Vancouver/Fraser Valley – A new project aimed at supporting people transitioning back to their communities upon release from a correctional facility could change lives in 2019 by preventing overdose and helping clients get on a healthier path.
Roughly two-thirds of British Columbians who died of an illegal drug overdose between January 1, 2016, and July 31, 2017, had recent contact with the criminal justice system, according to a death review panel report released by the BC Coroners Service in 2018. Of those, 10 per cent—or 333 people—died within their first month of release from a correctional facility.
Five new community transition teams stationed throughout the province aim to address this problem by helping people with opioid-use disorders access treatment in their communities after release from a corrections facility.
“People who are transitioning back to their communities after incarceration deserve a fresh start,” said Judy Darcy, the minister of mental health and addictions.
The teams, stationed in Surrey, Prince George, Kamloops, Nanaimo, and Port Coquitlam to begin, each consist of both a social worker and a peer—that is, a person with lived experience with drugs, the correctional system, or both.
They will work with clients for approximately 30 days following their release to connect with a community physician, fill prescriptions and access other recovery supports.
