Counties use Criminal Justice Treatment Account (CJTA) funds for access to treatment and recovery systems for people in the criminal justice system, including those involved in drug and mental health courts.
What’s the story?
Up until 2013, counties had access to all of the funds sent to the CJTA.
- During the recession, the legislature swept a large portion of the county CJTA funds to the state budget.
- Those funds have never been returned to counties.
- Counties struggle to maintain their programs with these diminished funds.
- If those funds were returned to counties, they could be used to provide services such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and medication in jails, transportation services, and access to vocational and occupational services.
The Senate is offering counties a Catch-22.
A bill, SB 6585, has been introduced and will be heard next week that provides that if a county jail does not provide MAT, then that county or region will not be eligible to receive its CJTA funds.
The issue isn’t whether it’s a good idea to provide MAT in jails. Rather, it’s a resource issue. Counties need money for:
- Jail staff – nurses, medical staff, and care coordinators.
- Medications – the use of Medicaid and Medicare funds during incarceration is generally prohibited.
Jails also face other challenges that severely impact the smaller, rural counties – those that have jails housing fewer than 50 people.
- Providers often do not have DEA authorization to prescribe medications like buprenorphine.
- Not all jails have full-time nurses. For MAT, nurses must assess risk, verify community prescriptions, monitor withdrawal symptoms every four hours, and coordinate care at the time of release.
- Rural jails often have no local pharmacies.
The legislature shouldn’t be punishing its citizens and constituents by stripping funding away from services and treatments currently available in their counties. The real solution should be additional funding and resources for MAT in county jails to provide a continuum of services and supports for those most desperately in need.
Follow this bill:
SB 6585 (Hearing scheduled Feb 5)
