Mortality and Morbidity in Prisoners After Release From Prison in Western Australia 1995-2003

• NCJ Number: 215515
• Author(s): Michael Hobbs; Kati Krazlan; Steve Ridout; Qun Mai; Matthew Knuiman; Ralph Chapman
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 76 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: From AIC Research and Public Policy Series, No. 71.

Annotation

This study analyzed the morbidity (disease) and mortality (death) of offenders after their release from prison in Western Australia over 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 deaths 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 their implementation after release. The study cohort consisted of 13,667 persons released from prisons in Western Australia in the 6 years of 1995-2001 inclusive. Subjects were followed for a minimum period of 2 years to the end of 2003. The 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. 26 tables, 5 figure, and 42 references