Episode 15: Cost-Benefit Analysis of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

In this episode, Dr. Bret Bucklen discusses a new report released by his team this month, which is a cost-benefit analysis of the use of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).  The study compares the benefit-to-cost ratio for four different types of MATs that are currently used by the PA Department of Corrections: Revia, Vivitrol, Suboxone, and Sublocade.  Revia (pill form) and Vivitrol (shot form) are referred to as “antagonist” MATs; Suboxone (pill form) and Sublocade (shot form) are referred to as “partial agonist” MATs.  How do the costs (including the potential cost of diversion in prison) and benefits (including recidivism reduction and overdose death reduction) stack up for these various forms of MAT?  This episode explains what MAT is, how it is used within the department, and the results from this new cost-benefit analysis study.

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How the DOC Connects Employers with Much-Needed Workers

As we prepare to celebrate Second Chance Month in April, the PA Prisons and Parole Podcast hosted DOC Workforce Development Specialist Dorenda Hamarlund to discuss her work in helping reentrants secure employment. Dorenda shared about barriers to employment for reentrants, how the DOC prepares inmates for employment upon release, and how second-chance hiring can benefit employers.

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Episode 14: The Recidivism & Desistance Initiative (RDI) (Dr. Lucas Malishchak)

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Bret Bucklen (Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics) and Dr. Lucas Malishchak (Deputy Secretary of Reentry) on the PA DOC’s brand-new Recidivism & Desistance Initiative (RDI). This initiative was introduced in January 2025 to provide quantifiable public safety goals for the agency and to measure progress towards those goals. It is a performance management system designed to incentivize each site in the department—including each State Correctional Institution, Parole District Office, and Community Corrections Center—to contribute towards recidivism reduction and desistance enhancement.

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Catching Up with Our Other Canine Program

While the PA DOC’s dog training programs are highly popular throughout the commonwealth, the DOC also features a separate dog program: the Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence K-9 Unit.

Capt. John Evans joins the podcast to discuss the vital work his unit performs in keeping contraband out of our facilities. He discusses the training the dogs receive, how their program works, and just how good these dogs are at their job.

Check out this Facebook post to see the dogs in their new vests: https://www.facebook.com/CorrectionsPA/posts/pfbid02PH35MWbbWwEP21cFmQ2u7DY7HWahm45DnTmgptgW8sfEeXmgaGhVfdLRTxVbLtHDl

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Episode 13: Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) (w/ Jim Stover)

This episode is a conversation between Dr. Bret Bucklen and Jim Stover (JRI Coordinator for the PA Department of Corrections) on the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI).  We discuss what exactly JRI is, and also the history and impact of JRI efforts in Pennsylvania.

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