The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), announces the release of a new publication titled Guidelines for Managing Substance Abuse Withdrawal in Jails: A Tool for Local Government Officials, Jail Administrators, Correctional Officers, and Health Care Professionals. The document provides general guidance for managing withdrawal from drugs and specific guidance for managing withdrawal from alcohol, sedatives, opioids, and stimulants in carceral settings. Particular attention is given to how treatment may affect older adults, pregnant individuals, and persons with a polysubstance use disorder.

Over 60% of adults sentenced to jail experience substance use disorder compared to 5% of the general population.^[1] Among these individuals, withdrawal-related deaths often occur within days or weeks of incarceration.^[2] The challenges associated with treating withdrawal leave many local governments and correctional facilities to devise non-traditional approaches to providing care, often commanding additional resources and calling for collaborations with community partners, local governments, and health providers to support successful implementation.

“Traditional treatments for substance use disorder were developed prior to today’s opioid crisis and not designed for correctional settings,” says NIC Director (A) Alix M. McLearen, Ph.D. ”With this guide, we deliver a resource to jails throughout the country to save lives and help people achieve and maintain recovery for the long term after release. I would like to thank the NIC team for their outstanding effort in partnering with others to bring this necessary product to fruition.”

Guidelines for Managing Substance Abuse Withdrawal in Jails is one of a collection of resources made available by NIC to aid custody staff and decision makers in addressing the prevalence of substance use disorder and withdrawal in jails. The guide offers specific approaches that are tailored to the needs of jails and account for disparities in size, resources, and lengths of stay that can affect the ability of jails to provide individuals with care.

The document supports national efforts to reduce deaths associated with the misuse of controlled substances, including opioids. Additional training and resources are available through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program website supported by NIC and BJA. Correctional stakeholders are also eligible to take NIC’s free Naloxone Administration e-course.

Guidelines for Managing Substance Abuse Withdrawal in Jails: A Tool for Local Government Officials, Jail Administrators, Correctional Officers, and Health Care Professionals is endorsed by the National Sheriffs Association, the American Jail Association, the American Correctional Association, the National Association of Counties, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association, and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Access to Justice (OAJ) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) launches a new civil legal services pilot program. The project provides legal assistance to justice-involved women incarcerated in BOP facilities. Its purpose is to curtail recidivism by addressing the civil legal issues, like debt collection, access to benefits, or child custody, that can block individuals from realizing successful reentry.

The partnership grew following a voluntary survey of more than 50,000 incarcerated adults. The respondents were asked to share information about their need for civil legal services, and the overwhelming response was that the services would be beneficial.

The pilot is currently limited select BOP facilities to allow for evaluation of the program before determining whether to expand the assistance throughout all BOP facilities.

In a DOJ interview, NIC Director (A) Alix M. McLearen called the collaboration “wonderful” and added that “addressing legal concerns while people are still in custody is a major step forward in promoting successful community reintegration…. [B]eginning the pilot with women continues our important work on equity and inclusion.”

Now in its 25th year, Thinking for a Change (T4C) remains the most requested training offered by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), generating up to 100 inquiries a week for the program. T4C is a cognitive-behavioral change program that applies research from cognitive restructuring theory, social skills development, and problem solving to help justice-involved individuals learn how to manage their lives by managing their thinking. The program has been proven to reduce recidivism when delivered as instructed through proper training and bolstered with conditions (such as scheduling, providing materials and technology) that support participating individuals’ success. To date, NIC has trained over 10,000 T4C facilitators and over 1,000 T4C trainers from nearly 40 states and U.S. territories.

Since its inception, the program has undergone many changes, from once being an in-person-only course to now being available in a hybrid in-person and online format and in multiple languages.  T4C Program Manager and Correctional Program Specialist Archie Weatherspoon, IV, believes the popularity for the program stems from its strong foundation in the principles of cognitive-behavioral intervention. While cognitive-behavioral therapies and interventions are widely popular now and understood to have a positive effect on high-risk offenders, research and support for these approaches were fairly new when T4C was first developed in 1998.

Cognitive behavioral approaches ask participants to think carefully about their thoughts. They are taught to stop, think, and get quiet before acting on decisions. The quiet makes room for thinking through better solutions to problems outside of criminal activity.

The latest version of the T4C program, T4C 4.0, is delivered throughout the country by correctional staff working with individuals in jails, prisons, community corrections, parole, and probation settings. Like all NIC programs, T4C is also available at no cost, which makes this highly respected, evidence-based training invaluable both to corrections and the communities they serve.