Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Behaviours and Health Risks, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology and Forensicare, Australia.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Oct 1;227:108970. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108970. Epub 2021 Aug 28.
People who inject drugs are overrepresented in prison and have diverse and complex health needs. However, outcomes after release from prison are poorly understood, limiting effective interventions supporting community reintegration. We describe the prevalence of socio-demographics, physical and mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and crime characteristics of men with histories of injecting drug use after their release from prison in Victoria, Australia.
Data come from the Prison and Transition Health (PATH) prospective cohort study. Interviews were undertaken approximately three, 12, and 24 months after release from their index prison episode and were completed in the community, or in prison for those reimprisoned during the study. We present cross-sectional descriptive statistics for each follow-up wave of the PATH study.
Among 400 men recruited into PATH, 85 % (n = 336) completed at least one follow-up interview; 162 (42 %) completed all three interviews. Participants reported social disadvantage and health inequity, including high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and physical and mental health morbidities at each follow-up time point. Rapid return to illicit substance use was common, as was overdose (ranging 9 %-13 %), receptive syringe sharing (ranging 20 %-29 %), involvement in crime-related activities (ranging 49 %-58 %), and reimprisonment (ranging 22 %-50 %) over the duration of follow-up.
Men in this study experienced substantial health and social challenges across a 24-month prospective follow-up period. Improved understanding of characteristics and experiences of this group after release from prison can inform more coordinated and continued care between prison and the community.
在监狱中，注射毒品者的比例过高，他们有着多样化且复杂的健康需求。然而，由于对出狱后结果的了解甚少，限制了有效的干预措施来支持他们重新融入社区。我们描述了在澳大利亚维多利亚州，有注射毒品史的男性在出狱后的社会人口统计学、身心健康、酒精和其他药物使用以及犯罪特征的流行情况。
数据来自监狱和过渡健康（PATH）前瞻性队列研究。大约在出狱后的第 3、12 和 24 个月，在社区或在研究期间再次入狱的监狱中进行了访谈。我们对 PATH 研究的每个随访波次进行了横断面描述性统计分析。
在 400 名被纳入 PATH 的男性中，85%（n=336）完成了至少一次随访访谈；162 名（42%）完成了所有三次访谈。参与者报告了社会劣势和健康不平等，包括在每个随访时间点的高失业率、无家可归和身体及心理健康病态。快速恢复非法药物使用很常见，过量用药（9%-13%）、接受性注射器共享（20%-29%）、参与犯罪相关活动（49%-58%）和再次入狱（22%-50%）在随访期间也很常见。
在这项研究中，男性在 24 个月的前瞻性随访期间经历了重大的健康和社会挑战。更好地了解这一群体在出狱后的特征和经历，可以为监狱和社区之间更协调和持续的护理提供信息。
