Drug-Related Deaths Among Recently Released Prisoners in the Strathclyde Region of Scotland

Abstract

Drug abuse and its consequences are everyday problems encountered globally, and Scotland is no exception. During a study of drug-related deaths in the Strathclyde region of Scotland it was noted that known drug users who had recently been released from prison were at high risk of dying from a drug overdose. The majority of deaths occurred within one week of the release date and polydrug use was prevalent. Morphine was the most frequently encountered drug and this was found in combination with benzodiazepines in a significant number of cases. This paper highlights the dangers of resuming drug consumption following a period of abstinence.

Mortality among Danish drug users released from prison

“…Assuming that a quarter of all released prisoners in Denmark were drug users, the corresponding all prisoner mortality within 2 weeks after the first release would be 3/100 py in Denmark *close to the abovecited studies (Kramp et al, 2003). Of all post-release deaths observed, 13% took place within 2 weeks after release, in agreement with a Scottish study where 10% of all drug-related deaths occurred in the same period (Seymour et al, 2000). Even if all deaths within the first fortnight after release could be prevented, this would have only a modest effect on the total number of drug-related deaths after release and no effect on mortality among the 45% of drug users in our study that had never been to prison.…”

Illicit Opioid Use in Canada: Comparing Social, Health, and Drug Use Characteristics of Untreated Users in Five Cities (OPICAN Study)

“…Thus, they are characterized by conditions of social marginalization as well as exposure to risk environments which have been demonstrated widely to be associated with inferior health status or outcomes. [66][67][68][69] It is notable, however, that on a number of health status characteristics assessed in our study, participants in the (province of) Quebec sites fared somewhat better compared to the other sites. Further investigations will have to explain the determinants and consequences of this difference on key risk and health outcomes, especially in light of the fact that participants from the two Quebec sites also reported overall levels of health and social care utilization, overall, compared to other sites.…”

Heroin Overdose: Research and Evidence-Based Intervention

“…There is mounting evidence that release from prison constitutes a high-risk period for both fatal and nonfatal overdose among heroin users. 15,18,22,25,54,55 For instance, Seaman et al 54 reported that the odds of a fatal overdose occurring in the 2 weeks postrelease were 34 times those in times spent outside custody. Darke et al 22 found that 2% of New South Wales heroin overdose deaths over a 5-year period occurred in prison, and that 5% died shortly after release.…”