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Addressing excess risk of overdose among recently incarcerated people in the USA: harm reduction interventions in correctional settings

Addressing excess risk of overdose among recently incarcerated people in the USA: harm reduction... PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss overdose among those with criminal justice experience and recommend harm reduction strategies to lessen overdose risk among this vulnerable population.Design/methodology/approachStrategies are needed to reduce overdose deaths among those with recent incarceration. Jails and prisons are at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic but are a largely untapped setting for implementing overdose education, risk assessment, medication assisted treatment, and naloxone distribution programs. Federal, state, and local plans commonly lack corrections as an ingredient in combating overdose. Harm reduction strategies are vital for reducing the risk of overdose in the post-release community.FindingsTherefore, the authors recommend that the following be implemented in correctional settings: expansion of overdose education and naloxone programs; establishment of comprehensive medication assisted treatment programs as standard of care; development of corrections-specific overdose risk assessment tools; and increased collaboration between corrections entities and community-based organizations.Originality/valueIn this policy brief the authors provide recommendations for implementing harm reduction approaches in criminal justice settings. Adoption of these strategies could reduce the number of overdoses among those with recent criminal justice involvement. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Prisoner Health Emerald Publishing

Addressing excess risk of overdose among recently incarcerated people in the USA: harm reduction interventions in correctional settings

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1744-9200
DOI
10.1108/IJPH-08-2016-0039
pmid
28299971
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss overdose among those with criminal justice experience and recommend harm reduction strategies to lessen overdose risk among this vulnerable population.Design/methodology/approachStrategies are needed to reduce overdose deaths among those with recent incarceration. Jails and prisons are at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic but are a largely untapped setting for implementing overdose education, risk assessment, medication assisted treatment, and naloxone distribution programs. Federal, state, and local plans commonly lack corrections as an ingredient in combating overdose. Harm reduction strategies are vital for reducing the risk of overdose in the post-release community.FindingsTherefore, the authors recommend that the following be implemented in correctional settings: expansion of overdose education and naloxone programs; establishment of comprehensive medication assisted treatment programs as standard of care; development of corrections-specific overdose risk assessment tools; and increased collaboration between corrections entities and community-based organizations.Originality/valueIn this policy brief the authors provide recommendations for implementing harm reduction approaches in criminal justice settings. Adoption of these strategies could reduce the number of overdoses among those with recent criminal justice involvement.

Journal

International Journal of Prisoner Health – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 13, 2017

References

  • Risk factors for all-cause, overdose and early deaths after release from prison in Washington state
  • Mortality after prison release: opioid overdose and other causes of death, risk factors, and time trends from 1999 to 2009
  • Return to drug use and overdose after release from prison: a qualitative study of risk and protective factors
  • National trends in pharmaceutical opioid related overdose deaths compared to other substance related overdose deaths: 1999-2009