MACOMB COUNTY – We went to the Macomb County Jail this morning to talk to Sheriff Anthony Wickersham about a new pilot program aimed at keeping addicts out of his jail.
The program is aiming to keep down recidivism of addicts, who are jailed because of non-violent crimes they committed to feed their addiction. They are given a shot of Vivitrol which blocks the receptors in the brain. It kills the cravings and quiets the addiction long enough for addicts to get help to stay out of trouble.
District Judge Linda Davis, the founder of the local Family Against Narcotics program and a resident drug czar judge, is behind the pilot program in which addicts trade a 30-day sentence into 7 days to get "cleaned up." They get the shot while in jail and upon release enroll in a program to get clean and stay clean.
The Vivitrol drug stays on board for 30 days and blocks any sensation of drug use. The drugs become useless because the pleasure receptors and the physiology that gets them high is blocked by the Vivitrol. The drug is 100 percent covered by insurance.
For the career addicts-turned-criminals who've made the Macomb County Jail their home away from home, as we tried to do a story today on the pilot program the prisoners inside heard a story about personal hope for them.
For more information on Families Against Narcotics go to familiesagainstnarcotics.org.
For more information on Vivitrol injections for opiate and alcohol addictions contact Dr. Thomas Pinson at City Medical.