The criminal legal system interferes with SUD treatment in a variety of ways:
Disrupting care that was being provided in the community prior to incarceration
Allowing judges, corrections administrators, and probation and parole officers, most of whom do not have adequate training in SUD, to make treatment decisions for people with SUD
Coercing people into accepting certain treatment modalities or medications as a condition of a sentence or release
Using incarceration as a punishment for people deemed noncompliant with treatment recommendations or for positive drug screens
Charging system-involved people fees for accessing treatment services
Releasing people with SUD back to the community with minimal or no care coordination plan to connect them to services or resources (Far too many jails and prisons do not provide naloxone upon release.)