Newly released prisoners at high risk for death, study finds
Prisoners who have been recently released from prison have a high death
rate, especially in the first two weeks after release, a new study finds.
The findings were published in the Jan. 11 issue of The New England Journal
of Medicine.
The study was conducted by Ingrid Binswanger, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Medicine,
Marc Stern, MD, health services director of the Washington State Department
of Corrections, and other researchers at the University of Washington
and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Binswanger conducted the research
while
taking part in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at
the University of Washington and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.
In the first study of its kind in the United States, Binswanger analyzed
data from 30,237 inmates released from prison between 1999 and 2003 in Washington
state. The sample represented almost all prisoners released during that time.
Of those individuals, 443 died during an average follow-up time of 1.9 years.
The death rates of the released prisoners were compared to the death
rates of other Washington residents of the same age, gender, and race. The
study found that newly released prisoners were 12.7 times as likely to die
in the two weeks following their release compared to other state residents
in the same demographic groups. Over the whole study, the former inmates
were 3.5 times more likely to die than other state residents. The death rate
among former inmates was considerably higher than the death rate among inmates
in prison.
“
These striking findings suggest that former inmates are at high risk
for death following their release from prison,” said Binswanger. “These
results, along with findings from studies done in other countries,
underscore the need for novel programs to reduce the risk of death in former
inmates.”
The leading causes of death were drug overdose, cardiovascular disease,
homicide and suicide. Nearly one quarter of the deaths were a result of drug
overdose, and half of these deaths resulted from cocaine. After cocaine,
most overdose deaths were caused by methamphetamine and opiates like heroin.
Lung cancer represented half of all the cancer deaths in this population.
Younger individuals tended to die from overdose, homicide and suicide,
whereas older individuals tended to die from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Binswanger recommends programs targeted by age to address this difference.
“
The United States has exceptionally high rates of incarceration,” said
Binswanger. “When a released prisoner dies, it may have an impact beyond
his own life, affecting families and communities. These findings suggest
that we need programs and policies targeted at decreasing the risk
of death as former inmates transition back into their communities.”
Binswanger is a physician researcher and an assistant professor in
the Division of General Internal Medicine at UCD’s School of Medicine.
Her research focuses on health, the criminal justice system, and vulnerable
populations.
