As western Massachusetts struggles with a dramatic spike in deadly overdoses, officers are embracing a controversial resolution: sending males who haven’t dedicated any crimes to jails and prisons for court-ordered habit therapy.

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi has designated a wing of his jail for the therapy of males civilly dedicated for substance abuse causes. It is the one facility in western Massachusetts housing the lads, and simply certainly one of three in all the state for males.

Whereas some are attempting to finish the apply, Cocchi and his supporters — together with native mayors and lawmakers — say the jail’s year-old Stonybrook Stabilization and Therapy Facilities is vital to curbing the opioid drawback within the county, which incorporates the previous manufacturing cities of Springfield and Holyoke.

Deadly overdoses surged greater than 80% in Hampden County from 2017 to 2018 at the same time as they declined statewide for the second straight 12 months in 2018, in accordance with state knowledge.

“Individuals coming into our program are offended, violent and sick,” Cocchi mentioned as he and different officers celebrated this system’s anniversary earlier this week. “They’re on the finish of the highway, and their households have acknowledged that if they do not intervene, they won’t survive.”

However the civil rights group Prisoners’ Authorized Providers of Massachusetts has sued the state in an effort to finish the usage of jails and prisons for forcibly treating males with habit.

The category motion lawsuit was filed in March on behalf of 10 males who complained of poor situations and mistreatment at one other civil dedication program run out of a state Division of Corrections jail.

A state fee has additionally just lately really helpful ending the apply of sending civilly dedicated males to jails and prisons, because the state did for ladies three years in the past, following an analogous lawsuit. Girls are actually despatched to substance abuse therapy services run or contracted by public well being companies, as most civilly dedicated individuals are in different states.

“This shouldn’t be a alternative between jail or nothing,” mentioned Bonnie Tenneriello, a workers lawyer with Prisoners’ Authorized Providers. “Why are we giving cash to a sheriff to run therapy applications relatively than funding civilian therapy?”

Underneath state legislation, relations can ask a choose to order their relations into therapy in the event that they’re unwilling to go voluntarily and are deemed a hazard to themselves or others.

No less than 35 states have such civil dedication legal guidelines, however Massachusetts is only one of a handful the place it is extensively used, The Related Press discovered final 12 months.

About 9,950 civil commitments requests had been filed in state courts within the finances 12 months that ended June 30. That is down from greater than 10,770 the prior 12 months however up considerably from the 6,105 in fiscal 12 months 2016 and the below 3,000 in fiscal 12 months 2006, in accordance with state knowledge.

Tenneriello and different opponents say forcing individuals into jails and prisons for therapy solely reinforces the stigma round habit. And research, together with the state’s personal analysis , additionally counsel compelled therapy largely would not work and will elevate the hazard of overdose for individuals who relapse after therapy.

Just like the state corrections-run civil dedication facility, Hampden County’s program takes place, at the very least initially, behind the razor wire of its safe jail campus.

Civilly dedicated males are additionally equally segregated from the common inmate inhabitants however required to put on corrections-issued uniforms and observe sure corrections protocols.

However, in an effort to make this system really feel much less institutional, cell doorways stay largely unlocked and program contributors aren’t handcuffed, Cocchi and a few just lately launched sufferers mentioned.

“Sure, it is a jail setting. There are corrections officers strolling round,” mentioned Keith Molyneux, a 40-year-old recovering from heroin habit who was among the many first to finish this system final 12 months. “However they’re extra dedicated to serving to you right here than to truly being a correctional officer. You undoubtedly really feel like they’re there to assist.”

After a couple of weeks of detoxing on the jail, most are ultimately transferred to a much less safe facility situated off-campus in a transformed nursing residence. There, the lads can put on civilian garments and are housed in rooms which might be bigger and extra dorm-like.

Early outcomes of the strategy — which additionally consists of well being care professionals administering habit therapy medicines and main counselling periods — are encouraging, Cocchi mentioned.

Since opening final Could, greater than 850 males have gone by way of this system, staying 47 days, on common — weeks longer than they do on the state’s different two services.

The longer stays improve the percentages that the lads will keep sober, Cocchi mentioned. Up to now, lower than 5% have needed to be recommitted, although two fatally overdosed after leaving this system.

Lawmakers, in the meantime, have dedicated $1 million to this system within the present state finances, proving the trouble has sturdy assist, regardless of its detractors, he mentioned.

“Allow us to proceed doing what we’re doing,” Cocchi mentioned. “Nobody else is doing this work out right here, however we’re doing it, and we’re doing it effectively. Why should not we be applauded and supported?”

———

Comply with Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

———

This story has been corrected to determine the Hampden County sheriff as Nick Cocchi, not Thomas Cocchi.