Naltrexone treatment in a jail work-release program.

Inmates with a history of opiate addiction have traditionally been excluded from jail work-release programs because of their high likelihood of returning to drug use. In 1972, a new jail work-release program was begun in the Nassau County (New York) Jail, to which addicted inmates, who had formerly been excluded automatically, could request admission if they took the opiate blocking agent naltrexone. Inmates received naltrexone twice a week and had routine urine checks for drugs of abuse and an alcohol breath test when indicated. Psychological and vocational testing and weekly psychotherapy sessions were provided. For those no longer incarcerated, the adjacent hospital outpatient clinic was available for naltrexone treatment. Naltrexone has proved to be a completely effective opiate blocking agent with no major side effects in 691 patients over a 10-year period.