People with drug addictions fill U.S. jails and are often left to endure withdrawal in concrete cells rather than in medical facilities.
In Walker County, at least 2,800 people with a substance use disorder are not receiving treatment and existing treatment is limited, according to a September 2019 assessment conducted through a federally funded planning grant that helps rural communities respond to opioid overdoses.
The need for more treatment services is especially acute in Alabama, one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, which has provided insurance coverage to people with substance use disorders in other states. Dunn said she felt continually harassed by law enforcement officials because she was known to be a drug user. Because she once missed the jail’s 4:30 a.m. breakfast call, she said, she was put in the same “drunk tank” where Mitchell spent his final days.
Dunn checked into residential treatment outside the county about six times. Each time she relapsed. Eventually, after missing court dates and once trying to escape from jail, Dunn ended up in prison for nearly two years, where, she said, “drugs were everywhere.”for drug possession in 2020. U.S. courts and police departments tasked with treating addiction have mixed results.
Walker County District Judge Henry Allred recognizes Mark Sherer as he graduates from the county drug court program in April. The program requires drug tests and steep fees. Sherer estimates he spent $3,000.
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