Warrant checking practices by post-overdose outreach programs in Massachusetts: A mixed-methods study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• Post-overdose outreach programs aim to connect overdose survivors with harm reduction and treatment services.
• These programs often utilize police and public health teams responding to 911 calls.
• Some programs conduct arrest warrant checks before outreach visits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand approaches to warrant checking in post-overdose outreach.
• To identify program and community factors associated with different warrant checking strategies.
• To explore the perspectives of police and public health outreach staff on warrant checking.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a 2019 statewide survey of post-overdose outreach programs in Massachusetts.
• Classification of warrant checking approaches.
• Ethnographic analysis of qualitative interviews with outreach staff (n=38).

Main Results:

• A majority of programs (57%-79%) conducted warrant checks.
• Approaches included: no warrant action (19.6%), delaying outreach (15.9%), arrest (8.0%), situational (7.2%), and no outreach (6.5%).
• Warrant checks created tension between police dual roles and altered outreach approaches, with unintended consequences.

Conclusions:

• Warrant checks can lead to arrest, delayed services, and barriers for overdose survivors.
• These consequences undermine the goals of post-overdose outreach programs.
• Programs should consider limiting warrant checks and police field involvement to improve engagement.