Overview of Substance Use Disorders and Incarceration of African American Males

Abstract

Incarceration affects the lives of many African American men and often leads to poverty, ill health, violence, and a decreased quality of life. There has been an unprecedented increase in incarceration among African American males since 1970. In 2009, the incarceration rate among black males was 6.7 times that of white males and 2.6 times of Hispanic males. Substance abuse in African American males leads to higher mortality rates, high rates of alcohol-related problems, more likely to be victims of crimes, and HIV/AIDS. African Americans comprised only 14% of the U.S. population but comprised 38% of the jail population. The cost of incarcerating persons involved in substance related crimes has increased considerably over the past two decades in the U.S. A reduction in the incarceration rate for non-violent offences would save an estimated $17 billion per year. Substance use disorder makes the individual more prone to polysubstance use and leads to impulse control problems, selling drugs, and other crimes. The high rate of incarceration in U.S. may adversely affect health care, the economy of the country, and will become a burden on society. Implementation of good mental health care, treatment of addiction during and after incarceration will help to decrease the chances of reoffending. Therapeutic community programs with prison-based and specialized treatment facilities, cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for 91–180 days, and 12-step orientation with staff specialized in substance abuse can be helpful. It is essential for health care professionals to increase public awareness of substance abuse and find ways to decrease the high rates of incarceration.

The relationship between life stressors and drug and sexual behaviors among a population-based sample of young Black men who have sex with men in Chicago

“…We know that exposure to community violence is only one of multiple stressors that are present and reoccurring in low-resourced communities that are disproportionately Black (Crouch, Hanson, Saunders, Kilpatrick, & Resnick, 2000). For example, rates of incarceration, housing instability, lack of access to health care, serious illness within the family all tend to co-occur along with exposure to community violence (Hall, 2006; Khenti 2014; Mukku, Benson, Alam, Richie, & Bailey, 2012). However, few studies have collectively assessed the significance of these combined factors as they may relate to HIV drug and sexual risk factors across a city population-based sample of YBMSM.…”

Does a Crossover Age Effect Exist for African American and Hispanic Binge Drinkers? Findings from the 2010 to 2013 National Study on Drug Use and Health

“…Additionally, people who were institutionalized (in jails/prisons or long‐term hospitals) or homeless were not included in NSDUH, and these groups often have higher rates of drinking problems than the general population. This is particularly important when examining risk for binge drinking among lower income African American men, given disparities in incarceration rates (Carson and Golinelli, ; Mukku et al., ; Pettit and Western, ). As nearly 90% of those incarcerated will return to communities primarily concentrated in low socioeconomic status areas (Travis, ), the detrimental impact of incarceration on problem use and alcohol‐related problems may be exacerbated among older, low‐income African American males.…”

Case Studies From Three States: Breaking Down Silos Between Health Care And Criminal Justice

“…29 Therefore, the capacity to treat hypertension, asthma, HIV, hepatitis, and diabetes involves the capacity to treat depression, bipolar disease, and substance use disorders. [30][31][32] Successful coordination and delivery of this level of comprehensive care will require tight integration within the health home networks.…”