The Hogan Administration has announced $500,000 in grants for drug treatment in county jails. This federal money will be used to treat inmates with addictions to heroin and related narcotics. As reported in The Baltimore Sun:

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention said the money will go to jail programs in Anne Arundel, Carroll and Howard counties. It said an unspecified amount of additional money has been set aside to develop a similar Medication Assisted Treatment program in Baltimore.

“By helping men and women who’ve done their time to get back on their feet, MAT Re-entry programs protect the families of former inmates from the abuse and instability associated with drug dependency and reduce the spiraling costs of drug-related crime and recidivism on our state and local governments,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement released by his office as he was traveling in Asia.

As reported in The Washington Post:

The program will provide monthly injections of naltrexone, a nonnarcotic and nonaddictive substance that blocks the euphoric effects of heroin and other opiates. Eligible inmates will receive initial naltrexone shots shortly before being released from jail and can receive subsequent injections from county health departments.

To enter the treatment program, inmates must be housed at a county detention center and be within three months of release, the governor’s office said. The state will enroll them in Medicaid or other health-insurance plans to pay for the anti-addiction drug.

The program also includes post-release support services such as housing, mental-health counseling, education and employment.

Each jurisdiction that receives grant money must develop a program to monitor ex-offenders’ progress, compliance, recidivism and lingering substance abuse.

For more information read the full articles in The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post.