Prison Release Research Articles

Prevalence of Mental Health and Addiction Service use Prior to and During Incarceration in Provincial Jails in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Individuals with mental illness and addiction are overrepresented in prisons. Few studies have assessed mental health and addiction (MHA)-related service use among individuals experiencing incarceration using health administrative data and most focus on service use after prison release. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MHA-related service use in the 5 years prior to and during incarceration. We used linked correctional and administrative health data for people released from Ontario provincial jails in 2010. MHA-related service use in the 5 years prior to the index incarceration was categorized hierarchically into four mutually exclusive categories based on the type of service use: psychiatric hospitalization, MHA-related emergency department (ED) visit, MHA-related outpatient visit (from psychiatrist or primary care physician), and no MHA-related service use. Demographic, diagnostic, and incarceration characteristics were compared across the four service use categories. MHA-related service use during the index incarceration was assessed by category and length of incarceration. A total of 48,917 individuals were included. Prior to incarceration, 6,116 (12.5%) had a psychiatric hospitalization, 8,837 (18.1%) had an MHA-related ED visit, and 15,866 (32.4%) had an MHA-related outpatient visit. Of the individuals with any MHA-related service prior to incarceration, 60.4% did not receive outpatient care from a psychiatrist prior to incarceration and 65.6% did not receive MHA-related care during incarceration. Despite a high prevalence of mental illness and addiction among people experiencing incarceration, access to and use of MHA-related care prior to and during incarceration is poor. Increasing the accessibility and use of MHA-related services throughout the criminal justice pathway is warranted.

Making Sense of Human Rights Diplomacy: Evidence from a US Campaign to Free Political Prisoners

AbstractScholarship on human rights diplomacy (HRD)—efforts by government officials to engage publicly and privately with their foreign counterparts—often focuses on actions taken to “name and shame” target countries because private diplomatic activities are unobservable. To understand how HRD works in practice, we explore a campaign coordinated by the US government to free twenty female political prisoners. We compare release rates of the featured women to two comparable groups: a longer list of women considered by the State Department for the campaign; and other women imprisoned simultaneously in countries targeted by the campaign. Both approaches suggest that the campaign was highly effective. We consider two possible mechanisms through which expressive public HRD works: by imposing reputational costs and by mobilizing foreign actors. However, in-depth interviews with US officials and an analysis of media coverage find little evidence of these mechanisms. Instead, we argue that public pressure resolved deadlock within the foreign policy bureaucracy, enabling private diplomacy and specific inducements to secure the release of political prisoners. Entrepreneurial bureaucrats leveraged the spotlight on human rights abuses to overcome competing equities that prevent government-led coercive diplomacy on these issues. Our research highlights the importance of understanding the intersection of public and private diplomacy before drawing inferences about the effectiveness of HRD.

Political Prisoners and the Irish Conflict 100 Years On

AbstractThis article traces the impact of Irish political prisoners on the prison landscape in Ireland, north and south, over the past 100 years. For the post‐1969 period in Northern Ireland, it explores three different styles of prison management: reactive containment, criminalisation, and managerialism. It also examines the ways in which political prisoners sought to resist, including through strategic use of law, dirty protests and hunger strikes, escapes and the use of violence. The article then discusses the early release of prisoners under the Good Friday Agreement and the role that ex‐prisoners have played in the peace process. It concludes with some reflections on the ongoing tensions between the state and dissident republican prisoners, asking what lessons (if any) can be gleaned from the past 100 years.

Preferences for transitional HIV care among people living with HIV recently released from prison in Zambia: a discrete choice experiment.

IntroductionNo studies from sub‐Saharan Africa have attempted to assess HIV service delivery preferences among incarcerated people living with HIV as they transition from prisons to the community (“releasees”). We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to characterize releasee preferences for transitional HIV care services in Zambia to inform the development of a differentiated service delivery model to promote HIV care continuity for releasees.MethodsBetween January and October 2019, we enrolled a consecutive sample of 101 releasees from a larger cohort prospectively following 296 releasees from five prisons in Zambia. We administered a DCE eliciting preferences for 12 systematically designed choice scenarios, each presenting three hypothetical transitional care options. Options combined six attributes: (1) clinic type for post‐release HIV care; (2) client focus of healthcare workers; (3) transitional care model type; (4) characteristics of transitional care provider; (5) type of transitional care support; and (6) HIV status disclosure support. We analysed DCE choice data using a mixed logit model, with coefficients describing participants’ average (“mean”) preferences for each option compared to the standard of care and their distributions describing preference variation across participants.ResultsMost DCE participants were male (n = 84, 83.2%) and had completed primary school (n = 54, 53.5%), with 29 (28.7%) unemployed at follow‐up. Participants had spent an average of 8.2 months in the community prior to the DCE, with 18 (17.8%) reporting an intervening episode of re‐incarceration. While we observed significant preference variation across participants (p < 0.001 for most characteristics), releasees were generally averse to clinics run by community‐based organizations versus government antiretroviral therapy clinics providing post‐release HIV care (mean preference = –0.78, p < 0.001). On average, releasees most preferred livelihood support (mean preference = 1.19, p < 0.001) and HIV care support (mean preference = 1.00, p < 0.001) delivered by support groups involving people living with HIV (mean preference = 1.24, p < 0.001).ConclusionsWe identified preferred characteristics of transitional HIV care that can form the basis for differentiated service delivery models for prison releasees. Such models should offer client‐centred care in trusted clinics, provide individualized HIV care support delivered by support groups and/or peer navigators, and strengthen linkages to programs providing livelihood support.

Unravelling the Mystery of Parole in China

AbstractAcross a burgeoning literature on punishment and society, the subject of parole has mostly been in the shadows of the disproportionate scholarly attention drawn to imprisonment. This article offers the first analytical examination of parole in China by addressing the fundamental question—why has early prison release been an underused instrument in the Chinese penal system for decades? By reflecting on the sociological perspective of punishment, my discussion situates Chinese parole in the wider sociopolitical context of penal development in order to reveal its distinctive position, structure and character within China’s criminal justice system. Using existing data publicly available and judicial parole decisions from China Judgments Online, this article posits that China’s parole system is devised primarily as a punitive preventive measure to control the release of prisoners back into society. Rather than being rehabilitative and re-integrative, parole is operationalized to incapacitate as well as punish those deemed dangerous with a (high) risk of recidivism.

An Assessment of Prisoner Reentry, Legal Financial Obligations and Family Financial Support: A Focus on Fathers.

Scholars have found that family support is an important facilitator of successful reentry from prison to the community. At the same time, they have argued that owing court-ordered fines or fees, also called legal financial obligations (LFOs), can act as an additional barrier to reentry, especially for parents. There remains a need to test how LFOs impact the financial support formerly incarcerated parents receive from their families. The current study responds to this gap by employing logistic regression analyses of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to test whether owing court fees is associated with formerly incarcerated fathers’ (1) perceptions of available financial support from family and (2) receipt of financial support from family. We find that owing court fees is not associated with perceptions of available financial support. However, owing court fees has a positive, statistically significant association with receiving financial support from family during the first three months after prison release. This relationship remains after accounting for whether the person owes child support or sees their children monthly. Our results suggest that LFOs may create a greater need for financial support among formerly incarcerated fathers, making the financial challenges of reentry a consequence not just for those who were incarcerated but for their loved ones as well.

An Assessment of Prisoner Reentry, Legal Financial Obligations and Family Financial Support: A Focus on Fathers

Scholars have found that family support is an important facilitator of successful reentry from prison to the community. At the same time, they have argued that owing court-ordered fines or fees, also called legal financial obligations (LFOs), can act as an additional barrier to reentry, especially for parents. There remains a need to test how LFOs impact the financial support formerly incarcerated parents receive from their families. The current study responds to this gap by employing logistic regression analyses of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to test whether owing court fees is associated with formerly incarcerated fathers’ (1) perceptions of available financial support from family and (2) receipt of financial support from family. We find that owing court fees is not associated with perceptions of available financial support. However, owing court fees has a positive, statistically significant association with receiving financial support from family during the first three months after prison release. This relationship remains after accounting for whether the person owes child support or sees their children monthly. Our results suggest that LFOs may create a greater need for financial support among formerly incarcerated fathers, making the financial challenges of reentry a consequence not just for those who were incarcerated but for their loved ones as well.

PEMBEBASAN NARAPIDANA DALAM PRESPEKTIF KONSEP ASIMILASI PANDEMI COVID-19

The policy of the Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia Number 10 of 2020 regarding the release and release of prisoners through the process of assimilation and integration in the response to Covid-19 caused many pros and cons. There are some groups who judge that the decision is the right step to respect the law and the Criminal Justice System. The research method used in this study is a normative juridical approach, namely through the analysis of a legal problem according to the provisions of the applicable laws and regulations. The type of legal material used is primary law, namely related legislation and secondary legal materials in the form of literature that the author reads such as scientific articles and books. The deepening of this research uses descriptive analytical method which has the aim of being able to describe precisely where in this study the object of research is the release of prisoners in the perspective of the concept of assimilation. The purpose of this research is to find out and understand how the release of prisoners from the perspective of the concept of assimilation is viewed from the point of view of punishment. Based on the results of the study, it showed that the assimilation policy given to prisoners during the Covid-19 pandemic was in accordance with the concept of assimilation, namely by fulfilling the requirements and conditions as stipulated in the legislation. The Class IIB Bantul State Detention Center continues to monitor inmates who are undergoing a virtual assimilation program and continues to coordinate with law enforcement officials including the National Police, Attorney General's Office, Courts, and community leaders around the prisoners' residences.

Suicide in prison and after release: a 17-year national cohort study

BackgroundPeople in prison have an extremely high risk of suicide. The aim of this paper is to describe all suicides in the Norwegian prison population from 2000 to 2016, during and following imprisonment; to investigate the timing of suicides; and to investigate the associations between risk of suicide and types of crime.MethodsWe used data from the Norwegian Prison Release study (nPRIS) including complete national register data from the Norwegian Prison Register and the Norwegian Cause of Death Register in the period 1.1.2000 to 31.12.2016, consisting of 96,856 individuals. All suicides were classified according to ICD-10 codes X60-X84. We calculated crude mortality rates (CMRs) per 100,000 person-years and used a Cox Proportional-Hazards regression model to investigate factors associated with suicide during imprisonment and after release reported as hazard ratios (HRs).ResultsSuicide accounted for about 10% of all deaths in the Norwegian prison population and was the leading cause of death in prison (53% of in deaths in prison). The CMR per 100,000 person years for in-prison suicides was 133.8 (CI 100.5–167.1) and was ten times higher (CMR = 1535.0, CI 397.9–2672.2) on day one of incarceration. Suicides after release (overall CMR = 82.8, CI 100.5–167.1) also peaked on day one after release (CMR = 665.7, CI 0–1419.1). Suicide in prison was strongly associated with convictions of homicide (HR 18.2, CI 6.5–50.8) and high-security prison level (HR 15.4, CI 3.6–65.0). Suicide after release was associated with convictions of homicide (HR 3.1, CI 1.7–5.5).ConclusionThere is a high risk of suicide during the immediate first period of incarceration and after release. Convictions for severe violent crime, especially homicide, are associated with increased suicide risk, both in prison and after release.

Release of Prisoners During the Covid-19 Pandemic In Perspective of Decree of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Number 10 of 2020

This study aims to determine and examine the juridical basis and the process of implementing assimilation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research method used by the author is normative juridical using a statutory approach or better known as a statute approach and a conceptual approach. The conclusion of this study explains that the Decree of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Number 10 of 2020 is a lex specialist or special rule of Law Number 12 of 1995 which is a lex generalis or general rule where the Decree of the Minister of Law and Human Rights No. 10 of 2020 as lex specialists or special rules only apply to the emergency situation of the covid-19 pandemic on the basis of tackling the prevention of the spread of the covid-19 virus. Decree of the Minister of Law and Human Rights No. 10 of 2020 is a special policy that has positive and negative impacts. The positive impact of this decision is that it can reduce the number of inmates in correctional facilities as a form of preventing the spread of the covid-19 virus, while the negative impact of this decision is that the process of assimilation carried out at home results in the repetition of criminal acts by inmates who received an assimilation program during the COVID-19 pandemic. so that the role of supervisors is expected to work well and maximally to minimize the occurrence of criminal acts again committed by prisoners who receive an assimilation program during the covid 19 pandemic.

The Minimum Wage, EITC, and Criminal Recidivism

For recently released prisoners, the minimum wage and the availability of state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) can influence both their ability to find employment and their potential legal wages relative to illegal sources of income, in turn affecting the probability they return to prison. Using administrative prison release records from nearly six million offenders released between 2000 and 2014, we use a difference-in-differences strategy to identify the effect of over two hundred state and federal minimum wage increases, as well as 21 state EITC programs, on recidivism. We find that the average minimum wage increase of $0.50 reduces the probability that men and women return to prison within 1 year by 2.8%. This implies that on average the effect of higher wages, drawing at least some released prisoners into the legal labor market, dominates any reduced employment in this population due to the minimum wage. These reductions in returns to incarcerations are observed for the potentially revenue generating crime categories of property and drug crimes; prison reentry for violent crimes are unchanged, supporting our framing that minimum wages affect crime that serves as a source of income. The availability of state EITCs also reduces recidivism, but only for women.

First weeks out: Social support stability and health among formerly incarcerated men

RationaleSocial support has a lasting and robust impact on individuals' health, wellness, and longevity. Having social support and a reliable social network is especially important for individuals returning from prison. Upon release, individuals are often left with fragmented, if any, interpersonal relationships, which influences their overall health. When a released person's support network becomes erratic or unstable, they may be unlikely to successfully reintegrate. Additionally, the impediments and stressors associated with community reentry—particularly after a long prison sentence—impact released persons' ability to preserve their physical and mental health. ObjectiveThe current study examines the effects of the stability of social support on physical and mental health in a sample of recently released men in Texas. MethodsData are from the LoneStar Project, a longitudinal study of men released from prison, to examine the crucial nature of social support stability on health in a unique sample of reentering persons. Regression models are employed to examine the effect of diverse domains of social support stability on self-rated physical and mental health in the first few weeks after prison release. ResultsFindings indicate that emotional and instrumental social support stability from family and friends is essential to positive self-assessments of mental health, but not physical health, among a group of recently incarcerated men. ConclusionsResults regarding the intricacies of the pathway between various stable support types and mental health are discussed. Relevant practical implications include the need for quality mental health care that must begin during the prison term to minimize stressors associated with psychological health upon reentry. Policy-related ramifications comprise a push to establish support programs for families to develop positive support outcomes for the released person during the reentry process, enabling family members to attain practical skills to increase family and individual well-being long term.

USLOVNI OTPUST KOD KAZNE DOŽIVOTNOG ZATVORA – KRITIČKO PREISPITIVANJE NOVIH NORMATIVNIH REŠENJA U SRPSKOM KRIVIČNOM ZAKONODAVSTVU –

The amendments and supplements of the Criminal Code of 2019 introduced into Serbian criminal legislation a life imprisonment as the most severe sentence in the criminal sanctions system. These novelties confirm the continuity of a multi-year process of (inconsistent) changes in criminal legislation that tightens the legislature’s criminal policy, broadens the limits of criminal repression, supplements the purpose of punishment, narrows the possibility of mitigating the punishment, in other words, continues to expand the retributive concept of punishing. The introduction of the life imprisonment required the amendments of several other provisions of the Criminal Code, including those relating to the purpose of punishment, impossibility of conditional release of persons sentenced to this life imprisonment, as well as the duration limit on conditional release. In most states where it forms part of the sentence system the possibility of (early, or) conditional release of prisoners is provided. It is indisputable that there are also rare exceptions to this rule. However, the paradigm of human rights protection, in particular the protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty, as well as the mechanisms for their protection (e.g. the jurisprudence of the ECHR), indicate that the possibility of conditional release of persons sentenced to life imprisonment in national legislations already represents an “established standard”. From a penological point of view, the implementation of treatment and treating of the prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and the idea of their resocialization and social reintegration, is directly correlated with the possibility of their conditional release. Therefore, prescribing the possibility of conditional release of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, as visible to them “a path to release”, is a necessary prerequisite for the execution of the sentence.

KEBIJAKAN PERLINDUNGAN ANAK BINAAN LEMBAGA PEMASYARAKATAN DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

Based on humanitarian considerations and human rights enforcement, the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia has issued a policy to protect children in prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic. This policy is not far from the pros and cons of various circles. On the one hand, the policy is welcomed to reduce the spread of Covid-19, on the other hand, the policy is considered to disturb public security. Therefore, the policies of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, especially those related to child protection during the Covid-19 pandemic, are important to be further reviewed in this article. This research is normative legal research / doctrinal research. The approach used in this research is the statutory approach (statute approach), analytical approach (analytical approach), conceptual approach (conceptual approach), and the case approach (case approach). The increasingly massive spread of Covid-19 poses its challenges in protecting children as a vulnerable group. Responding to this condition, the central government issued several policies to protect children during a pandemic. These policies include Regulation of the Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia Number 10 of 2020 concerning Terms of Providing Assimilation and Integration Rights for Prisoners and Children in the Context of Preventing and Combating the Spread of Covid-19, as well as Decree of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Number M.HH-19. .PK / 01.04.04 concerning the Release and Release of Prisoners and Children through Assimilation and Integration in the Context of Preventing and Combating the Spread of Covid-19.&#x0D; Keywords: Covid-19, Child Protection, Policy

Turnout and Amendment Four: Mobilizing Eligible Voters Close to Formerly Incarcerated Floridians

Recent scholarship shows that eligible voters in neighborhoods home to many arrested and incarcerated individuals vote at lower rates than those in less-affected neighborhoods. Little work, however, has investigated how this turnout gap might be counteracted. This paper uses Amendment Four, a 2018 Florida ballot initiative that promised to re-enfranchise most individuals whose voting rights had been revoked due to a felony conviction to investigate whether this turnout disparity can be narrowed by a ballot initiative of particular significance to communities most affected by incarceration. Using prison release records, I identify the neighborhoods and households where formerly incarcerated individuals live and assess the voting history of their neighbors and housemates. I find no evidence that Amendment Four increased these voters’ turnout in 2018 relative to other voters. While ending felony disenfranchisement is necessary, closing the turnout gap resulting from histories of policing and incarceration will require greater investment and engagement.

\u201cMy first 48\xa0hours out\u201d: drug users\u2019 perspectives on challenges and strategies upon release from prison

BackgroundPrisoners report much higher prevalence rates of drug use and more harmful consumption patterns than the general population. People who use drugs have above-average experiences with the criminal justice system in general, and the prison system and subsequent release situations in particular. Release from prison is associated with increased mortality rates among drug users due to the risk of overdose. The EU-funded project ‘My first 48 hours out’ aimed to address the gaps in continuity of care for long-term drug users in prison and upon release, with a special focus on drug user’s perspectives on needs and challenges upon release.MethodsA multi-country (Belgium, France, Germany and Portugal) qualitative study was set up to explore drug users’ perceptions of drug use and risk behaviour upon prison release, experiences of incarceration and release, and strategies to avoid risks when being released. In total, 104 prisoners and recently released persons with a history of drug use participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups discussions on these topics.ResultsRespondents pointed out that there are numerous challenges for people who use drugs when released from prison. Lack of stable housing and employment support were frequently mentioned, as well as complex administrative procedures regarding access to services, health insurance and welfare benefits. Besides structural challenges, individual issues may challenge social reintegration like ‘old habits’, mental health problems and disrupted social networks. As a result, (ex-)prisoners adopt individual strategies to cope with the risks and challenges at release.ConclusionMeasures to prepare prisoners for release often do not focus on the individual and specific challenges of persons who use drugs. Psychosocial and medical support need to be improved and adjusted to drug users’ needs inside and outside prison. To improve the quality and continuity of care around release, the perspectives and coping strategies of people who use drugs should be used to better address their needs and barriers to treatment.

Bazı Suçlarla İlgili Ceza Sürelerinden Şartlı İndirim İle Tutuklu ve Hükümlülerin Salıverilmesine Dair Kanun Teklifi’ne İlişkin Değerlendirme (Evaluation Regarding the Proposal for the Release of Prisoners and Convicts with Conditional Reduction from Penalty Periods Related to Some Crimes)

Turkish Abstract: Uzun bir sureden beri meclis acildigi zaman ceza surelerinden indirim yapilmasini ongoren bir kanun teklifinin, baska bir ifadeyle bir “af” teklifinin meclise sunulacagi konusulmaktaydi. Nitekim teklifi sunacak olan parti konumundaki MHP baskan yardimcilari ve sozculeri de bu yonde aciklamalar yapmaktaydi. Soz konusu teklif, yedi maddelik bir icerik ve “Bazi Suclarla Ilgili Ceza Surelerinden Sartli Indirim Ile Tutuklu ve Hukumlulerin Saliverilmesine Dair Kanun Teklifi” ismiyle beklenildigi gibi MHP tarafindan 24 Eylul 2018 tarihinde TBMM Baskanligi’na sunuldu. Teklif, sunulmasindan once de tam olarak nasil bir icerige sahip olacagi ve hangi suclari kapsamina alacagi gibi bircok konuda ceza hukukculari arasinda buyuk bir endiseyle beklenmekle beraber, sunulduktan sonra daha da buyuk bir endise yaratmis ve ozellikle kapsam ve icerigine iliskin ciddi elestirilerle karsilasmistir. Mevcut toplumsal ihtiyaclar bu sekilde bir duzenlemeye gidilmesini gerektirmekte midir? Teklifin sunulmasi toplumsal ihtiyaclara mi yoksa siyasi sebeplere mi dayanmaktadir, amaci nedir? Esas olarak ceza surelerinde indirim yapilmasini ongoren Teklif, af niteliginde kabul edilebilir mi? Hangi suclar kapsam altina dahil edilmistir, bunun icin herhangi somut bir kriter belirlenmis midir? Teklifin yasalasmasi icin hangi sartlarin gerceklesmesi gerekir? Yasalasmasi ihtimalinde nasil sonuclar dogacaktir? Konunun Anayasa Mahkemesi’ne anayasaya aykirilik iddiasiyla tasinmasi mumkun mudur? Mahkeme, soz konusu duzenlemeyi iptal edebilir mi? Goruldugu gibi bircok noktada ciddi sorular ortaya cikmaktadir. Bu yazimda ozellikle belirtilen hususlari goz onunde bulundurarak Teklif’in ceza ve ceza muhakemesi hukuku normlariyla olan iliskisi ile bu normlara uygunluguna iliskin tespit ve aciklamalarda bulunarak hukuka uygunluk degerlendirmesinde bulunacagim. English Abstract: For a long time, when the parliament was opened, it was talked that a law proposal, in other words, an amnesty proposal, which required a reduction in penalties, would be submitted to the parliament. As a matter of fact, MHP vice presidents and spokespersons, who are the party that will present the proposal, were making statements in this direction. The said proposal was submitted to the Presidency of the TGNA by the MHP on September 24, 2018, as expected, with a content of seven articles and the name for the Release of Prisoners and Convicts with Conditional Reduction from Penalties Related to Certain Crimes. Although the proposal was anticipated with great concern among criminal lawyers on many issues, such as exactly what content it would contain and what crimes it would cover before its submission, it created even greater concern after its submission and was met with serious criticism, especially regarding its scope and content. Do current social needs require such a regulation? Is the submission of the proposal based on social or political reasons, what is its purpose? Could the proposal, which mainly provides for a reduction in penalty periods, be accepted as an amnesty? Which crimes are covered, have any concrete criteria been set for this? What conditions must be met for the proposal to become law? What kind of consequences will occur in the possibility of enacting law? Is it possible to bring the issue to the Constitutional Court with the allegation of unconstitutionality? Can the court cancel the regulation in question? As can be seen, serious questions arise at many points. In this article, I will make determinations and explanations regarding the relation of the Proposal with the norms of criminal and criminal procedure law and its compliance with these norms, taking into account the matters specified in particular in this article.

A time-series analysis of testing and COVID-19 outbreaks in Canadian federal prisons to inform prevention and surveillance efforts.

Approximately 14,000 adults are currently incarcerated in federal prisons in Canada. These facilities are vulnerable to disease outbreaks and an assessment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing and outcomes is needed. The objective of this study was to examine outcomes of COVID-19 testing, prevalence, case recovery and death within federal prisons and to contrast these data with those of the general population. Public time-series outcome data for prisoners and the general population were obtained on-line from the Correctional Service of Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, respectively, from March 30 to May 27, 2020. Prison, province and sex-specific frequency statistics for each outcome were calculated. A total of 50 facilities were included in this study. Of these 50 facilities, 64% reported fewer individuals tested per 1,000 population than observed in the general population and 12% reported zero tests in the study period. Testing tended to be reactive, increasing only once prisons had recorded positive tests. Six prisons reported viral outbreaks, with three recording over 20% cumulative COVID-19 prevalence among prisoners. Cumulatively, in prisons, 29% of individuals tested received a positive result, compared to 6% in the general population. Two of the 360 cases died (0.6% fatality). Four outbreaks appeared to be under control (more than 80% of cases recovered); however, sizeable susceptible populations remain at risk of infection. Female prisoners (5% of the total prisoner population) were over-represented among cases (17% of cases overall). Findings suggest that prison environments are vulnerable to widespread severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. Gaps in testing merit public health attention. Symptom-based testing alone may not be optimal in prisons, given observations of widespread transmission. Increased sentinel or universal testing may be appropriate. Increased testing, along with rigorous infection prevention practices and the potential release of prisoners, will be needed to curb future outbreaks.

Past 12-month nonfatal overdose among people who inject drugs in Ukraine: City-level estimates and risk factors from a cross-sectional study

BackgroundNonfatal overdose contributes to high morbidity and is among the strongest proxies for the occurrence of overdose fatality – the leading cause of death among those who use opioids. In Ukraine, a majority of people who inject drugs (PWID) use opioids, but little is known about the relationship between drug market characteristics, nonfatal overdose (NFOD) prevalence, and risk factors for NFOD. MethodsWe used cross-sectional respondent-driven sampling (RDS) data to explore the variability of recent (past 12 months) NFOD among PWID across Ukrainian cities and associations with individual factors. The population-averaged -cross-sectional associations were estimated and compared using generalized linear models for the binary outcome (NFOD vs. not) with robust variance estimates. ResultsRecent self-reported NFOD varied between 1% and 14 % across Ukrainian cities. In adjusted analyses, overdose was associated with fewer years of injecting drugs; a higher number of types of drugs used in the past 12 months; using desomorphine, methadone, tramadol, heroin, amphetamine-type drugs or cocaine within past 12 months; using alcohol daily or weekly; recent drug treatment; and history of incarceration. Buying drugs or their ingredients through "stashes" (i.e., drugs secretly hidden in various places) and the perception of drug price increase were associated with higher odds of reporting NFOD. ConclusionThe identified risk factors underscore the importance of evidence-based prevention efforts, such as scaling-up opioid agonist therapy, providing naloxone in the community and upon prison release, targeting those most likely to witness overdose and sharing overdose prevention strategies with them, and continuous monitoring of trends and contributing factors.

1953 Amnesty According to GULAG Statistics: Its Structure and Dynamics

The article studies the dynamics of 1953 amnesty and analyzes its structural characteristics. The 1953 amnesty was the largest in the entire history of the Soviet penitentiary system. Therefore, it is of particular interest to know the stages of the prisoners&amp;rsquo; release process and the way such a large-scale problem could be solved. The author focuses on the structure of prisoners to be released as well as the structural changes of prisoners caused by the amnesty and their impact on the system as a whole. Despite a large number of domestic and foreign studies addressing the GULAG, the process of amnesty implementation has not been studied as it is yet. The author traces the implementation of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium Decree dated 03.27.1953 "On amnesty." The methodological basis for the study is statistical analysis of data on the implementation of the release plan. The result of the study is the conclusion that the 1953 amnesty was a turning point in the functioning of the USSR camp system. However, its process was uneven and accompanied by a number of difficulties caused by the need to carry out serious control and accounting work and involve additional sources to make decisions on the release of individual prisoners.