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Risk factors for criminal recidivism - a prospective follow-up study in prisoners with substance abuse

Håkansson, Anders C LU and Berglund, Mats LU (2012) In BMC Psychiatry 12.
Abstract
Background: Substance use in general has been shown to predict criminal recidivism. The present study aimed to examine potential predictors of criminal recidivism, including substance-specific substance use patterns, in prisoners with substance use. Methods: A cohort of prisoners with substance use problems (N = 4,152) were assessed with the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) in the Swedish criminal justice system. Clients were followed for an average of 2.7 years. Criminal recidivism was defined as any return to the criminal justice system. Results: During follow-up, 69 percent (n = 2,862) returned to the criminal justice system. Recidivism was associated with amphetamine and heroin use, with an additive risk for injectors, and with... (More)
Background: Substance use in general has been shown to predict criminal recidivism. The present study aimed to examine potential predictors of criminal recidivism, including substance-specific substance use patterns, in prisoners with substance use. Methods: A cohort of prisoners with substance use problems (N = 4,152) were assessed with the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) in the Swedish criminal justice system. Clients were followed for an average of 2.7 years. Criminal recidivism was defined as any return to the criminal justice system. Results: During follow-up, 69 percent (n = 2,862) returned to the criminal justice system. Recidivism was associated with amphetamine and heroin use, with an additive risk for injectors, and with polysubstance use. Also, recidivism was negatively associated with alcohol, other opioids than heroin/methadone and with hallucinogenic drugs, and positively associated with previous psychiatric in-patient treatment, violent behaviour, and with a shorter index sentence. Associations remained when controlling for type of crime. Conclusions: Even when controlling for type and severity of crime, and for psychiatric problems, risk of criminal relapse was increased by substance use variables, including amphetamine, heroin and polysubstance use, and an additional risk was shown for injection drug users. These findings have implications for the need for substance abuse treatment after release from prison. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Criminal justice, Criminal recidivism, Prison, Substance use disorders, Criminal behaviour
in
BMC Psychiatry
volume
12
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • wos:000310923400001
  • scopus:84868698898
  • pmid:22894706
ISSN
1471-244X
DOI
10.1186/1471-244X-12-111
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c7e29a8e-e36f-46db-be75-1d3775e22e61 (old id 3283194)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:55:28
date last changed
2022-02-19 01:44:00
@article{c7e29a8e-e36f-46db-be75-1d3775e22e61,
  abstract     = {{Background: Substance use in general has been shown to predict criminal recidivism. The present study aimed to examine potential predictors of criminal recidivism, including substance-specific substance use patterns, in prisoners with substance use. Methods: A cohort of prisoners with substance use problems (N = 4,152) were assessed with the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) in the Swedish criminal justice system. Clients were followed for an average of 2.7 years. Criminal recidivism was defined as any return to the criminal justice system. Results: During follow-up, 69 percent (n = 2,862) returned to the criminal justice system. Recidivism was associated with amphetamine and heroin use, with an additive risk for injectors, and with polysubstance use. Also, recidivism was negatively associated with alcohol, other opioids than heroin/methadone and with hallucinogenic drugs, and positively associated with previous psychiatric in-patient treatment, violent behaviour, and with a shorter index sentence. Associations remained when controlling for type of crime. Conclusions: Even when controlling for type and severity of crime, and for psychiatric problems, risk of criminal relapse was increased by substance use variables, including amphetamine, heroin and polysubstance use, and an additional risk was shown for injection drug users. These findings have implications for the need for substance abuse treatment after release from prison.}},
  author       = {{Håkansson, Anders C and Berglund, Mats}},
  issn         = {{1471-244X}},
  keywords     = {{Criminal justice; Criminal recidivism; Prison; Substance use disorders; Criminal behaviour}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{Risk factors for criminal recidivism - a prospective follow-up study in prisoners with substance abuse}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/3050178/3563510.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/1471-244X-12-111}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}