ITHACA, NY (WSKG) - Two New York Giants players were part of a criminal justice reform group that visited the Tompkins County jail. They came last Friday to learn about alternatives to incarceration.
As they were guided around the prison, they heard about programs meant to keep people out of jail. One effort helps with addiction. About 70% of inmates come in with some sort of substance use disorder. For most, it’s opioids.
As the group stood outside the medical examining room, Captain Raymond Bunce mentioned that Tompkins County has received a grant to give Medication-Assisted Treatment, like buprenorphine, an opioid substitute that helps ease withdrawal.
Tompkins will be the first upstate county to offer it.
Bunce said, "We do it because we’re trying to re-enter a person into the community so they fit in better, so they don’t come back here. As the Sheriff said, we’re trying to reduce recidivism."
The group also visited Broome County, but not the jail. Sheriff David Harder denied them access.