerance.," she explains. "We have to make sure people are aware of the dangers.”
Toward that end, they’ve made a video and put it on prisoners’ tablets.
"It features four families in Virginia who have lost a loved one due to fentanyl, so we want them to share it with their kids. We want them to share it with their family members. The more people who understand the danger, the better," Lee says. "I think it’s important that every DOC employee sees it, and they take it home to their families. We don’t want any more individuals to die."
The department hopes, of course, that inmates will not use drugs once they leave prison, but just in case, the system offers rescue kits for use in the event of an overdose.
“We offer NARCAN take home kits – two dose kits that are free, of course. We have our re-entry resource packet, and in that packet it gives instructions on how to utilize NARCAN and on where you can find NARCAN,” she adds.
Drug counselors are in short supply, so the Department of Corrections is also working with current inmates who’ve had a drug problem and quit – providing 72 hours of training so they can become peer recovery specialists:
“They really help walk other individuals through that recovering journey and provide that extra support," says Lee. "They’re getting supervision from the staff as they do this work, and they’re getting certification.”
That’s a credential they can use to find work when they’re released.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
