Opinion: Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve accountability for soaring state prison drug costs

Five years ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spent less than $25,000 a month on Suboxone (used to treat opioid addiction) for inmates. Today, taxpayers are footing a bill of more than $3 million every month — nearly $37 million a year. That’s an increase of nearly 12,000% in just five years.

No government program should increase by nearly 12,000% without taxpayers demanding accountability.

For more than two decades, I’ve worked inside Pennsylvania’s state prisons. My fellow corrections officers and I have witnessed the devastation opioid addiction causes, both inside our prisons and in communities across our commonwealth. That’s why we support medication-assisted treatment for inmates who are genuinely recovering from opioid addiction. When used appropriately, Suboxone can help people overcome addiction, reduce recidivism and improve public safety.

But somewhere along the way, Pennsylvania lost sight of the program’s original purpose.

Instead of focusing exclusively on inmates recovering from opioid addiction, corrections officers have watched the program expand to inmates who were never its intended beneficiaries. We do not support prescribing an addictive medication to inmates who are not recovering addicts but take advantage of a lax program because they know they can experience euphoric effects from taking the drug. That’s not what this program was created to do.

Corrections officers don’t need a government report to understand what’s happening. We see it every day. We’re the ones escorting inmates to medical appointments, searching cells for contraband and maintaining security inside our prisons. We know what becomes valuable behind prison walls, and we know when inmates begin exploiting a system designed to help people recover.

Corrections officers have watched inmates game the system because they know there is value in obtaining a prescription. Some seek it for their own personal use. Others seek it because it has become a valuable commodity within the inmate population.

Every unnecessary prescription drives up costs for taxpayers, creates additional security concerns inside our prisons and weakens the integrity of a program designed to help inmates overcome addiction.

This is not an argument against medication-assisted treatment. Inmates who are sincerely trying to overcome addiction deserve assurance that treatment resources are being directed to those who truly need them. It is an argument for its responsible use and regulation.

Taxpayers deserve to know their hard-earned dollars are supporting legitimate treatment, not unnecessary prescriptions that drive up costs. Corrections officers deserve confidence that rehabilitation programs are not creating new security risks inside our institutions.

The Department of Corrections has acknowledged that thousands of inmates remain on a waiting list to receive Suboxone. That means that, unless prescriptions are limited to inmates who genuinely need medication-assisted treatment, taxpayers should expect these costs to continue climbing.

Pennsylvania can continue helping inmates overcome opioid addiction while ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. We owe it to taxpayers, corrections officers and the inmates who genuinely need treatment to restore this program to its original purpose.

Michael Ohler
President of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association