Strategies for Preparing Your Client for Prison: 6 Pieces of Advice for Navigating the Prison System – Guest Post

   

Advice for Navigating the Prison System

Navigating the prison system can be intimidating and overwhelming for clients and their legal counsel. It is important to take the necessary steps to prepare your client for this transition, as it can greatly impact their overall experience in prison. Here are four pieces of advice for helping them navigate the prison system.

Advise Them on What to Take Care of Before Entering the System

Knowing if your client has any outstanding debts, recurring bills, or legal obligations is important. Advise them on what to do regarding these items before they enter prison, such as putting services they regularly pay for on hold, paying back outstanding debts, and setting up automatic payments for any ongoing financial obligations they can’t get out of while incarcerated. If your client has a job, it would be best if they spoke with their employer to inform them of what’s going on in order for your client to leave the job with a better standing than if they just no-showed. Especially if this means they have a chance at having a job when they get out.

If your client has children, especially if they’re a single caregiver, it’s important they focus on figuring out who will care for their children while they’re gone. Make sure they consult with a lawyer to ensure there are no legal issues that need to be handled prior to entering the system.

Explain The Process of Transitioning

Clients should be provided with a detailed explanation of the process of transitioning to prison. This includes being aware of the timeline they will experience while traveling to and entering the prison system, such as transit times, strip searches, paperwork processing, and potential medical screenings. Establishing open dialogue lets your client feel informed and in control of their changing situation while giving them a roadmap of what to expect.

Advise on What To Bring

Provide your client with a list of items they can take while entering the prison system. This includes items such as methods of identification, such as a driver’s license, any prescription medications or glasses they might need, and personal items such as their wedding ring, religious items, and money. While your client may not be allowed to keep the money they bring in, it can be added to their commissary account, which will allow them to buy things such as food, snacks, and toiletries.

Advise on How to Behave

It is important to let your client know how they should conduct themselves while in prison. This includes following all rules, respecting other inmates and staff, avoiding conflicts and confrontations, and having respect for their own personal safety. Being aware of their surroundings at all times can help them avoid dangerous situations. Additionally, a positive attitude will go a long way to ensure their safety and help them build better relationships with inmates, the staff, and authorities. Informing your client of these tips can help make their transition smoother, safer, and more successful.

Provide Emotional Support

It’s important to make sure your client knows that prison is difficult and not to feel ashamed of the positions or mental states they may find themselves in a while serving their sentence. This also means providing emotional support, understanding, and empathy for your client during the intake process and their time in prison. Cultivating an open and non-judgmental atmosphere where it’s okay for them to express their feelings can make a world of difference, especially while you work with them while they’re in prison.

You can also help and advise them on programs within the system that can provide support for a myriad of things they may be dealing with while locked up. This can include support services such as therapy or counseling. It’s also important to ensure your client is aware of their rights while incarcerated.

Maintain Communication

Lastly, it’s important to maintain communication with your client while they are in prison. Make sure to check in on them at least once a month and send any letters and books that may be of comfort or aid to them during their incarceration. It could also be beneficial for your client if you connect them with organizations that support inmates, such as pen pals or Prisonology,  a program that teaches inmates about the law. This can provide them with knowledge and understanding about their new environment, which could make a huge difference for your client regarding mental health and how they transition back into society after their sentence is served.

Overall, it is important to take the necessary steps to ensure your client’s safe and successful transition into prison. This includes helping them handle any outstanding issues they may have, advising them on what to expect while transitioning, informing them of what items they can bring into the system, providing emotional support, and maintaining communication with them throughout their sentence. All these tips can help your client navigate the prison system more efficiently and make their experience in prison more positive. With proper preparation, your client will be better equipped to handle their time in prison and have a smooth transition back into society once released.

Understanding Harm Reduction and MAT Services for People Charged with Drug Possession – Guest Post

  

Harm Reduction and MAT Services for People Charged with Drug Possession

There has always been a correlation between drug use and self-harm, and we often ask ourselves: which one causes the other? Is it that substance abuse increases self-harm? Or is it self-harm that triggers substance abuse?

These questions are incredibly hard to answer since the complexity of the emotions that drive either action is almost impossible to comprehend and unique to the individual. That’s why some people who have been using drugs for so long can go through a series of substance abuse, self-harm, violence against others, and, at times, suicide.

Sadly, not everyone survives the harm they do to themselves. That’s why it’s important to implement harm reduction strategies or MAT services for people who have been charged with drug possession.

While some users suffer from the effects of taking substances, we can work to save others. It’s this step in the right direction that can help people heal from harm.

What Is Harm Reduction?

According to the National Harm Reduction Coalition, harm reduction is a series of practical ideas and strategies that are specifically designed to reduce the negative consequences related to drug use and abuse. Besides this, it’s also a social justice movement that’s built on a strong belief in and respect for the natural rights of individuals who use substances.

Therefore, harm reduction integrates a set of strategies that promote better managed use, safer use, and abstinence. This practice also incorporates the concepts of understanding individuals who use drugs from their point of view and meeting them exactly where they’re at. Overall, the goal is to address how these individuals use drugs as well as the act of using itself.

Since the strategies implemented in harm reduction vary depending on what the person and the community need, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The policies and interventions in harm reduction are diverse, but regardless, they abide by the central principles that govern this practice.

These include:

  • Accepting, for better or worse, that drug use is a part of this world but still working towards minimizing its harmful effects.
  • Understanding the complex and multifaceted nature of drug use while recognizing that there are safer usages than others.
  • Establishing a quality of life and well-being of not just the individual but also the community as a whole.
  • Being non-judgmental and non-coercive in assisting people who have been charged with drug use and/or possession.
  • Recognizing the imminent danger and harm associated with drug use — both licit and illicit.

What Are MAT Services?

On the other hand, MAT services, otherwise known as medication-assisted treatment, is the use of prescribed medications combined with behavioral therapies and counseling to help people who are charged with possession to sustain their recovery.

At the moment, there are only three types of drugs that the FDA approves as an effective treatment for opioid dependence. These are methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine. All of these medications have been tested and approved as safe and effective treatments, especially when combined with psychosocial support and counseling.

Let’s take a look at examples of each below:

FDA-approved Methadone

The FDA-approved medicine for opioid dependence treatment include:

  • Methadose oral concentrate
  • Dolophine tablets

Methadone can induce neuronal changes in the user’s brain and produce therapeutic effects to control the effects of the opioid receptors in the brain. As a result, it can relieve drug cravings and eliminate withdrawal symptoms, helping the user transition more seamlessly to a drug-free life.

FDA-approved Naltrexone

For naltrexone, the FDA only approved Vivitrol as a potential treatment for opioid addiction. This drug works by binding the opioid receptors located in the brain, thereby blocking the effects of opioids. The goal of this type of medication is to hinder any pleasurable or euphoric effects to discourage users from using again.

FDA-approved Buprenorphine

The FDA-approved medicine for opioid dependence treatment include:

  • Cassipa sublingual film
  • Bunavail buccal film
  • Sublocade injection
  • Suboxone film or tablet
  • Zubsolv sublingual tablets
  • Subutex sublingual tablet

Similar to naltrexone, buprenorphine helps in mitigating the effects of opioid in the brain. According to some reports, some people who have taken this medicine no longer experienced any withdrawal symptoms or extreme cravings for opioids and other alternatives.

How Do These Benefit the Person Charged with Possession?

Giving a person charged with possession access to online MAT services or harm reduction programs can be highly beneficial for their health and well-being. Here are some of these benefits:

It Can Save Their Lives

Taking FDA-approved medications and exploring harm reduction programs can reduce the death rate among those with addiction to over 50%, if not more.

It Can Reduce the Risk of Overdose or Relapse

People who have been charged with possession are still susceptible to relapse and overdose. So, by offering these treatment options, they can be watched over and monitored so they don’t fall under the same conclusion.

It Can Promote Better Recovery

Apart from relapse and overdose, it’s possible for individuals to experience cravings and withdrawal symptoms, making it more difficult for them to make the switch. With the availability of these programs, they can be surrounded by the support they need to recover completely.

It Can Give Patients a Holistic Approach to Healing

Both MAT and harm reduction are tailored to every individual. So, everyone taking these treatments can rest assured that they’re getting the best care possible.

Final Words

To understand how important it is to provide harm reduction and online MAT services to people charged with possession, let’s take a look at the numbers.

In the United States alone, over 70,000 individuals died from overdose in 2019. Within the 70,000 affected people, 70.6% of them were caused by opioids. This in itself demonstrates a staggering fact about the extent of our opioid addiction crisis in the country.

One of the ways we can protect people from succumbing to the same fate is by implementing the strategies mentioned above.

5 Emergency Room Errors You Should Be Compensated For – Guest Post

  

Emergency Room Errors

Visiting the emergency room is never a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, sometimes the care you receive can make the situation even more difficult. Medical errors in the emergency department can lead to serious injuries and even fatalities. In many cases, victims are entitled to compensation for their losses. This blog post will take a look at five common errors made in the emergency room and how they may be compensated.

Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis of a Condition

One of the most common errors in the emergency room is misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of a condition. When an ER doctor fails to diagnose your condition correctly or fails to diagnose it in a timely manner, it can have serious consequences for your health. For example, if you have an infection that goes untreated due to misdiagnosis, it can lead to further complications such as sepsis or even death. If you believe you were misdiagnosed or that your diagnosis was delayed due to negligence on behalf of an emergency room doctor, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages and should contact ER malpractice attorneys.

Medication Errors

Another common error made in an emergency room setting is medication errors. Medication errors can occur when a patient is given incorrect medications, incorrect dosages of medications, or when medications interact with other drugs taken by the patient. These types of medical errors can cause serious side effects and even death in some cases. If you believe that you were given incorrect medications or incorrect dosages due to medical malpractice, you should look into legal action.

Surgical Errors

Surgical errors are also common in emergency rooms and can lead to serious injury and death if not promptly addressed by professional medical staff members. Surgical errors include operating on the wrong body part, leaving foreign objects inside a patient’s body after surgery, performing unnecessary surgery, and using improper techniques during surgery which can lead to infections and other complications. If you believe that you have been injured due to surgical error while receiving treatment from an ER doctor, then you may be eligible for compensation for your damages.

Failure to Obtain Consent before Treatment

Under normal circumstances, doctors must obtain informed consent before providing any type of treatment to patients—this includes treatments provided in an ER setting as well as those provided outside of it. If a doctor fails to obtain informed consent before treating a patient then they may be liable for any injuries resulting from that treatment—including both physical and psychological injuries caused by negligence or malpractice on behalf of the doctor or medical staff member(s). Victims may be entitled to compensation if they choose to pursue legal action against the responsible party(ies).

Failing to Follow Up With Patients after Treatment

Finally, one of the most important things doctors should do after treating patients is follow up with them after their initial visit—especially if they are being treated for complex conditions such as heart attacks or strokes that require ongoing monitoring from professionals over time periods greater than 24 hours following treatment (for example). Failing to follow up with patients after treating them could lead to further injury/illness due to negligence on behalf of doctors/medical staff members—and victims who suffer additional harm because of this could pursue legal action against those at fault for their damages.

Visiting any hospital’s emergency room carries its own risks; however, when mistakes are made because of medical malpractice and negligence these risks become much greater – leading to potentially serious injury or death depending upon severity and complexity of the incident. Any victim affected should always seek legal counsel right away regarding potential civil restitution options available.