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Pennsylvania state courts must allow parolees to continue taking opioid withdrawal medications as part of a Justice Department settlement announced Thursday.
Several plaintiffs complained that they were prohibited from taking the medications. A Jefferson County woman experienced severe withdrawal symptoms instead of testing positive and returning to prison.
“Too many people have died and suffered under these types of policies. But we are encouraged to see that the judicial system finally agreed to do the right thing,” said his lawyer, Sally Friedman, senior vice president of legal advocacy at the New York Legal Action Center.
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The agreement calls for training for judges and court staff to ensure they do not interfere with medications such as buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone.
Friedman’s client, along with other plaintiffs, will also participate in a $100,000 settlement, federal officials said in a news release.
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The settlement resolves a Department of Justice complaint filed against several state judicial entities and court systems in Blair, Jefferson, Lackawanna and Northumberland counties.
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