Drug use before and during imprisonment: Drivers of continuation

Original research
par
Favril, Louis

Date de publication

2023

Géographie

Belgium

Langue de la ressource

English

Texte disponible en version intégrale

Oui

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Oui

Évalué par des pairs

Yes

L’objectif

To date, little is known about what factors may contribute to the continuation of drug use during imprisonment.

Constatations/points à retenir

Of all 1326 participants, 719 (54%) used drugs in the 12 months prior to their incarceration and 462 (35%) did so while in prison. There was a strong association between drug use before and during imprisonment. Of those who recently used drugs in the community, half (52%) continued to do so while incarcerated. Factors independently associated with continuation (versus cessation) were young age, treatment history, polydrug use, and poor mental health. In a secondary analysis, initiation of drug use while in prison was further related to incarceration history and low education.

La conception ou méthodologie de recherche

Self-reported data were collected from a random sample of 1326 adults (123 women) incarcerated across 15 prisons in Belgium.

Mots clés

About PWUD
Illegal drugs
Legal system/law enforcement