Medication Assisted Treatment Provides Help, Hope to Inmates

By Chuck DeWitt, Corrections Security Captain, Kent County Sheriff’s Office

As a road patrol deputy, I routinely brought those I arrested into intake, and as a detective, I entered the bowels of the jail to interview inmates.  But as the security captain, it was eye-opening as I began to learn the everyday world of a corrections officer as they ensure our facility is safe and secure for the inmates, our staff and contracted staff, our various partners, and the general public.

Several years ago the nation, including Kent County, began seeing a spike in the number of overdoses and overdose deaths relating to opioids.  I learned that our corrections staff were well-versed in recognizing the signs and symptoms of withdrawal and ensuring our medical staff provided treatment.  Our jail, like the vast majority of other jails in the state and the nation, did not offer medication assisted treatment (MAT) to inmates.  Pregnant females were given methadone to ensure the safety of the baby, but all others were given medications to assist with the withdrawal symptoms after going “cold turkey.”

In January 2017 I was approached by Dr. Jeanne Kapenga, the Grand Rapids Chapter President of Families Against Narcotics (FAN), who questioned our practices.  In that meeting, Dr. Kapenga shared news articles and publications, and introduced MAT to me.  Doctor Kapenga expressed frustration and concern for those receiving MAT treatment outside of the jail and the stunting of their progress upon entering our facility.  During this meeting, Dr. Kapenga mentioned the 61st District Drug Court and thought it would be a good idea for me to talk with District Court Administrator Gary Secor and Probation Supervisor Joe Berlin.

Both Gary and Joe were polite, yet frank and honest.  My takeaway was that they had a fantastic drug court team: Judge Kimberly Schaefer; Kent County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dan O’Hara; and Case Manager Sonya Boss from Arbor Circle.  They were effective and getting positive results, but their program could be taken to new levels if they were able to fully utilize the jail as a sanction.  

Because MAT was not offered in the jail, they were limited to sanctioning their clients to two or three days in jail so they would not start to experience withdrawal.  This led to a series of meetings with stakeholders, culminating in Sheriff Larry Stelma and Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young authorizing our entering into a pilot program with the 61st District Drug Court.  This partnership culminated in January 2018 when the jail’s first nonpregnant inmate received methadone.

From inception to August 1, 2018, the Kent County Jail has provided MAT services to 19 drug court participants.  Although this may seem like a low number, this has allowed our staff and our contracted medical staff to fine-tune our procedures and security to ensure the medication is only given  to those who will benefit from receiving it.  To date, we have not had any negative experiences and we are looking to expand MAT services in the near future.

It is too early to start seeing long-term positive results.  However, as a result of this pilot we researched all of the opioid deaths in Kent County and compared the victims’ names to our inmate population.  If a victim had been in the Kent County Jail for at least 7 days and died within 14 days of their release, they were included in our study.  Between 2013 and 2017, 22 former inmates were identified.  We see MAT as an opportunity to help those who truly want to fight the addiction to this powerful drug.  Our goal is to be able to report no opioid overdose deaths from inmates being released from the jail in the next five-year period.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office regularly attends the Grand Rapids FAN meetings.  These meetings typically range between 50 and 80 people, all struggling in one way or another with this opioid epidemic.  Many have lost family or friends, and some represent the 22 inmates that succumbed to their addiction.  At these meetings, I often see Joe and Sonya, as well as the true appreciation from the families, friends, and drug court participants.   They know without the drug court program, their likelihood of successfully combating this disease would have been significantly reduced.  Much credit goes to Dr. Kapenga, Gary, Joe, Sonya, and several other community stakeholders for helping to get our MAT program up and running. However, words cannot express the impact, patience, understanding, and support demonstrated by these families and friends who faithfully attend each meeting for each other, for those not yet in attendance, and for me. 

Corrections Security Captain Chuck DeWitt has been with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office for the past 23 years.  He was hired as a Road Patrol Deputy and has served in several capacities over the years, rising through the ranks to his current position as Chief Deputy over Corrections.