Corrections_Today_January_February_2023_Vol.85_No.1

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The collaboration This article presents the results of a collaboration between the South Carolina Department of Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) and the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), through a memorandum of agreement with the South Carolina State Opioid Targeted Response/State Opioid Response (STR/ SOR) fund. This initiative addresses treatment transi tion and coverage for inmate patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD) reentering communities from criminal justice settings. Patients are given a Vivitrol injection one week before their release from prison to reduce substance use recurrence. Vivitrol is an FDA-approved medication that blocks the effects of opioids on the brain. The effec tiveness of inmate-led training of Peer Support Specialists was demonstrated as it relates to keeping offenders engaged and connected to substance use disorder (SUD) services once released to the community. Additionally, the initiative proved how Peer Support Services (PSS) impacted the reduction of the state’s recidivism rates for individuals incarcerated with a substance use disorder. Peer support has been defined as “offering help, based on the shared understanding, respect, and mutual empow erment between people in similar situations” (Mead et al., 2001). The belief recovery is possible for individuals with behavioral health challenges is fundamental to peer sup port, as is the concept of the development of a mutually beneficial relationship between individuals with simi lar life experiences. Individuals who have experienced mental illness, substance use disorders and trauma have a unique capacity to support each other based on these shared experiences. The research found the effective ness of peer support on many levels including increased engagement in treatment and recovery, elevated sense of hope and self-empowerment, improved social functioning and overall quality of life, and decreased hospitalizations (Davidson et al., 2012). Peer-led programs are not a new concept in behavioral health programming. Peer-led interventions have demon strated effectiveness by not only offering a strength-based approach but also connecting individuals who can provide guidance and support based on firsthand experience of addiction and recovery-related issues. Peer-led interven tions have also proven to be effective in working with clients diagnosed with HIV (Hirshfield, et al. 2019) and

substance use disorders (Haller, et al. 2010). Peer-led programs appear to be gaining momentum within jails and prisons. Although the concept is relatively novel in this setting, some data are outlining preliminary success. A study involving 49 female inmates conducted at two New York prisons, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and Taconic Correctional Facility, demonstrated a cor relation between peer education participation and higher self-esteem resulting in the cultivation of employment-re lated skills resulting in job placement once released to the community (Collica-Cox, 2015). Furthermore, the state of Pennsylvania has released anecdotal data from a program that began in 2012, involving six institutions, suggesting PSS has helped with the reduction of incidents involv ing inmate disruption and the use of solitary confinement (Patrone & Worden, 2017). Individuals who have experienced mental illness, substance use disorders and trauma have a unique capacity to support each other based on these shared experiences. Several state corrections facilities have embraced the concept of peer-led programs, specifically Peer Support, by identifying individuals among their inmate population who were able to fulfill this obligation. The state of Pennsylvania recruited and trained inmates with a high school diploma or GED equivalent, and who either had been diagnosed with a mental illness while in the commu nity or incarcerated (Ashcraft &Anthony, 2011). Similarly, in 2015 the Sheriff’s office of Montgomery County, Ohio hired two peer recovery supporters and dually trained them to work with inmates who had both SUD and mental health issues. Their hiring was a response to address the issue of over 3,600 women being processed through the jail sys tem for addiction-related offenses, which was a significant increase from the prior year (Ton, 2018). Additionally, the local jurisdiction of Riverside Regional Jail Authority

30 — January/February 2023 Corrections Today