Management of opiate detoxification in jails

Little is known about how jails manage opiate withdrawal among arrestees and inmates. We conducted a national survey of 500 jails in the United States. We specifically asked about assessment and management opiate dependency among arrestees and use of standardized protocols. Among the 245 jails that responded, more than half (56%) reported they routinely assessed arrestees for opiate dependency and most (59%) reported using standardized detoxification protocols. Fifty percent of jails used clonidine for detoxification. Very few jails (1%) used methadone or other opiates (2%) for detoxification. Half of all jails (49%) failed to use clonidine, methadone or other opiates for detoxification. These results show that many jails fail use recommended opiate detoxification procedures and highlight the need for uniform national standards for jail management of opiate dependence.