ALFRED — Heroin use is on the rise, particularly among young females, according to reports. IN York County, additional programs aimed specifically at substance abuse among female inmates at York County Jail kicked off with assessments Friday. New group therapy sessions begin on Monday.

The initiatives are among some others that are about to start or are in the planning stages.

The new programs compliment methods already in place to help both male and female inmates cope with substance abuse and addiction, York County Sheriff Bill King said. Maine Behavioral Health already provides individual and group therapy to inmates at the jail and what he describes as an intensive outpatient program, to help combat addiction, said the sheriff in a Friday interview. As well, there are other protocols in place for those who experience withdrawal symptoms of opiate and other addictions when incarcerated, administered by the jail’s medical provider, Correctional Care Solutions.

The new sessions increase to five the number of therapy programs aimed at female inmates with addiction issues. As well, all female inmates will undergo substance abuse assessments.

These days, heroin use is on the upswing in Maine and particularly in the state’s southern counties, according to reports. Some call it an epidemic. And according to King, while there are plenty of men addicted to heroin, more and more women are also using the drug.

“The face of heroin is a young female,” said King Friday.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while heroin use has increased among all age groups and income levels, the use of heroin by 18-25 year-old women in the U.S. increased 100 percent in 2011-2013 from 2004-2004 levels.

While the additional therapy sessions have been in the planning stages for some time, some other changes are taking place in the aftermath of an overdose incident last week, when two female inmates were hospitalized after apparently ingesting heroin laced with fentanyl that had allegedly been smuggled into the jail by two other female inmates. The women have recovered. King said the investigation of trafficking in prison contraband is continuing and charges are anticipated.

To address this problem, other changes include a change in visitation policies affecting both male and female inmates.

Traditionally, inmates have been allowed in-person visits on two weekends a month, in addition to video visits on weekdays. Starting this weekend, all visits will be conducted by video, said Vitiello, the jail administrator.

It is a move King said he doesn’t like, but feels is necessary.

“The security of the institution has to take precedence,” he said.

King’s predecessor, Maurice Ouellette, and Vitiello first contemplated eliminating in-person visits in 2013 but didn’t move forward with the plan. The prospect was met with dismay by some groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, who said at that time that elimination of in-person visits meant all were paying for the transgressions of the few who were breaking the rules.

King said he is also contemplating moving female inmates to a different housing unit that includes space for new arrivals to be isolated from the general female population until they are acclimated, but that prospect involves staffing considerations, and is still under review.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].