Utilization of Kentucky Syringe Service Programs in a Justice-Involved Sample of People Who Inject Drugs

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Kentucky faces significant risks from the opioid epidemic.
• Involvement in the criminal legal system (CLS) exacerbates these risks.
• Syringe service programs (SSPs) were legalized in Kentucky in 2015 to offer harm reduction services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors associated with SSP utilization among people who inject drugs involved in the CLS in Kentucky.
• To apply the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations to understand SSP use in this population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations.
• Examined factors including education, recent injection drug use, transportation access, timing of incarceration relative to SSP legalization, and naloxone use history.

Main Results:

• High school education/GED, public transportation access, and incarceration after SSP legalization were associated with SSP utilization.
• Recent injection drug use prior to incarceration and having administered naloxone to another person were also linked to SSP use.
• Specific predisposing, enabling, and need factors influenced SSP utilization in this population.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight key factors influencing syringe service program (SSP) utilization among individuals involved in the criminal legal system (CLS).
• Results suggest targeted interventions and research are needed to improve SSP access and engagement for vulnerable populations.
• Future research should further explore SSP utilization dynamics within the context of the criminal legal system.