DiscoverHere & Now AnytimeUndercounted: Treatment options limited as drugs flow into U.S. jails
Undercounted: Treatment options limited as drugs flow into U.S. jails

Undercounted: Treatment options limited as drugs flow into U.S. jails

Update: 2025-10-03
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Statistics show about 60% of inmates have a substance abuse disorder, yet drugs are commonly smuggled inside U.S. jail facilities, contributing to overdose deaths in custody. And when jails have treatment options like methadone and Suboxone, there often aren't enough to go around. Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd reports from a jail in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

And, Richard Graham died of an overdose in a Louisville, Kentucky, jail. As his family mourns the loss, they’re looking for answers. And so is the city; In 2022, Louisville Metro Council launched an investigation after a spike in overdose and suicide deaths. O’Dowd talks with Richard Graham’s family and Louisville jail officials about why overdoses are so common and what can be done to curb them.

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Undercounted: Treatment options limited as drugs flow into U.S. jails

Undercounted: Treatment options limited as drugs flow into U.S. jails