New program gives local inmates ticket to drug-free life

Columbus’ new task force for opioid overdose prevention has come up with a new initiative to help Franklin County inmates stay clean once released.

Beginning October 1, inmates who have completed their sentence will have the option to be injected with Vivitrol, a drug that prevents drug and alcohol relapses, reports The Dispatch.

Photo courtesy of Addictionblog.com

Individuals with addiction disorders and who are willing to continue treatment afterwards will qualify for the injection.

The Franklin County Opiate Task Force and the other organizations involved expect 520 inmates to opt in. If they’re correct, it’ll cost about $400,000 a year to supply the drug. It’ll be funded largely by the federal government, says The Dispatch.

Is this a good expenditure if it helps inmates come out of jail better prepared to reestablish housing, jobs, and their place in society? 

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