Medication-Assisted Treatment: Statutory Schemes & Civil Rights Implications

Authors

Melissa Koppel, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Abstract

The note argues that the denial of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) to prisoners with opioid use disorder (OUD) violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It contends that states must implement MAT programs in prisons to comply with federal law, reduce recidivism, and improve public health outcomes. The analysis emphasizes that MAT is a medically recognized standard of care for OUD and that withholding it constitutes discrimination and cruel and unusual punishment.

Disciplines

Civil Rights and Discrimination | Courts | Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Law

Recommended Citation

Melissa Koppel, Medication-Assisted Treatment: Statutory Schemes & Civil Rights Implications, 27 Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just. 145 (2020).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol27/iss1/9