Enhancing Public Health and Public Safety: Informing Medication-Assisted Treatment Policies and Programs in the Criminal Justice System

The proposed dissertation research will use a mixed methods project to examine: the implementation of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for offender populations in Marin County, the impact of MAT policies on offender health and public safety across California (CA) counties; and national cost-effectiveness of MAT policies.

The project is in partnership with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, the CA Department of Justice, and the CA Department of Public Health. Qualitative research entails: focus groups of up to 30 adults with opioid use disorders (OUDs) and prior criminal justice system (CJS) contacts in local opioid treatment programs, the community, and needle exchange sites; and focus groups/interviews with about 20 outreach, prevention, and treatment service providers. Quantitative data analysis includes controlled interrupted time series comparing county-level opioid-related arrests, emergency department (ER) visits, and deaths before and after MAT expansion into the CJS; this is in contrast to other CA counties based on an e-survey to assess MAT and other related policies. Cost-effectiveness and utility analyses will assess government, CJS, healthcare, and individual costs.

"Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14). CA/NCF