On the Margins and Beyond: Serving Justice-Involved Clients Battling Addiction

When someone walks out of jail, they're not stepping into a clean slate — they’re walking into a world where fentanyl lurks on every corner, and hope is in short supply.

In Maricopa County, fentanyl now contributes to approximately 60% of all drug-related deaths — that’s more than three lives lost every single day to overdose in our community1. In 2023, Arizona saw nearly 1,930 opioid overdose deaths, with Maricopa County ranked among the highest-rate counties in the state2. The risk isn’t hypothetical — it’s constant and deadly.

Now imagine returning from incarceration with nothing but the clothes on your back. No home. No job. No support. And maybe, a serious addiction you were never able to shake. The odds of staying clean, finding safety, and building a life feel impossible. And for many, they are.

The Danger of the First 72 Hours

Studies have shown that the risk of overdose is up to 40 times higher for recently released inmates during the first two weeks post-release3. In fact, overdose is the leading cause of death for people coming out of correctional facilities. That makes every moment after release not just a test of will — but a matter of life and death.

Across the street from Mojave Complete Recovery, two people have already died at the local bus stop. These aren’t abstract deaths — they’re reminders of how thin the line between life and death is for those we serve. No one should have to detox, overdose, or die on a public bench because they didn’t know where to go.

Mojave’s Commitment to Justice-Involved Clients

At Mojave Complete Recovery, we see the people behind the paperwork. We welcome justice-involved clients with open arms, providing trauma-informed care, medical support, and behavioral health services tailored to their unique struggles.

Our partnerships with correctional programs and our commitment to walk with people before, during, and after reentry means our clients are never alone. Because for someone battling both trauma and addiction, consistency and trust are everything.

Hope in the Face of Harsh Reality

Despite the grim statistics, recovery is possible. We see it every day.

We’ve built our programs around what actually works — not just for addiction, but for the trauma and instability that come with incarceration. And when the system fails to catch people, we do our best to be the safety net.

Because you are not just your mistakes, your record, or your relapse. You’re a human being. And here in Phoenix, you are not alone.

References

  1. Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Focus on Fentanyl. Retrieved August 2025 from: https://www.maricopa.gov/5981/Focus-on-Fentanyl ↩

  2. Arizona Department of Health Services. (2023). Opioid Overdose Surveillance Report. Retrieved August 2025 from: https://www.azdhs.gov/opioid/documents/opioid-report-2023.pdf ↩

  3. Binswanger, I.A., et al. (2007). Release from Prison — A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates. The New England Journal of Medicine, 356, 157–165. Retrieved from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa064115 ↩

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