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| Repent, release, expire |
| By Sarah Etter, News Reporter |
| Published: 01/22/2007 |
After European studies recently showed that newly released prisoners were more likely to die than the general population researchers in Washington state decided to tackle the subject with their own data analysis. What they found may surprise you. According to a WADOC and University of Washington study, released prisoners are three times more likely to die than those not incarcerated. Within the first two weeks of their release, that number skyrockets as offenders are 13 times more likely to die. “In Washington, we think we have a pretty good prison system with good data,” says Dr. Marc Stern, a report co-author and the WADOC's health director. “So if this [data] is true in Washington, it's logical to assume the rest of the country might find similar results with their own studies. Getting to the bottom of this issue will certainly take more research.” According to the report, “The overall mortality rate was 777 deaths per 100,000 person-years.” Drug overdoses, heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide and liver disease were all principal causes of fatality, according to the report Release from Prison A High Risk of Death for Former Inmates, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ingrid Bingswanger, co-author of the report and now a researcher at the University of Colorado, says that although the data cannot pinpoint why these inmates have a higher mortality rate, there is one factor that could contribute to these figures. “My guess is that most offenders don't have easy access to health care,” she says. “I think some of the deaths we saw were related to a lack of health care. Specifically, I think cardiovascular disease, cancer, and liver disease might be amenable to prevention efforts that can be provided by the health care system. But we haven't studied that yet.” One factor that could impact these mortality rates is preventative health care, as offenders who do not seek treatment for chronic health problems before release could be jeopardizing their lives. Stern says that looking into better transitive health care from corrections to the community could help. “It's better to try and treat these offenders while they are incarcerated and a captive audience,” says Stern. “Rather than have them die upon release from something that could have been addressed. Drug overdoses were another persistent cause of death. The researchers say it is possible that offenders re-enter the drug culture immediately upon release and end up taking too much. “That is one suspicion folks have in Europe; [offenders] were used to taking x' amount of a drug and continue doing x' amount after they are released, forgetting that they don't have the same tolerance. That is speculation, however,” Stern says. Both researchers agree that the numbers are striking, and encourage other states to review their own offender data and find out what they can do to make a difference in the digits. “As we're seeing incarceration rates increase, it becomes more and more important to focus on outcomes like this,” says Stern. “I hope people in corrections read this study and wonder if this is happening in their neck of the woods. It's important for all of us in corrections departments to be willing to look at our own operations critically and not be afraid of what we find. That's something I'm very proud of Washington for doing.” The WADOC is already beginning to address the problem by petitioning the state legislature for more pre-release resources, and focusing more efforts on the first two weeks of release. “This is a very vulnerable time period for these offenders,” adds Binswanger. “That period warrants more attention and there may be interventions we can use to target that transitional time.” Stern says that focusing efforts on the overall success of offenders after release, including reducing the risk of death, is paramount. “We're looking at a very vulnerable population that historically society has kind of wanted to sweep under the carpet,” Stern adds. “Their health has an impact on the rest of the community. We cannot stick our heads into the sand. We need to continue to study these populations. When a frontline journal like the New England Journal of Medicine recognizes this as a big issue, it means this is crucial for health care across the country.” Other health care articles: Resistance happens, Corrections.com, 1/8/07 Cost of care for inmates studied, The Winston-Salem Journal, 1/4/07 |
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