The impact of drugs and rampant crime on Seattle has been apparent. According to a recent documentary, Seattle is Dying, there are hundreds of homeless men and women that are unable to get the help they so desperately need, and they are dying because of it. In Providence, Rhode Island, surprising steps are being made to save the lives of people like those living on the streets in Seattle.
Jennifer Clark, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections has created the MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) program to assist inmates with overcoming their addictions. Her passion shows through all the work she has done to make this program a reality. “We can no longer ignore our way out of this dilemma, people are dying, and we have to stop it.” Inside the walls of Rhode Island’s prison, the inmates take their medicine every day. The inmates are provided with a choice of one of three FDA approved opiate blockers: Methadone, Suboxone, and Vivitrol. These drugs have been proven to help get people off heroin and stop this addiction.
The MAT program would not be as successful as it is without the assistance of the nonprofit, Codec. Linda Hurley, the CEO of Codec, states that “they will use these pills for life. They are no different than a blood pressure medication or insulin. It stabilizes them physically so they can do the emotional work to heal.” The Codec centers throughout Rhode Island provide medicine to any former inmate. They do not require appointments or paperwork, they get their medicine no matter what, so long as they’re in the system.
Another very important aspect of the system that has been instrumental to its success is that inmates have counselors, recovery coaches, and group meetings. They develop relationships with these valuable individuals while they are incarcerated so that when they are released, they can retain those relationships within their support system. They will have group meetings and counseling up to three times a week. Inmates who were once addicted and felt helpless, learn to live life again, have access to job training, treatment, and everything they need for rehabilitation in one place. When they eventually leave, they are completely new people with a fresh outlook on life. They will have jobs and families and, in most cases, continue using their medicine daily.
Michael Manfredi became a full-fledged heroin addict at the age of 15 and used it for 35 years. He spent 20 years of his life locked behind bars. He has said that being locked up saved his life. He doesn’t believe that he would be where he is today if this program wasn’t here. “I would be dead.” He now has a reliable job, goes to support meetings, and has reconnected with his family. “My granddaughter is my whole world. I’ve never been happier in my whole life. I’ve never lived a productive life before. I’m proud of myself.”
Ray Vincent stole to support his habit. He too believes he would be dead if it was not for his arrest. He doesn’t want to continue to come to jail, and is happy to take his medicine if it is the stepping stone he needs to rebuild his life. He is now going to school to be a welder. He will be taking his medicine for the rest of his life.
Another inmate arrested for shoplifting to feed his addiction was Kevin Tunguay. He has been in prison for eight of the last ten years. He takes Methadone, and states that MAT makes sure to evaluate and monitor doses, ensuring the inmates taking them feel okay. He is concerned about going back to drugs. “When I was on them, I didn’t know what was real. I didn’t want to die alone. I want to put things together and make amends to my mother.” This system has given so many felons hope for their future, and their gratefulness is apparent.
Josh Broadfoot is also thankful that he was arrested. He chuckles at the thought that he is thankful for being taken away from his family, but claims that “I don’t think I would ever have been able to be with my family if I had still been on drugs. I might be gone completely.” He is on Methadone. “We have counseling and medicine that helps us stay away from opiates. This program gives me hope. It’s a major help.”
The death rate of those that leave prison is a surefire way to measure success of a treatment program, and the MAT program is astonishing. People who should have died on the streets or from overdoses have not. There has been a 65% decrease in mortality for those with a history of incarceration over the three years of this program being in effect. Once they are released from prison, they must be registered in the Codec database, and an impressive 93% of people who have been released are still following up in the community for their rehabilitation.
The MAT system makes use of two simple concepts, enforcement and intervention. It could make a great difference in Seattle if it was implemented alongside stricter laws. The hundreds of drug addicted homeless people could regain their futures and overcome the need to commit crimes to feed their addictions. MAT isn’t soft or compassionate, it’s a proven program that directly addresses the issues faced by those on the streets in Seattle and elsewhere, struggling to survive while they are trapped by their addictions.