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Treating Substance Abuse after Leaving Prison

Incarcerated women have a higher substance abuse rate than women outside the prison system, and women who have a history of incarceration and a substance abuse problem have a higher risk of being incarcerated again. While this affects the individual, it is also a significant public health problem, incurring significant costs to the prison system and the healthcare industry.

Women leaving prison often have difficulty assimilating back into normal life, and the problem is further complicated if they have a substance abuse problem. Helping these women into a treatment program may help them be more successful at finding ongoing employment.

A Canadian study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that aftercare is a significant part of successful recovery for women who experience substance abuse problems after leaving prison.

The research team investigated the use of the Community Relapse Prevention and Maintenance program, which was initiated by Correctional Service Canada to help women leaving prison with drug addiction. The team hoped to find evidence of whether the program was effective.

Using a national sample of women released from six federal prisons across Canada between 1998 and 2007, the researchers looked at the care received after leaving prison. They specifically evaluated the association between exposure and non-exposure to CRPM to determine whether the program offered a significant advantage to those who participated.

The findings showed that CRPM is of great benefit to the women who are offered the program. The researchers found that women who were not offered CRPM were 10 times more likely to return to prison within one year of release. Over one-third of women released from prison returned within the first six months, if they were not offered CRPM.

The authors of the study say that the results stress the importance of continuity in care for those leaving prison with a drug addiction. Women leaving prison must have access to community aftercare in order to improve their chances of recovery and prevent reincarceration.

The World Health Organization-United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime supports this strategy, urging government to provide continuity of care for health and substance abuse treatment for women leaving prison in order to prevent reentry into prison and adequately treat substance abuse.

Reducing the number of women entering prison multiple times due to substance abuse problems and related crimes could significantly impact the prison system and public health costs. Implementing the CRPM or similar programs in the U.S. may help women enter normal life after prison and receive necessary substance abuse treatment.

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