COLUMBIA - Inmates suffering from addictions to heroin and prescription pain pills may soon have new treatment options in South Carolina prisons.
The S.C. Department of Corrections has launched a pilot program where the agency will administer Vivitrol - one of three federally approved treatment drugs for opioid addiction.
State Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said the agency hopes the treatment effort will help incarcerated individuals suffering from addiction while behind prison fences, and allow them to avoid heroin and pain pills once they are released.