Promoting Adaptation in Female Inmates to Reduce Risk of Opioid Overdose Post-Release Through HOPE

Abstract

The purpose of the project was to develop a sustainable pre-release education program to reduce the risk of opioid overdose post-release in female inmates in a rural county jail in Middle Tennessee. The project was supported and guided using Roy’s adaptation model. Content analysis resulted in common themes (initiation, moral failure, ineffective strategies, supportive environment, new beginnings, and adaptive domains), identified within the pre- and post-implementation surveys. The implementation of a successful reentry program for the vulnerable female incarcerated population has the potential to reduce the risk of opioid overdose death and negative health outcomes post-release.

Health Education Initiatives for People Who Have Experienced Prison: A Narrative Review

“…Of the total number of studies selected (n = 19), the majority were quantitative studies (12), others were qualitative (2), and the rest were classified with a mixed methodological approach, quantitative and qualitative (5). Regarding the health interventions described in the studies, most (11) were developed in the context of the transition from prison to the community [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28], two (02) were initiated after people returned to social life [29,30], and six (06) began during incarceration and were continued after arrest [31][32][33][34][35][36].…”

“…Despite that, internationally, numerous challenges were reported in the criminal justice setting and the intersection with health care during and after prison, highlighting limited financial resources, the absence or underdevelopment of reintegration programs, and those focused on adaptation, especially for women [18], and the lack of knowledge or lack of control over the release date or even short lengths of stay [39]-factors that result in interventions that are sometimes briefer and more flexible [31].…”

“…In this review, we observed that most of the interventions aimed at preventing substance abuse were led during imprisonment and that, in at least three of them [18,32,36], participants were followed up after release to determine the effects of the intervention. This is aligned with other authors who state that it is important to adapt the programs to the needs and individual characteristics of each offender in order to achieve a successful intervention [49].…”

Health Education for Women Released from Prison in Brazil: Barriers and Possibilities for Intervention

“…An intervention study was developed to help female inmates adapt to stressful situations experienced after release, with a view to reducing the risk of post-release opioid overdose (Hunt et al 2022). The researchers described the development of a pre-release educational program in which information was introduced on mental health and on the use and administration of intranasal naloxone for opioid overdose.…”

“…Internationally, researchers have described the challenges at the intersection of criminal justice and health services during and after prison, highlighting the limited financial resources, lack of control over release date or even short lengths of stay (Basu et al 2005), and in the case of women, the absence or underdevelopment of reintegration programs focused on adaptation (Hunt et al 2022).…”