Study finds high risk of death from alcohol, drug abuse among former prisoners

http://goo.gl/0R45aV

During an average 5-year follow-up, 6% (2,874) of the prisoners died after being released from prison. Of these deaths, 44% (1,276) were due to potentially preventable external causes, such as accidents or suicide - accounting for around 3% of all external-cause deaths in Sweden in 2000-09.

The researchers found that a history of alcohol and drug abuse significantly increased the risk of death among former prisoners.

Even after accounting for criminological, sociodemographic and genetic factors, substance and alcohol abuse accounted for 34% of deaths among male ex-prisoners following release and 50% of deaths among female ex-prisoners.

What is more, the researchers found that 42% of deaths from external causes among male ex-prisoners were a result of drug and alcohol abuse, as were 70% of external-cause deaths among female ex-prisoners.