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Mortality following release from prison.

D Harding-Pink1

  • 1Institut Universitaire de Médecine Légale, Genève, Switzerland.

Medicine, Science, and the Law
|January 1, 1990
PubMed
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Prison release significantly increases mortality risk, especially for young drug abusers due to opiate overdose. This heightened risk, over four times the general population rate, occurs within weeks of release.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Criminology
  • Addiction Medicine

Background:

  • High mortality rates among individuals recently released from prison are a significant public health concern.
  • Previous studies suggest a complex interplay of factors contributing to post-release mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mortality rates and causes of death among individuals released from prison in Geneva between 1982 and 1986.
  • To identify key risk factors associated with increased mortality in the post-release period.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Canton of Geneva.
  • Mortality data for individuals released from prison were analyzed for the period 1982-1986.
  • Comparison of mortality rates with the age-adjusted rates in the general population.

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Main Results:

  • The mortality rate in the first year after release was approximately 5 deaths per 1000 person-years, over four times higher than the general population.
  • The primary cause of death was opiate drug overdose, predominantly affecting young, frequently imprisoned drug abusers.
  • A significant proportion of these deaths occurred within the first few weeks following release from prison.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals recently released from prison face a substantially elevated risk of mortality, particularly from opiate overdose.
  • Loss of opiate tolerance during incarceration and post-release psychological and social stressors are likely significant contributing factors.
  • Urgent interventions targeting this vulnerable population are crucial to mitigate preventable deaths.