Bill Text: NJ A809 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires State and county correctional facilities to develop strategic plans to provide peer counseling and peer health navigator programs to support treatment of substance use disorders.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee [A809 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A809-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman ERIC HOUGHTALING
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires State and county correctional facilities to develop strategic plans to provide peer counseling and peer health navigator programs to support treatment of substance use disorders.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning substance use disorder treatment and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Corrections shall develop a strategic plan to foster and support peer counseling programs in State correctional facilities to support the treatment of incarcerated persons with substance use disorders. The commissioner may additionally develop initiatives to provide incarcerated persons with access to professional substance use disorder counseling services.
b. The commissioner shall develop a strategic plan to ensure that incarcerated persons with a substance use disorder meet with a peer health navigator to develop a plan to manage and coordinate treatment for the incarcerated person's substance use disorder upon release. The meeting with the peer health counselor shall take place at least six months before the incarcerated person's scheduled date of release from the facility.
2. a. The chief executive officer, warden, or keeper of any county correctional institution shall develop a strategic plan to foster and support peer counseling programs in the institution to support the treatment of incarcerated persons with substance use disorders. The chief executive officer, warden, or keeper, as applicable, may additionally develop initiatives to provide incarcerated persons in the custody of the county correctional institution with access to professional substance use disorder counseling services.
b. The chief executive officer, warden, or keeper of any county correctional institution shall develop a strategic plan to ensure that incarcerated persons with a substance use disorder who are in the custody of the institution meet with a peer health navigator to develop a plan to manage and coordinate treatment for the incarcerated person's substance use disorder upon release. The meeting with the peer health counselor shall take place at least six months before the incarcerated person's scheduled date of release from the institution.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the development of a strategic plan for all correctional facilities to foster and support peer counseling programs in the institution to support the treatment of incarcerated persons with substance use disorders, which may include initiatives to provide incarcerated persons in the custody of the correctional institution with access to professional substance use disorder counseling services.
The bill also requires the development of a strategic plan to ensure that incarcerated persons with a substance use disorder who are in the custody of a correctional facility meet with a peer health navigator to develop a plan to manage and coordinate treatment for the incarcerated person's substance use disorder upon release. The meeting with the peer health counselor shall take place at least six months before the incarcerated person's scheduled date of release from the institution.
