Massachusetts Jail Ordered To Give Inmate Methadone For Opioid Addiction

On November 26, 2018, a United States District Court judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction ordering a jail to provide methadone to treat an inmate with opioid use disorder. The judge said the inmate was likely to prevail in his argument that such a refusal violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The preliminary injunction applies only to the specific individual involved in the case.

The complaint, Pesce v. Coppinger, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts with Goodwin Procter. The plaintiff challenges the policy and practice of denying medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to incarcerated people . . .