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A lawsuit was filed against the Essex County Court House in Middleton and his sheriff for the prison's refusal to provide methadone, a drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction, detainees.
The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and Goodwin Proctor LLP was filed Wednesday on behalf of Geoffrey Pesce, 32, of Ipswich, and aims to force sheriff Kevin Coppinger he has taken the past two years to treat his addiction.
Pesce is expected to be sentenced Monday to 60 days in Middleton Correctional Home for driving with a suspended license.
"We are talking about the treatment of addiction as a public health problem, but the reality on the ground is that we are dealing with it largely through sanctions," said Matthew Segal, chief legal officer of the United States. ACLU of Massachusetts. "When the state takes away the life-saving treatment of someone, it can turn a 60-day sentence into a death sentence."
The ACLU argues that denying drug-assisted treatment to those who are incarcerated is contrary to the Constitution and the US Federal Disability Act. He asks Coppinger to provide methadone to Pesce or to transport him to the methadone clinic during his sentence.
A Coppinger spokesperson says the office is reviewing the lawsuit and is not commenting on ongoing litigation. The Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association has not responded to requests for comments.
Policies to provide drug addictions to incarcerated people are changing in Massachusetts, although some may say that they are not changing fast enough to cope with the opioid epidemic.
Five prisons in Massachusetts County are expected to launch a pilot program next year to provide addiction medicine for inmates. Essex County is not part of these prisons.
Federal officials are already investigating the denial of addiction drugs in Massachusetts prisons. The Department of Justice is currently reviewing complaints about prisons that deny drugs and whether it is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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