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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 2017, the opioid crisis was declared a
3national public health emergency; and
 
4    WHEREAS, At the time, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental
5Health Services Administration reported that over 2.1 million
6people in the United States suffered from an opioid use
7disorder; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The criminal justice system has felt the impact
9of this epidemic; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health
11Services Administration reported that nearly 15 percent of
12state prisoners and jail inmates convicted of violent crimes
13and 40 percent of those convicted of property crimes reported
14committing their offense to support a drug addiction; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Approximately 7 percent of state prison and jail
16inmates were under the influence of opioids at the time of
17their offense; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The impact of opioid use on individuals
19transitioning from jail or prison back to their communities is
20overwhelmingly negative; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Outcomes include higher rates of returning to the
2criminal justice system, harm to families, negative public
3health effects such as the transmission of infectious
4diseases, and death; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health
6Services Administration reported that within 3 months of
7release from custody, 75 percent of formerly incarcerated
8individuals with an opioid use disorder relapse to opioid use,
9and approximately 40 to 50 percent are arrested for a new crime
10within the first year; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment is the use of
12medications in combination with counseling and behavioral
13therapies to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment
14of substance use disorders; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are used
16to treat opioid use disorders to short-acting opioids, such as
17heroin, morphine, and codeine, as well as semi-synthetic
18opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment medications
20relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings
21that cause chemical imbalances in the body; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Medications used for Medication-Assisted
2Treatment are evidence-based treatment options and do not
3merely substitute one drug for another; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Rikers Island Jail in New York has provided
5Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to inmates and has
6witnessed fewer overdose deaths after inmates are released;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Court action has won Medication-Assisted
9Treatment rights for inmates in Maine and Massachusetts; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Cook County Jail has provided
11Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to inmates for
12approximately three years; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In contrast, the DuPage County Jail has had a
14policy of not providing Medication-Assisted Treatment
15medications to inmates; at least two inmates who detoxed at
16the DuPage County Jail died of overdoses soon after release;
17the DuPage County Jail was recently sued to allow
18Medication-Assisted Treatment medications for inmates; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Medication-Assisted Treatment medications are
20safe to use for months, years, or even a lifetime; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health
2has urged the DuPage County Jail and all Illinois county jails
3to adopt a uniformed, best practice standard of providing
4Medication-Assisted Treatment medications to individuals under
5their jurisdiction requiring such services; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
7HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we support mandating a statewide standard that requires all
9Illinois counties to provide Medication-Assisted Treatment
10medications to individuals under their jurisdiction requiring
11such services; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13delivered to the Governor of Illinois, the Director of the
14Illinois Department of Corrections, the Director of the
15Illinois Department of Public Health, the Director of the
16Illinois Department of Healthcare and Families, the Secretary
17of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois
18County Sheriffs' Association.