Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of offence type, prior imprisonment and various socio-demographic characteristics on mortality at 28 and 365 days following prison release. Design/methodology/approach – Using whole-population linked, routinely collected administrative...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Taylor and Francis
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16284 |
| _version_ | 1848749132036964352 |
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| author | Jama-Alol, K. Malacova, Eva Ferrante, Anna Alan, Janine Stewart, Louise Preen, D. |
| author_facet | Jama-Alol, K. Malacova, Eva Ferrante, Anna Alan, Janine Stewart, Louise Preen, D. |
| author_sort | Jama-Alol, K. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of offence type, prior imprisonment and various socio-demographic characteristics on mortality at 28 and 365 days following prison release. Design/methodology/approach – Using whole-population linked, routinely collected administrative state-based imprisonment and mortality data, the authors conducted a retrospective study of 12,677 offenders released from Western Australian prisons in the period 1994-2003. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between mortality at 28 and 365 days post-release and offence type, prior imprisonment, and a range of socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, social disadvantage and Indigenous status). Findings – Overall, 135 (1.1 per cent) died during the 365 days follow-up period, of these, 17.8 per cent (n=24) died within the first 28 days (four weeks) of their index release. Ex-prisoners who had committed drug-related offences had significantly higher risk of 28-day post-release mortality (HR=28.4; 95 per cent CI: 1.3-615.3, p=0.033), than those who had committed violent (non-sexual) offences. A significant association was also found between the number of previous incarcerations and post-release mortality at 28 days post-release, with three prior prison terms carrying the highest mortality risk (HR=73.8; 95 per cent CI: 1.8-3,092.5, p=0.024). No association between mortality and either offence type or prior imprisonment was seen at 365 days post-release. Originality/value – Post-release mortality at 28 days was significantly associated with offence type (with drug-related offences carrying the greatest risk) and with prior imprisonment, but associations did not persist to 365 days after release. Targeting of short-term transitional programmes to reduce preventable deaths after return to the community could be tailored to these high-risk ex-prisoners. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:16:04Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-16284 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:16:04Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-162842017-09-13T15:51:04Z Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study Jama-Alol, K. Malacova, Eva Ferrante, Anna Alan, Janine Stewart, Louise Preen, D. Illicit drugs Offender health Prison Recidivism Prisoners Elderly prisoners Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of offence type, prior imprisonment and various socio-demographic characteristics on mortality at 28 and 365 days following prison release. Design/methodology/approach – Using whole-population linked, routinely collected administrative state-based imprisonment and mortality data, the authors conducted a retrospective study of 12,677 offenders released from Western Australian prisons in the period 1994-2003. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between mortality at 28 and 365 days post-release and offence type, prior imprisonment, and a range of socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, social disadvantage and Indigenous status). Findings – Overall, 135 (1.1 per cent) died during the 365 days follow-up period, of these, 17.8 per cent (n=24) died within the first 28 days (four weeks) of their index release. Ex-prisoners who had committed drug-related offences had significantly higher risk of 28-day post-release mortality (HR=28.4; 95 per cent CI: 1.3-615.3, p=0.033), than those who had committed violent (non-sexual) offences. A significant association was also found between the number of previous incarcerations and post-release mortality at 28 days post-release, with three prior prison terms carrying the highest mortality risk (HR=73.8; 95 per cent CI: 1.8-3,092.5, p=0.024). No association between mortality and either offence type or prior imprisonment was seen at 365 days post-release. Originality/value – Post-release mortality at 28 days was significantly associated with offence type (with drug-related offences carrying the greatest risk) and with prior imprisonment, but associations did not persist to 365 days after release. Targeting of short-term transitional programmes to reduce preventable deaths after return to the community could be tailored to these high-risk ex-prisoners. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16284 10.1108/IJPH-10-2013-0046 Taylor and Francis restricted |
| spellingShingle | Illicit drugs Offender health Prison Recidivism Prisoners Elderly prisoners Jama-Alol, K. Malacova, Eva Ferrante, Anna Alan, Janine Stewart, Louise Preen, D. Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title | Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title_full | Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title_fullStr | Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title_short | Influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| title_sort | influence of offence type and prior imprisonment on risk of death following release from prison: a whole-population linked data study |
| topic | Illicit drugs Offender health Prison Recidivism Prisoners Elderly prisoners |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16284 |