For Immediate Release:
Press Conference Video: Featured Speakers Address Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Wisconsin Jails and Prisons
Media Contacts: Tony Newman: tnewman@vitalstrategies.org; 646-335-5384
March 25: Experts discuss report showing that opioid medication access has increased significantly; In some facilities and for some medications, access gaps remain
(March 26, 2026) WISCONSIN–The Wisconsin Policy Forum, with support from Vital Strategies, released Treatment Behind Bars: Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Wisconsin’s Jails and Prisons, a comprehensive report detailing the availability of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in Wisconsin jails and prisons. The launch was accompanied by a press conference featuring speakers who provided insight into the report and current implementation of MOUD programs in carceral facilities across the state.
This webinar highlighted key findings and policy options from Wisconsin Policy Forum who provided information from the survey results without advocating for specific policies. Other speakers discussed Vital Strategies’ recommendations to amplify success and fill remaining gaps, as well as insight from implementers and people with living experience.
View the recorded press conference here.
“There is increased availability of [medications for opioid use disorder] in both county jails and prisons around the state, making it available to thousands of individuals in 2024 at a substantial increase from 2021. The biggest increase was in the number of jails providing availability to buprenorphine,” said Jason Stein, President of the Wisconsin Policy Forum. “At the same time, there are some gaps in access. Some of the self-reported challenges that we see for counties when we ask about what has been an impediment or an obstacle include cost and program staffing, followed by coordinating with other providers, non-compliance with treatment rules, and so on.”
Medications for opioid use disorder, specifically buprenorphine and methadone, are important tools to support people with opioid use disorder in managing symptoms of opioid withdrawal and reducing risk of fatal overdose. Providing these medications to individuals held in jails or prisons is associated with a decreased risk of fatal overdose after release.
“Experiences like mine show why access to medications for opioid use disorder is so important, Protocols need to be continually re-evaluated to make sure people in jail are receiving proper medical care for withdrawal and opiate use disorder,” said Joanna Hernandez, a Wisconsin resident sharing lived experience navigating opioid use disorder treatment while incarcerated. “Withdrawal in jail does not treat addiction, it actually increases the risk of relapse and overdose when people are released. Jails and correctional facilities need to treat opioid use disorder like the medical condition it is. Access to medications for opiate use disorder is about dignity, medical care, and saving lives.”
As noted, the report revealed that barriers still remained even in jails that have adopted best practices, including offering all forms of MOUD and treatment initiation. “As a sheriff I see tremendous challenges, and typically it’s monetary. What we have found is that funding is crucial,” said Sheriff David Zoerner, who leads the Kenosha County Jail’s efforts to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder, including initiating buprenorphine and methadone. “We do an early screening, and part of that early screening is to identify persons right when they come into custody at our agency and our facilities so that they can get the medications they need while they’re staying with us, and we can pre-plan for post-release. From a law enforcement perspective, I think that’s the best thing we can do to better outcomes for our community and a real push towards reducing recidivism.”
Findings presented detail on status of medications access in 65 different counties, provide information on medications programming at all state DOC facilities, and dive further into different models for access in place across different counties.
“While reforms are in progress, Vital Strategies recommends that Wisconsin continue to minimize revocation and eliminate incarceration sanctions for drug use while on supervision, considering reoccurring drug use is a common part of substance use treatment,” said Adrienne Hurst, a Senior Technical Advisor at Vital Strategies. “The provision of medication to incarcerated people is a legal and public health obligation. The State of Wisconsin and its counties should continue and accelerate prioritization of settlement money for medication for opioid use disorder in jails and prisons.”
Read the full report here.
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. Our overdose prevention program works to strengthen and scale evidence-based, data-driven policies and interventions to create equitable and sustainable reductions in overdose deaths in several U.S. states and local jurisdictions.
To find out more, please visit www.vitalstrategies.org or follow us on LinkedIn.
Initial Press Coverage from the Report and Press Conference:
Wisconsin Examiner: More Wisconsin jails and prisons are using medication to address opioid addiction
Fox 11 News: Overdose deaths fall as more Wisconsin inmates gain access to opioid treatment medications
Spectrum TV: Report: Wisconsin jails can do more to prevent opioid overdoses
WISC-TV: Study: Wisconsin jails, prisons expand access to opioid addiction medications