A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday requiring Essex County Jail to provide methadone to a man recovering from opioid addiction.
Geoffrey Pesce sued Sheriff Kevin Coppinger of Essex for the county jail's policy of not providing opioid addiction treatment to inmates. Pesce — who plans to plead guilty to driving with a suspended license and could face 60 days in jail — is two years into his recovery. Pesce's doctor prescribed him Methadone to help him stay clean.
"This case was really a matter of life or death," said ACLU Attorney Jessie Rossman, who is representing Pesce. "Methadone saved Mr. Pesce's life, quite simply. ... He is working at a full time job; he is helping to financially support his family. He is able to parent his son."
In a statement, Coppinger said that in a jail, drugs like methadone raise "many security, logistical and fiscal concerns." The statement continued, “due to the potential far-ranging effects of the Judge's decision, both statewide and nationally," he is "carefully reviewing it to determine" his "next steps."
Several county sheriffs in Massachusetts either provide or plan to provide opioid addiction treatment in their jails.
