NCJ Number
215514
Date Published
July 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed the morbidity (disease) and mortality (death) of offenders after their release from prison in Western Australia for the period 1995-2003.
Abstract
The study found that released prisoners had significantly higher age-adjusted risk of death than the general population. The risk of death was particularly high for non-Indigenous female offenders between 20 and 39 years old. Injury, poisoning, or acute and chronic effects of alcohol or drug addiction accounted for over 60 percent of all death and much of the excess risk in mortality in released prisoners. The risk of death was four times greater in the first 6 months after release than after 1 year. The risk of death increased with age and was significantly higher in Indigenous prisoners and those with multiple imprisonments. In many respects the risks for disease paralleled those for death. The greatest overall difference in morbidity between released prisoners and the general population was among Indigenous released prisoners. Rates of hospital admissions for mental disorders and injury and poisoning were approximately twice as great in Indigenous male offenders and three times as great in Indigenous female offenders as in the Indigenous general population of Western Australia. These findings indicate the need for thorough assessment of health problems upon admission to prison, followed by subsequent planning for and delivery of medical services during imprisonment. Plans for continuity of health care after release must be developed prior to release and monitored for the implementation after release. This study linked information from Department of Justice records to health information obtained from the Western Australian Data Linkage Study, which maintains information from core statistical health collections, including hospital admissions, the Mental Health Services register, and deaths. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 19 references