The STRONGER Act is about helping people in jails and prisons deal with drug and alcohol addiction. Right now, the government gives money to prisons and local jails to run treatment programs for people struggling with substance use disorders. This bill keeps that funding going through 2029 and makes some important improvements to how these programs work.

The main changes focus on better treatment and more access. First, the bill updates the language to use "substance use disorder" instead of "substance abuse"—this reflects how medical professionals actually talk about addiction today. Second, it makes clear that medication-assisted treatment (like methadone or buprenorphine, which are proven to help people recover) counts as a valid treatment option. Third, it requires the doctors and staff running these programs to get proper training on addiction science and the latest treatment methods, so they're giving people the best care possible.

Perhaps most importantly, the bill expands who can participate. Currently, only people who have already been convicted can access these programs. The new version also lets people who are waiting for their trial to start—people in pretrial detention—join these treatment programs. This matters because it means someone struggling with addiction can start getting help right away, rather than waiting months or years for their case to be resolved. For the people affected, this could mean the difference between getting clean while in custody or leaving prison with their addiction worse than when they arrived.

STRONGER Act

Cornyn, John

Supporting Treatment and Recovery Over Narcotics for Growth, Empowerment, and Rehabilitation Act or the STRONGER Act This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2029 grants for residential substance use disorder treatment programs at state and local correctional and detention facilities. Among the revisions, the bill <ul> <li>replaces statutory references to substance abuse with substance use disorder,</li> <li>specifies that the term residential substance use disorder treatment program includes a medication-assisted treatment program, </li> <li>requires the chief medical officer or other staff overseeing a program to complete training on the science of addiction and the latest research and clinical guidance on treating substance use disorders in criminal justice settings, and</li> <li>allows people who are awaiting trial or in pretrial detention to participate in the programs. </li> </ul>