The association between incarceration and MMT discontinuation has also been well-described elsewhere, and qualitative studies suggest this may be due to barriers to MMT continuity during transitions between custodial and community settings (Small, Wood, Betteridge, Montaner, & Kerr, 2009). There remain significant barriers to initiating and accessing opioid agonist therapies in custodial settings, and previous research has shown that the majority of individuals with OUD do not have access to MMT while incarcerated (Larney & Dolan, 2009; Bazazi et al., 2017 ; Bozinoff, Small, Long, DeBeck & Fast, 2017). This is particularly concerning given that incarcerated individuals with OUD are at high risk for relapse and fatal overdose in the year post-release, especially in the first month after leaving an incarcerated setting (Binswanger et al., 2007 ; Kinlock et al., 2007 ;Krinsky, Lathrop, Brown, & Nolte, 2009). Additionally, previous studies have found ancillary benefits to MMT continuation post-release, including reduced HIV transmission (Larney & Dolan, 2009), a significantly longer time to re-arrest (Westerberg, McCrady, Owens, & Guerin, 2016), and greater treatment engagement after release, which could in turn reduce the
