BOSTON, MA – Today, Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts (PLS) held a press conference at the Massachusetts State House in response to the Massachusetts House’s recent proposal to increase funding for the incarceration of people civilly committed for treatment of substance use disorder (SUD), under the statute known as Section 35 (M.G.L. c.123 s.35). The current budget is poised to funnel $21.9 million into the Department of Corrections’ Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center (MASAC) facility and $2.5 million into the Section 35 facility operated by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, respectively.

Speakers – including public health experts and directly impacted people – urged the passage of amendments 332 and 333 by Representative Ruth Balser to redirect the money away from correctional facilities and into health care settings.

“Substance and alcohol use disorders are medical conditions that deserve prompt diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Todd Kerensky, President of the Massachusetts Society of Addiction Medicine. “As with all medical conditions, people should expect treatment to be grounded in the four principles of medical ethics: autonomy, do good (beneficence), do no harm (non-maleficence), and justice. We can have a reasonable debate about whether involuntary treatment is potentially helpful or harmful. However, putting people in jail to receive treatment is unjust. Having a substance or alcohol use disorder is not a crime.”

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