Methadone in Prison

[garstang]

I've finally got my day in Crown Court next week and I've been told to expect a custodial sentence (maybe suspended). Does anyone know what the situation is if you've been on a maintenance script and are jailed? Compulsory detox or would I be able to hang onto the script? Sentence is unlikely to be too long, poss 1 year, dunno, it'll be my first time if it does come to pass. Any advice gratefully received.
G.

[MattYorks :) :-)]

As far as I know, as long as you are on a script before you go in then that should carry-on.. Not sure if owt has changed tho..

If you cant find out by three today post and i'll make a phone call for you.

[angiesims AKA true grit :)]

Yeh as far as I'm aware you can or could continue it and attempt to reduce you if a long-term sentence well that's what they've done with many of my friends. It would be poor if the system has now changed and stop your script causing you to be ill. I disagree with the fact if you get sent down with a heroin habit they very rarely give you help. They may think going through a rough rattle inside may stop you thinking about using again but that's not guaranteed. Good luck with it 

[Jim]

the system is these days (IDTS) that if you are in for less than 6 months you can be maintained.  if longer you will be detoxed unless you have mental health problems.  there is a set of guiidelines/directives to back this up.  You may or may not get the same dose as outside.  Guidelines used to say that max dose should be 40mgs - but an expoerienced doctor could go higher.  Its better than it used to be I suppose.

[sapphire]

Depends hpw long the sentence is and what prison you go to I think. In the medium term jail near me they continue people's scripts if they are sentenced to 2 years or less, at the dose prescribed at the time of sentencing.

[Jules]

Hey mate, give us a bell - we can find out for you but as far as I know you're entitled to maintenance initially.  Hope you're doing ok 

What day are you in court?

All the best
Jules x

[froude]

Hi ya Garstang,At the moment you wont be kicked of your script if you get Prison time, anyone who is on a methadone Script whether its a Maintenence Script or just a meth script you can be kept at your normal dose in Prison for up to a year ,but that means you will stay in your local Prison and wont be passed on to a working Prison/transferred to a C cat until you are off the Meth.As you will be hoping to get under a year you will be kept on the dose you are on now,Hope it goes well and you get no bird at all.All the best Froude

[garstang]

Thanks for the info all. First time I've faced time inside and if I do get a custodial sentence I'll loose my house and my cat and having the stress of an enforced reduction is not going to help at all. I'm hoping that the court will take my character refs and the negative impact of a custodial sentence into account. I have been a very silly boy

[OP8S]

This is all news to me garstang, is it a recent offence or number of recent offences ? Any of my mates that have done time have had back-up from the local CDT informing the prison service of what they are at the moment intending on doing with their scripts. The only friend I have had that was put on a reduction script was for blues. He had been taking about 30 a day & no GP would prescribe you that amount so they switched him to diazepam elixer & reduced him slowly. I do remember him telling me how much pressure he was under from other inmates to hold it in his throat to share ( yuk ! ) but his methadone was maintained. Bloody stupid place to try & reduce anybody of opiates anyway. They say the gear was of better quality inside during the drought last year. With any luck you will get a DDU, I think they are called in England because of your references. You might have to reduce but at least you're on the outside. Best of luck.

[angiesims AKA true grit :)]

diazepam elixer mmmmmmmmmmm 

[simon]

At a local prison near here they will only maintain someone if they are daily supervised - rationale is they don't know if you are taking it - yup I know, I know.
I change everyone to supervised with this explanation if they are expecting a custodial sentence.

[sapphire]

Good on you Simon, it'd be a nightmare not to get scripted just cos you wern't on daily pickups!

[froude]

Yeah they also piss test you aswell when you first go in ,tell them your on meth and whatever meds (benzo's important)then you get a piss test,you might have to wait the night until you see the doctor ,or if its a Friday your see the doc when you get to the prison.If i knew i was definately getting birded off id drink a fair bit before i got sent down ,Prison is so unpredictable anything could happen ,lock down ,coming in late from court,at least you got that backup inside you and your be ok for 48hrs.All the best Froude.


Simon thats lame your local Prison doing that,FAIR PLAY TO YOU,for saying you'd put everyone expecting a custodial on Daily pick up

[OP8S]

You are just put on daily obs once in prison anyway, so their script should remain the same. Maintenance or if they want to reduce while inside the option is there, though I can't imagine it would be the best of places to do a reduction.
Froude your story reminds me of being involved in a case when a few of us were pulled while they were doing a search of the dealers house. Wrong time, wrong place. I'd had a hit about half hour beforehand so had no gear on my person. Just got the usual bollocks at the station, I think the lad who was already up for another charge had about 7oz in his house which had just arrived that day. When it came to court he knew where he was going, bags packed the lot. He was that fucked up though he was gouching the whole way through his trial, even the beak asked if he was alright. God knows how much gear he'd taken, he came to in quite a notorious prison with a 2 year stretch & probably very little memory of how he got there. Probably the best way to go if you know your going down for sure.

[garstang]

If i do get a custodial I'll be in on Friday prob Pentonville - saw my consultant today and he's going to give me a letter to take with me just in case, stating current dosing as I don't want to wait from Friday morning to Monday without dosing. May have to take a little bit more although I don't want to appear too off key - might alter the judges perception of my, ahem, good charcacter...