Trial of Methadone Maintenance Versus Methadone Detox in Jail

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Opioid-Related Disorders

In brief

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been shown to be effective in reducing drug use, criminal activity and recidivism. Given this effectiveness, maintaining individuals who are enrolled in community MMT when committed to the Department of Corrections for short term incarceration would improve post release outcomes. However, this is rarely practiced in the United States. Current practice at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections is to detox inmates on methadone within 30 days of being incarcerated. More than 75% of these individuals are incarcerated for less than six months. The period immediately after release from incarceration is a particularly high-risk time for HIV and other problems including drug relapse and overdose. The investigators hypothesize that inmates who are incarcerated for 6 months or less will have better outcomes and cost the state less money if they are maintained on their methadone dose and relinked to their community clinic at release, than the current practice of detoxification.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01874964

Run by

The Miriam Hospital

People needed

450

Starts

2010-06-01

Expected to finish

2014-05-01

Last updated by the study team

2013-06-11

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• currently incarcerated at the RI Department of Corrections
• enrolled in a Rhode Island methadone treatment program at the time of incarceration
• currently maintained at the pre-incarceration methadone dosage level
• estimated total incarceration time of < 6 months and > 1 week
• willing to be randomized and to conduct follow-up interviews for 12 months
• English or Spanish-speaking
• able to give informed consent
• age 18 years or older
• willing to remain on MMT and continue MMT after release.

You may not qualify if…

• pregnancy (pregnant women are maintained on pre-incarceration levels of methadone throughout their pregnancy for their health and the health of the fetus by the RI DOC, so are NOT eligible to be randomized to Arm 2)
• not fulfilling all of the inclusion criteria.

Where it is running

• Rhode Island Department of Corrections — Cranston, Rhode Island, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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