Legislative Memo: The Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Prisons and Jails Act

Even though the American Medical Association, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, New York State Department of Health, and National Commission on Correctional Health Care, among others, have endorsed MAT as the standard of care for OUD, most New York jails and prisons continue to deny access, which has deadly consequences. The MAT in Jails and Prisons Act, A.533/S.1795, would require New York prisons and jails to provide lifesaving MAT to people who are incarcerated. The legislation marks an opportunity to save countless lives, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic worsens morbidity and mortality associated with OUD. The NYCLU strongly supports this legislation and urges its immediate signing into law.