The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office announced a new initiative to help opioid-addicted inmates stay clean.
Vivitrol
Vivitrol is a drug that helps reduce cravings for heroin and opioid users for about 30 days. Inmates that qualify can choose to receive the drug shortly before their release to help stay clean as they rejoin the community.
“Right before they leave we give them that shot so they have that extra month of virility to fight any addictive qualities and to keep going in the rehabilitative services,” said Sheriff James Mendrick.
Accessible to Inmates
To make Vivitrol even more accessible, inmates can indicate interest in the drug discretely via tablets in the jail.
Nine inmates showed interest in the program within 24 hours of the announcement.
It’s another step in Sheriff Mendrick’s plan to provide a holistic approach to rehabilitation in the DuPage correctional facility.
“Vivitrol is a step where we’re trying to look now beyond jail because we don’t want them to just go home, start doing what they were doing again and be back in our correctional facility next week. We’re trying to actually make an impact that lasts,” said Sheriff Mendrick.
The program is a collaboration between the sheriff’s office and the DuPage County Health Department and is funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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