# Impact of Jail-Based Methadone on Overdose, Recidivism, HIV and Health Outcomes, and Costs in New York City, 2011-2017

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $596,192

## Abstract

Project Abstract
The growing prevalence of opioid use disorders (OUDs) in the community and in Criminal Justice
Systems drives increasing rates of overdose mortality, poor health, and high costs. Persons
incarcerated in local jails and prisons are particularly susceptible to increased risk of unintentional
overdose, re-incarceration, and uncontrolled HIV. Methadone maintenance treatment is effective
community treatment for OUD. However, the impact of methadone maintenance offered routinely in a
large, high-volume, high-turnover municipal jail setting has not been studied. New York City, with a
large jail methadone program, a jail electronic medical record, and a rich collection of regional health
surveillance databases, presents a unique opportunity to estimate in-jail methadone treatment and
associations with post-release overdose, re-incarceration, HIV control, and costs.
This study analyses important opioid-related outcomes among NYC jail inmates admitted to and leaving
NYC jails during 2011-2017, and compares individuals who: a) accessed the jail methadone
maintenance treatment program and were released from jail on methadone maintenance, or, b) were
diagnosed with an opioid use disorder but did not access methadone and were released from jail out-
of-treatment (detox-only). Secondary, exploratory analysis will examine outcomes among, c) a smaller
sample of buprenorphine maintained individuals. We will test the primary hypotheses that methadone
maintenance exposure reduced the risk of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and jail recidivism, improved
HIV control (among HIV-positive persons), and improved rates of appropriate health care utilization and
lowered costs. This study proposes to link New York City jail electronic medical records with NYC-wide
overdose, re-incarceration, HIV/AIDS, and related health and economic outcome data to better define
the public health impact of methadone maintenance in NYC jails.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9930577
- **Project number:** 5R01DA045042-03
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** JOSHUA D LEE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $596,192
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9930577

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9930577, Impact of Jail-Based Methadone on Overdose, Recidivism, HIV and Health Outcomes, and Costs in New York City, 2011-2017 (5R01DA045042-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9930577. Licensed CC0.

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