New Program Looks To Treat Substance Use Disorders In Kendall County Jail

Press release from Kendall County Sheriff's Office:

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — The Kendall County Jail has begun a comprehensive program aimed at treating substance use disorder and opioid use disorder in incarcerated people.

The Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Family Counseling Service and Family Guidance Centers to provide comprehensive services, which include group therapy, the continuation of medication-aided recovery initiated in the community, and the initiation of medication-aid recovery for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). The Sheriff’s Office has been able to fund the program at no cost to taxpayers by utilizing Commissary Funds and grant funding received by participating in a learning collaborative to develop programming to improve the lives of those who enter the jail.

A substantial portion of the prison population in the United States is strongly connected to drug-related offenses. While the exact rates of inmates with SUDs is difficult to measure, some research shows that an estimated 65% percent of the United States prison population has an active SUD. Another 20% percent did not meet the official criteria for an SUD but were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their crime (Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

"By involving community providers in the treatment of substance use disorder and opioid use disorder during incarceration, we are helping people to make the connections they need to be successful in their recovery long after they are released from the jail," Sheriff Baird said.

This press release was produced by Kendall County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author’s own.