Provides for medication-assisted treatment for substance abuse in jails and prisons

House Bill 404 enacts Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 15:574.63 to establish a statewide medication-assisted treatment program for incarcerated persons in both state and local correctional facilities. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, working collaboratively with the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, shall develop and administer the program, which must provide FDA-approved medications for substance abuse disorders and require individualized treatment plans developed between each participating inmate and an authorized medical specialist. The legislation defines medication-assisted treatment as prescription-based chemical dependency treatment and establishes that participation is voluntary, available to any inmate determined through medical screening to suffer from a substance abuse disorder, and accessible at any point during incarceration without regard to prior disciplinary history or positive drug tests.

The program directly affects all inmates in Louisiana state and local correctional facilities by providing access to medications and comprehensive treatment services including counseling, peer support, and discharge planning. Participating inmates preparing for release receive a one-week supply of necessary medication to prevent relapse and gain access to reentry resources covering treatment facilities, housing, employment, and Medicaid enrollment assistance. Released persons under supervision who experience relapse or fail drug tests become eligible for substance abuse support services through collaboration between probation and parole officers and clinical staff rather than facing automatic arrest or reincarceration. Local correctional facilities with insufficient resources or provider proximity may seek limited exemptions allowing them to establish agreements with community-based treatment programs instead. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections secretary must submit annual effectiveness reports beginning August 1, 2027, to the governor and legislature documenting program impact on recidivism, institutional discipline, disease treatment, institutional safety, and recommendations for legislative improvements.

This legislation operates within the existing correctional law framework of Title 15 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes and aligns with federal FDA drug approval authority. The statute specifies that treatment plans must comply with federal law requirements for medication dispensing and that withdrawal management plans shall address alcohol, benzodiazepines, heroin, and opioids. Funding derives from state opioid settlement funds supplemented by available federal funding, with legislative appropriation as a fallback mechanism. The reentry provisions integrate with the Department of Public Safety and Corrections division of probation and parole, ensuring medication-assisted treatment participation information is shared appropriately and not classified as illicit drug use when inmates continue medications post-release under proper supervision.