Substance abuse and criminality share a complex
relationship. The rates of substance use among the prisoners, and that of
criminal acts among substance users in community setting are high. Data from
South Asian countries, including from India are inadequate. This study aimed to
assess the pattern of criminal acts among opioid-dependent subjects and their substance
use pattern in the month before, during and after imprisonment.
Using a cross-sectional study design and purposive sampling,
opioid-dependent subjects (n=101) attending two community drug treatment
clinics who have had any contact with the law were assessed using a
specifically-designed tool to record criminal acts and substance use before,
during and after last imprisonment.
Most subjects (93%) had committed illegal acts in their
lifetime. Physical assault was the most common illegal act, while 23% reported
selling drugs and 9% reported committing serious crimes. About 95% were
arrested and 92% had spent time in police lockups. About 29% were arrested for
drugs possession or drug use, and 3% of injecting drug users arrested for
carrying injection equipment. About 85% had been imprisoned at least once, of
whom 88% used psychoactive substances in the 1-month period before their last
imprisonment. Opioids were the most common substances used daily (68%),
followed by cannabis (34%) and alcohol (22%). Ninety-seven percent reported the
availability of substances in prisons, and 65% also used substances during
their last imprisonment. Cannabis (35%) was the most common substances used in
prison followed by opioids (19%). Seventy-six percent used substances soon
after prison release, and 13% of opioid users experienced opioid overdose soon
after prison release. Use of cannabis, injecting drugs, and opioid use before
imprisonment were predictors of substance use in prison.
Opioid-dependent people have various contacts with the law,
including imprisonment. Many users are dependent on substances during
prison-entry, which is an important reason for their continued substance use in
prisons. There is a need to provide substance abuse treatment across all stages
of criminal justice system.
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at:
- 1National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: drrvrao@gmail.com.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
- 3National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
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