In the case of drug charges, sometimes people would benefit more from treatment rather than pure punishment. Some authorities realize this and have put drug courts into practice.
Through the drug court, people still face criminal charges, but their punishment includes a rehabilitation plan that aims to help them in becoming productive members of society who no longer depend on drugs. In some of those cases, medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, may be beneficial.
MAT
Part of the mandate of successfully completing a drug court sentence includes counseling sessions. As the name indicates, medication-assisted treatment works in conjunction with the counseling, adding FDA-approved medications to the process to aid parties in overcoming their addictions. Some of the common medications that a participant may receive include the following:
- Naltrexone
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
Though these are most common, there may be other medical options available. The court and physicians work together to determine the best treatment course for each case.
Past results
Utilizing medications to treat drug problems requires a delicate balance and strong monitoring efforts. Through dedicated efforts, adding MAT to the drug court sentence for several parties has proven to be quite effective. Not only does this help to contribute to parties overcoming their addictions, but in doing so, it helps to limit their chances of facing new drug charges in the future.
Future use
As drug courts begin to spread across the nation as a beneficial program for various offenders, the use of MAT will likely increase as well. Also, as new medications find their way onto the market, additional medications may be considered for this form of treatment. In such cases, monitoring the participants’ progress is key.
Though MAT continues to be a beneficial addition to certain cases, other options may be a better fit for some individuals.