The Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown NJ plans to open a new wing that will function as a recovery unit for prisoners suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.
The new unit, known as the “Hope Wing,” is being launched by local authorities in response to the rapid rise of prescription opioid overdoses in Morris County and elsewhere in New Jersey. (In fact, opioid overdose deaths are on the rise across the United States and have prompted the federal government to form task forces to try to solve the problem.)
Morris County Sheriff James Gannon recently took members of the media and interested observers on a tour of the Hope Wing at the Morris County Jail. Gannon noted that prescription drug abuse is a serious epidemic that “has reached an alarming level in Morris County.” Statistics indicate that there have already been 62 fatal overdoses on opioids in Morris County so far this year. This is a 68-percent increase over the total number of fatal prescription opioid overdoses in Morris County at the same time last year.
Local law enforcement officials hope that the new unit at the Morris County Correctional Center will provide inmates with a chance to avoid relapsing when they complete their jail sentences are released back into society. The Hope Wing recovery unit will provide a number of services, including classes on anger management, drug abuse counseling, and peer-to-peer counseling.
For more information, access the NJ.com article, “Alarming Level of Opioid Use Spurs Jail to Open Recovery Unit.”
