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County jail’s medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) program reports lower recidivism for participants
Summary
Jail health staff told the council that inmates enrolled in the jail’s MAT program since 2019 recidivate at 18.4%, compared with a systemwide recidivism rate near 70%; officials said in‑custody initiation, warm handoffs to community providers, and expansion to an opioid treatment program would further reduce overdose and re‑incarceration.
Salt Lake County jail health and corrections staff presented details of the facility’s medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) program on Feb. 11 and reported significantly lower recidivism for participants compared with the overall jail population.
Rob Ballard, who directs jail health operations, said the county’s MAT program began in February 2019. Since inception 1,767 prisoners have participated; the program uses all three FDA‑approved medications—buprenorphine (Suboxone), methadone and naltrexone (Vivitrol)—and provides psychosocial therapy three times per week while people are incarcerated.
Ballard told the council that the facilitywide recidivism rate is about 70%, while MAT participants have an 18.4% recidivism rate. He said in‑custody initiation and warm handoffs to community providers are essential; the jail currently cannot initiate new methadone treatments in custody without an opiate treatment program (OTP) license, which limits ability to serve some patients. County staff are pursuing OTP licensure to allow methadone initiation and broader clinical services.
“Carceral‑based treatment programs are great because of the fact that we kind of have them right there with us,” Ballard said. He and other officials said expanding the program to an OTP would allow initiation of methadone in custody and increase continuity of care upon release, reduce post‑release overdoses and lower recidivism.
Council members asked about program scale and equity; officials said funding and staffing constraints limit in‑custody MAT to roughly 50–55 participants at any time, and county staff noted grant and Medicaid opportunities (11‑15 waiver) to expand coverage for late‑incarceration treatment periods and a pilot program for broader Medicaid support.
Officials and council members discussed family funding contributions and community partnerships as potential supplemental funding sources in the near term; no new appropriation was approved Feb. 11.
