Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study
Objective: There are few data about the incarceration of opioid-dependent people involving large representative cohorts. We aimed to determine the prevalence and duration of incarceration in a large cohort of opioid-dependent people in Australia using data linkage methods, and estimate the costs ass...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9984 |
| _version_ | 1848746106648788992 |
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| author | Degenhardt, L. Larney, S. Gisev, N. Trevena, J. Burns, L. Kimber, J. Shanahan, M. Butler, Tony Mattick, R. Weatherburn, D. |
| author_facet | Degenhardt, L. Larney, S. Gisev, N. Trevena, J. Burns, L. Kimber, J. Shanahan, M. Butler, Tony Mattick, R. Weatherburn, D. |
| author_sort | Degenhardt, L. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Objective: There are few data about the incarceration of opioid-dependent people involving large representative cohorts. We aimed to determine the prevalence and duration of incarceration in a large cohort of opioid-dependent people in Australia using data linkage methods, and estimate the costs associated with their incarceration. Method: Retrospective linkage study of all entrants to opioid substitution therapy (OST) for the treatment of opioid dependence in NSW, 1985-2010, with data on incarceration, 2000-2012. The number and duration of incarcerations were calculated. The average daily cost of incarceration was applied to days of incarceration in the cohort. Results: Among 47,196 opioid-dependent people, 37% (43% of men and 24% of women) had at least one episode of incarceration lasting one or more days. Men had a median of three (ranging between 1-47) incarcerations, and women, two (1-35). Indigenous men spent 23% of follow-up time incarcerated, compared with 8% for non-Indigenous men; similarly, Indigenous women spent a substantially greater proportion of time incarcerated than non-Indigenous women (8% vs. 2%). Costs of incarceration of this cohort between 2000 and 2012 totalled nearly AUD$3 billion. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine incarceration of opioid-dependent people across an entire population of such users. Our findings suggest that a substantial minority of opioid-dependent people experience incarceration, usually on multiple occasions and at significant cost. Treatment for opioid dependence, inside and outside prisons, may help reduce incarceration of this cohort. © 2013 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2013 Public Health Association of Australia. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:27:59Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-9984 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:27:59Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-99842017-09-13T14:53:53Z Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study Degenhardt, L. Larney, S. Gisev, N. Trevena, J. Burns, L. Kimber, J. Shanahan, M. Butler, Tony Mattick, R. Weatherburn, D. Objective: There are few data about the incarceration of opioid-dependent people involving large representative cohorts. We aimed to determine the prevalence and duration of incarceration in a large cohort of opioid-dependent people in Australia using data linkage methods, and estimate the costs associated with their incarceration. Method: Retrospective linkage study of all entrants to opioid substitution therapy (OST) for the treatment of opioid dependence in NSW, 1985-2010, with data on incarceration, 2000-2012. The number and duration of incarcerations were calculated. The average daily cost of incarceration was applied to days of incarceration in the cohort. Results: Among 47,196 opioid-dependent people, 37% (43% of men and 24% of women) had at least one episode of incarceration lasting one or more days. Men had a median of three (ranging between 1-47) incarcerations, and women, two (1-35). Indigenous men spent 23% of follow-up time incarcerated, compared with 8% for non-Indigenous men; similarly, Indigenous women spent a substantially greater proportion of time incarcerated than non-Indigenous women (8% vs. 2%). Costs of incarceration of this cohort between 2000 and 2012 totalled nearly AUD$3 billion. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine incarceration of opioid-dependent people across an entire population of such users. Our findings suggest that a substantial minority of opioid-dependent people experience incarceration, usually on multiple occasions and at significant cost. Treatment for opioid dependence, inside and outside prisons, may help reduce incarceration of this cohort. © 2013 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2013 Public Health Association of Australia. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9984 10.1111/1753-6405.12123 unknown |
| spellingShingle | Degenhardt, L. Larney, S. Gisev, N. Trevena, J. Burns, L. Kimber, J. Shanahan, M. Butler, Tony Mattick, R. Weatherburn, D. Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title | Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title_full | Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title_fullStr | Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title_short | Imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in New South Wales, Australia, 2000-2012: A retrospective linkage study |
| title_sort | imprisonment of opioid-dependent people in new south wales, australia, 2000-2012: a retrospective linkage study |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9984 |