Advocates decry practice of jailing men for addiction treatment

The Boston Globe June 26th, 2019 By Felice J. Freyer A 31-year-old man named Jonathan stood up before a crowd in a State House lounge Wednesday and spoke about a horrific experience. In April, he said, his family abruptly decided that he needed treatment for his drinking. So they took advantage of a state law called […]

Massachusetts Incarcerates Men in the Name of Drug Treatment—Now They’re Suing

Filter March 20, 2019 By Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard A 34-year-old Massachusetts man thought he was going to the Men’s Addiction Treatment Center (MATC), a facility where he had received treatment in the past, for his benzodiazepine and opioid use. Instead, he arrived at a state prison in the middle of a forest near the Massachusetts […]

Suit alleges bias in civil commitments for addiction

The Boston Globe March 14th, 2019 By Felice J. Freyer Ten men who have been ordered into treatment for addiction filed suit Thursday against several state agencies, alleging that they are unlawfully being held in a prison instead of a treatment facility. The plaintiffs are among the roughly 3,000 men each year who have not […]

Group Of Civilly Committed Men Sues Mass. Alleging Gender Discrimination In ‘Section 35’ Law

WBUR March 14th, 2019 By Deborah Becker A group of men is suing the state of Massachusetts over the law, known as “Section 35,” that allowed a judge to involuntarily commit each of them to addiction treatment. The lawsuit filed by 10 men civilly committed to the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC), a minimum security prison in Plymouth, alleges […]

Forced Rehab Isn’t the Solution

Massachusetts wants to expand its civil commitment law for addiction, but it may make matters worse. January 9, 2018 Tonic (Vice) By Maia Szalavitz What can family members do if a loved one is daily risking death, using street opioids that are frequently contaminated by super potent fentanyls? In some states, legislators are considering new legislation […]

Prison is no place to cure the opioid epidemic

December 12, 2017 The Boston Globe Editorial In late September, David McKinley was found hanging from the top bunk bed in his room at a Plymouth treatment center for drug and alcohol dependency. As reported in the Globe, McKinley’s suicide raises important questions about the suitability and management of the unit he was housed in for […]

Is It Addiction Treatment Or Prison? A Look Inside A State Center For Involuntary Commitments

September 13, 2017 WBUR By Deborah Becker Enter the former Massachusetts minimum security prison in Plymouth and you might think it’s still a prison. Men arrive in handcuffs, they wear orange jumpsuits, and they’re monitored by correction officers. But the men have not committed any crimes. They’re at the new Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center — or MASAC — […]