Federal Criminal Statutes. Experts discuss the Court’s refusal to read statutes broadly and the importance of judges considering the impacts of race and addiction in sentencing. 

Judge Irene M. Keeley (N.D. W. Va.) introduces this series, designed to provide judges with a basic understanding of opioid use and its effect on the federal courts, and outlines the objective: to equip judges with a series of takeaways they can readily apply in their respective courts.

Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), explains what judges need to know about the biology, neurobiology, and chemistry of opioid use disorder.

Dr. Christopher Jones, U.S. Public Health Service and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reviews current options (to include methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone) in Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for those with an opioid use disorder.