Correlates of Imprisonment in Opioid-Dependent Men & Women in New South Wales, Australia

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS:

Involvement in the criminal justice system is common among opioid-dependent people. This study aimed to determine prevalence and adolescent-onset correlates of adult imprisonment among opioid-dependent men and women in New South Wales, Australia.

DESIGN AND METHODS:

Participants were recruited from opioid substitution therapy clinics and completed a face-to-face, structured interview. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, family history, substance dependence and psychiatric disorders. Adolescent-onset correlates of adult incarceration (including interactions with gender) were examined using logistic regression.

RESULTS:

Opioid-dependent men were significantly more likely than opioid-dependent women to report adult imprisonment (66% vs 40%; P < 0.001). In a multivariable logistic regression model, older age, male gender, having completed high school education only, having dependent children or living independently prior to age 18 years, a history of juvenile detention and adolescent-onset opioid dependence were all significantly associated with increased odds of adult imprisonment. Adolescent-onset depression was associated with a halving of odds of adult imprisonment. The only variable for which we observed an interaction with gender was juvenile detention, which had a significantly greater impact on the odds of imprisonment for men than women.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:

More than half of this sample of opioid dependent adults had a history of imprisonment. Variables that are associated with imprisonment in the general population, such as childhood maltreatment, were not important in predicting imprisonment in this sample. Further study is required to understand the interaction between sex and juvenile detention in predicting adult imprisonment.

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By:   Larney S1,2, Cama E1, Nelson E3, Larance B1, Degenhardt L1,4,5,6.

• 1National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
• 2Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, USA.
• 3Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, USA.
• 4School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
• 5Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
• 6Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. 

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