P.A.A.R.I.

The PAARI program (Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative) is designed to give individuals with substance abuse disorders a safe way to seek help for their addiction at a local Police Department, where the individual will be screened by Law Enforcement and assisted by a Acenda Integrated Health certified Peer Recovery Specialist to obtain treatment and recovery services. Madison is one of 22 Police Departments in Morris County who offer this program. 

PAARI_LogoMission:

  • To provide critical support, such as technical assistance, models, seed grants, recovery coaches, convenings, and other resources to law enforcement agencies to create and sustain programs that establish a non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery 
  • To foster a dialogue about the unique position of law enforcement to address the opioid crisis, remove stigma, and reframe the conversation about addiction as a disease not a crime
  • To educate lawmakers and influence state and national policy around treatment access
  • To remove barriers to treatment on demand, including connections to treatment scholarships
  • To build a law enforcement movement and network of like-minded law enforcement agencies that help people take their first steps on the path to treatment and recovery.

History:

For decades, municipal police officers have been on the front lines of the war on drugs. Until now, they have been solely called upon to attempt to disrupt an ever-increasing supply chain.  That meant police officers often found themselves arresting drug addicts as much, if not more so, than drug dealers and traffickers.  In most cases, the addicts were only guilty of possessing an illegal, life-ruining substance and they faced arrest, prosecution and prison terms.  In the meantime, heroin and opioid addiction has become a severe public health concern in the United States, destroying and often ending lives.

In 2015, Gloucester, Massachusetts Police Chief Leonard Campanello developed a revolutionary new way to fight the war on drugs by doing something about the demand, not just the supply. Under his plan, drug addicts who ask the police department for help will be immediately be taken to a hospital and placed in a recovery program. No arrest. No jail.

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Process:

  • An individual seeking assistance, can walk into the Madison Public Safety Building [M-F 8a-4:30p] and request help for their addiction.
  • The individual will be screened and in most cases connected with a certified peer recovery specialist who will guide the individual to treatment options and resources.
  • PAARI is a voluntary program, therefore those who participate must volunteer to do so under their own volition.
  • Upon arrival the participant must relinquish any drugs and/or drug paraphernalia.
  • Those who voluntarily participate in the PAARI program WILL NOT face any legal charges.
  • The individual will be subject to basic screening to ensure they are eligible for the program.
  • Individuals are able to terminate their participation in the program if they wish to do so and will not face any retribution of legal action from the Police Department.
  • If a person wishing to participate is presently on probation or parole, their placement in the program will be coordinated with their parole or probate officer.

Statistics:

  • In 2017 there were 47,000 Opioid drug overdose deaths in the United States
  • In Morris County Opioid related deaths have been on the rise in recent years
  • In 2017 alone, 97 people died of Opioid overdoses in Morris County.
  • In terms of fatal drug overdoses in teens, NJ is 6th in the nation as of 2015 (Daytop NJ)
  • 10.7% of the deaths in teenagers between the ages of 12-15 are from drug overdoses (Daytop NJ)
  • In 2018, a minimum of 3,163 people died of a drug overdose, this information along with more can be found in this article

Do you know someone struggling with addiction? Would you like a NARCAN kit to save a life? There is Hope, just ask! Stop by Hope One.

Contact Hope One at HopeOne@co.morris.nj.us


More Information:
Learn more about PAARI at https://paariusa.org/.

Contact Us:
If you have any questions, get in touch with us at paari@co.morris.nj.us

For other scenarios, please contact Morris County CARES at  973-625-1143 anytime 24/7 for recovery support.