Helping people with substance use disorders stay safe after prison with medication before release and peer support after release
Improving Outcomes and Equity for Released Prisoners with SUD: Trajectories of Participation in Pre-Release and Post-Release MOUD, Peer Navigation, and Outcomes
This project looks at whether giving medication for opioid use disorder before release and offering peer navigation after release helps people recently released from prison stay in treatment and avoid overdose.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310121 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are someone leaving prison with a substance use disorder, this work follows large groups of people released from New Jersey prisons to see how pre-release medication for opioid use disorder (P-MOUD) and post-release peer navigation (PN) affect outcomes. Researchers link clinical and administrative records for thousands of people released from 2016–2027 to track treatment use, retention, overdoses, and other outcomes over time. The team will compare who received P-MOUD, PN, both, or neither, and look at how effects vary by subgroup, timing, and program features. They also document barriers and facilitators to keeping people connected to care so successful practices can be shared across prison systems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with opioid or other substance use disorders who are incarcerated and approaching release or who were recently released from prison, especially within New Jersey.
Not a fit: People without a history of substance use disorder or those not involved with prison re-entry programs are unlikely to directly benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify ways to reduce overdose and improve continuity of addiction treatment for people after prison release.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller studies and pilot programs have shown promise for pre-release MOUD and peer support, but large, systemwide long-term evidence is limited.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Crystal, Stephen — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Crystal, Stephen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.