After a crash on a motorcycle in his teens Adam Mahoney was able to begin taking pills. As the pills became more difficult to locate, he started taking heroin.
In the year 2000, Mahoney was arrested and was taken into the Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai.
“I knew when I was in jail, I was likely to get unwell,” Mahoney said.
The time was when Mahoney had been in treatment for addiction. In the hopes of being in a position to continue his treatment and he attempted to sneak into Suboxone — the medication that is used for treating withdrawal-related symptomshowever the package broke into the stomach of his. Mahoney admitted that he was close to dying.
It’s not only Mahoney who’s attempted to get the use treatment drugs into state institutions where the levels of addiction are extremely high.
In the past few months more than 2 Alaska Department of Corrections staff members have been accused of taking medication into facilities for corrections located on the Kenai Peninsula. In April a correctional officer was charged with taking buprenorphine into Spring Creek Correctional Facility in Seward. This month an ex-staff member was convicted of dispensing Suboxone in the Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai.
The addiction specialist from the Ninilchik region Sarah Spencer said with gaps in treatment options available the incarcerated will do anything to stay away from withdrawal.
“It’s simply incredibly difficult in every way you could imagine,” Spencer said. “And that’s why there’s going be a massive illegal market.”
“The extremes we’ll take’
Spencer has stated that today, buprenorphine, a prescription drug, is the most effective opioid treatment.
“There are very few medicines that we can find in medical science that are so effective as this drug is in treating this disorder,” Spencer said. “It is amazing efficient.’
Buprenorphine is a prescribed opioid that relieves withdrawal symptoms and decreases cravings. (Suboxone is a brand name version of buprenorphine as well as naloxone which is a drug that can reverse the effects of the effects of opioid overdose.) Spencer’s Ninilchik clinic provides injectables with the substance to patients recovering from addiction.
However, Spencer pointed out that those who are in Alaska correctional facilities are often unable to access buprenorphine or other prescription drugs through programs for in-house treatment.
The policies for drug treatment differ between each location across Alaska. At present in the present, there is a provision in the Department of Corrections said it will be able to bridge the patients’ medication for a period of up to 30 days. Inmates who are on methadone or Suboxone prescriptions, for instance will be able to continue their medication regimens for as long as a month following being admitted to the system.
However, this policy does not account for the rest of the sentence of a person. Also, Spencer noted that bridging does not always occur despite the fact that there is a requirement in the Americans with Disabilities Act requires jails to keep inmates on their medication once they are admitted to the system as per updated guidelines starting in 2022.
Some state facilities provide injections of Vivitrol which is an anti-opioid that helps keep cravings from happening. But, unlike the other drugs, Vivitrol is not an opioid and doesn’t block withdrawal symptoms. Spencer says withdrawal symptoms can be extremely painful, including extreme nausea and restlessness and cold turkey could be difficult. She claimed it’s the most painful illness you’ve ever experienced and that’s 10 times 10.
Mahoney explained that’s why he attempted to introduce Suboxone into Wildwood this year. It might be the reason some employees have been found guilty of doing similar things.
“It is just a way to demonstrate the extremes we’ll take to keep our commitment,” he said.
Megan Edge with the ACLU Alaska Prison Project stated that DOC frequently blames visitors and families when they are bringing drugs into prisons. After the June 2022 trial at Wildwood she explained that the facility was put under lockdown one year before the employee was arrested in the case.
“We’re aware of how to work’
In the time since Mahoney has been released from the prison, he’s now back on track to a treatment program with Spencer’s clinic, located in Ninilchik. Mahoney said he’s grateful to have the clinic’s help.
However, Spencer acknowledged that the inconsistent treatment across the entire system could lead to an opportunity for a lawsuit. Spencer is working together with Department of Corrections Department of Corrections to work to create a more consistent process in place.
DOC Spokesperson Betsy Holley said the department is currently working on expanding the treatment options it provides. She suggested that the department might extend treatments beyond the 30 days limit for prisoners who have prescriptions, as an example as well as start treating patients during their time in jail and not currently practice.
If asked about a timeline she responded that the changes were in their “initial stage,” and that DOC could not provide any additional information to release.
In across the U.S., bureaucratic and stigma have prevented states from the implementation of rehabilitation programmes in prisons and jails. Some states have implemented treatment programs. Rhode Island has been offering the treatment for addiction in jails and prisons from 2016. The programs are in place while the people are in jail and may be continued after release, if individuals are at a higher risk of relapse or overdose.
Spencer stated that the data proves that the system is working.
“We know the things that work. We know precisely what does the trick,” Spencer said. “We only need to implement it.”
In a time of emergency, there’s no time to spend.
