Statement from Minnesota Justice Research Center Opposing Lawsuit to Prevent Jail Residents from Receiving Necessary Medications

"Had [Ryan] been provided his necessary medication while in jail, he may have been alive today."

In response to the recent lawsuit to block the Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act, the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) issued the following statement:

At the Minnesota Justice Research Center, we believe that justice should be fair and that our systems for administering justice should operate as humanely as possible while holding Minnesotans accountable for causing harm in our communities. This means ensuring that people whose liberties have been suspended while detained in county jails have access to basic healthcare and needed medications. Because we know what happens when they don’t: Minnesotans will die. 

For this reason, the MNJRC strongly opposes the recent lawsuit filed by county sheriffs and medical providers to block the Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act, a law that would require jails to give incarcerated individuals the medications they need.

The Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act will be the difference between life and death for many Minnesotans in the custody of our criminal legal system. As part of our Transforming Community Supervision project, we highlighted Ryan’s story who, during his time in jail, was denied the life-saving medication he needed to recover from addiction. When he got out, he relapsed and died of a fatal overdose. Tragically, this isn’t a rare case. People on probation and parole have mortality rates twice the national average, with drug overdoses accounting for one-third of deaths within the first year of release. Ryan deserved a chance at recovery — had he been provided his necessary medication while in jail, he may have been alive today.

“The legal challenge to the Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act is ill-founded and extremely dangerous. When someone goes to jail, they should have access to the medication they need to survive. Me, you, our loved ones; we all deserve a humane justice system — not one that puts us in danger or deprives us of our basic needs at the door.” -Justin Terrell, Executive Director, MNJRC