The Global Epidemiology of Drug Use in Prison

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of drug use in prison. It is centered on illicit drug use in Europe, where the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has been collecting aggregated data from various sources for 15 years. It also reviews, based on published literature, data from the four other global regions. A total of 59 studies from 31 countries in the five world regions were included for analysis. Results show that the prevalence of drug use varies greatly between studies. Lifetime prevalence of any illicit drug use in prison ranges between 2% to 76% worldwide with, in most cases, cannabis being the most frequently reported substance. More recent (past-month) illicit drug use is reported by <1% to 65% of inmates, while <1% to 39% report injecting illicit drugs during their stay in prison. Alcohol use in prison is reported in a few studies only, varying between 2% to 77% while the prevalence of current tobacco smoking ranges between 4% to 90%. In general, available data are scarce and patchy, especially outside Europe, with large variations in methodology relating to sampling strategy and measurement. This heterogeneity hampers comparison and may, in part, account for the wide range of prevalence estimates. Comparable methods and measures of drug use and its consequences in prison populations are needed to facilitate international comparisons and provide the sound information needed for development and implementation of drug interventions in various prison settings across the globe.

Factors associated with drug use in prison – results from the Norwegian offender mental health and addiction (NorMA) study

“…In our study, around one in three participants reported drug use during any imprisonment (either current or former), and almost one in four reported drug use during their current imprisonment. These findings are in line the Carpentiers and colleagues' recent review of 59 studies of drug use in European prisons (Carpentier et al, 2018), finding that drug use continues to some extent within the prison setting. The authors note that there are large variations between studies, but the proportion of inmates having used drugs in prison lies between 20% to 45% in most studies (Carpentier et al, 2018).…”

“…This is in line with international studies reporting that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among people who experience incarceration, with between 14% and 70% having used it at some time in their lives (Carpentier et al, 2018). Whereas a small proportion of the general population has ever used heroin (EMCDDA, 2019), the lifetime prevalence among people in prison is typically much higher, with prevalence rates between 4% and 37% in European countries (Carpentier et al, 2018). Our findings add to a substantial body of literature highlighting the need for evidence-based drug treatment in prison settings, at a scale proportionate to need.…”

“…Cannabis was the most commonly used drug; cocaine and amphetamines were both used by approximately half; and around one in four had used heroin. This is in line with international studies reporting that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among people who experience incarceration, with between 14% and 70% having used it at some time in their lives (Carpentier et al, 2018). Whereas a small proportion of the general population has ever used heroin (EMCDDA, 2019), the lifetime prevalence among people in prison is typically much higher, with prevalence rates between 4% and 37% in European countries (Carpentier et al, 2018).…”

The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) Cohort Study: Study Protocol and Baseline Characteristics of a Cohort of Men with a History of Injecting Drug Use Leaving Prison in Australia

“…People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionately represented among those who experience imprisonment [ 1 ]. Among people incarcerated in Australia, approximately half report ever injecting drugs [ 2 ] and approximately one quarter report injecting in the month prior to prison reception [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Prevalence of and risk factors for HBV and HCV among incarcerated people who inject drugs in Iran: A cross sectional study

“…It might be attributed to different reasons. First, a significant percentage of prisoners are incarcerated due to drug-related crimes [ 9 ], therefore, there is a large population of PWID in prisons. Secondly, due to the lack of interventions and proper care and treatment services, shared injection is a common practice in prisons [ 10 ] and it has been proved that non-sterile shared injections is one of the main routes of the transmission of blood-borne diseases (BBD) [ 11 , 12 ].…”