SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Officials in western Massachusetts are embracing a controversial tactic amid a dramatic spike in fatal overdoses: sending men to jail for court-ordered addiction treatment.
Hampden County Sheriff Thomas Cocchi has designated a jail wing for the treatment of men civilly committed for substance abuse reasons.
Cocchi and his supporters say the year-old program, which is the only one of its kind in western Massachusetts, is key to curbing the county’s opioid problem.
Fatal overdoses have surged more than 80% in Hampden County even as they’ve declined statewide.
But Bonnie Tenneriello, of Prisoners’ Legal Services, says forcing people into correctional facilities for treatment only stigmatizes addiction.
The civil rights group is suing the state to end the practice. A state commission also recently recommended ending it.
