Citation

Hall W, Farrell M. Lancet Public Health 2018; 3(5): e209-e210.

Affiliation

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30073-2

PMID

29680330

Abstract

An increasingly disproportionate number of people with mental illness and substance abuse disorder contribute to the US prison population, and the same is true of prison populations in many high-income countries. Both types of disorder are linked to increased rates of injuries. Substantial evidence exists of high suicide risk during incarceration and increased risk of overdose deaths immediately after leaving prison, but less research has been done on serious injury and deaths from injuries among prisoners after their release.

In The Lancet Public Health, Jesse Young and colleagues5 document the high prevalence of mental health and substance use problems among prisoners in Australia and the high rates of injury experienced by prisoners with these disorders after their release from prison. Their study of injuries requiring medical attention after prison release was done in 1307 adult prisoners in Australia followed over a median of 495 days (IQR 163–958). Their results not only confirm the high prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorder among prisoners—just more than half (53%) of the 1307 participants had a mental illness, substance use disorder, or both—but they also highlight the urgent need to develop effective interventions to treat mental health and substance use problems among prisoners ...

Language: en