Jail may force methadone patient to detox when she goes in next week

Abstract

Christine M. Finnigan, after 20 years with untreated opioid use disorder (OUD), entered treatment with methadone in August 2019. Next week, she is due to enter DuPage County Jail in Illinois for 30 days for a 2016 DUI conviction. The jail and Sheriff James Mendrick have not indicated that they will let her continue her methadone treatment — in fact, the jail's policy and practice is to refuse to provide medication‐assisted treatment (MAT), under its “de facto Mandatory Withdrawal policy.” So the Legal Action Center (LAC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have sued to make sure she does get the treatment.