A Qualitative Systematic Review of Access to Substance Use Disorder Care in the United States Criminal Justice System

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 19; p. 12647
• Main Authors: Barenie, Rachel E, Cernasev, Alina, Jasmin, Hilary, Knight, Phillip, Chisholm-Burns, Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 03.10.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Best practice; Crime; Criminal Law - methods; Criteria; Drug overdose; Drug use; Drug withdrawal; Health care access; Humans; Imprisonment; Judicial system; Literature reviews; Narcotics; Patients; Prisons; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative Research; Subject heading schemes; Substance abuse treatment; Substance use; Substance use disorder; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy; Systematic Review; United States; United States; United States > US; Qatar; criminal justice system; treatment; substance use disorder
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912647

The majority of patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States do not receive evidence-based treatment. Research has also demonstrated challenges to accessing SUD care in the US criminal justice system. We conducted a systematic review of access to SUD care in the US criminal justice system. We searched for comprehensive qualitative studies in multiple databases through April 2021, and two researchers reviewed 6858 studies using pre-selected inclusion criteria. Once eligibility was determined, themes were extracted from the data. This review provides a thematic overview of the US qualitative studies to inform future research-based interventions. This review was conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). There were 6858 unique abstract results identified for review, and seven qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Two themes were identified from these results: (1) managing withdrawal from medication-assisted treatment, and (2) facilitators and barriers to treatment programs in the criminal justice system. Qualitative research evaluating access to SUD care in the US criminal justice system varied, with some interventions reported not rooted in evidence-based medicine. An opportunity may exist to develop best practices to ensure evidence-based treatment for SUDs is delivered to patients who need it in the US criminal justice system.