Incarceration and the health of detained children

Historically, the incarceration of children has been used limitedly. The two reasons used to justify depriving youth of their freedom have been specific and serious threats to either public safety or to the young person’s own wellbeing (such as suicidal ideations). Incarceration should only be a last resort, with the standard being to place children in the least restrictive environment, such as in the community, because of the high risks of physical and mental health harms associated with detention

Introduction to the Special Issue of the Journal of Urban Health on Incarceration and Health

Criminal justice involvement is increasingly recognized as a powerful social determinant of health in urban populations, especially among low income and minority populations. Those who have experienced incarceration have higher rates of infectious and chronic diseases and are at risk of worsened health post-release: mostly due to lack of resources in the community and increased engagement in risk behavior

A measurement of parity-violating gamma-ray asymmetries in polarized cold neutron capture on 35Cl, 113Cd, and 139La

An apparatus for measuring parity-violating asymmetries in gamma-ray emission following polarized cold neutron capture was constructed as a 1/10th scale test of the design for the forthcoming n+p->d+gamma experiment at LANSCE. The elements of the polarized neutron beam, including a polarized 3He neutron spin filter and a radio frequency neutron spin rotator, are described. Using CsI(Tl) detectors and photodiode current mode readout, measurements were made of asymmetries in gamma-ray emission following neutron capture on 35Cl, 113Cd, and 139La targets. Upper limits on the parity-allowed asymmetry $s_n \cdot (k_{\gamma} \times k_n)$ were set at the level of 7 x 10^-6 for all three targets. Parity-violating asymmetries $s_n \cdot k_{\gamma}$ were observed in 35Cl, A_gamma = (-29.1 +- 6.7) x 10^-6, and 139La, A_gamma = (-15.5 +- 7.1) x 10^-6, values consistent with previous measurements.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

COVID-19 and mass incarceration: a call for urgent action

As of September 23, 2020, the USA had both the highest number of COVID-19 cases and the largest incarcerated population in the world. Approximately 2·3 million people are currently incarcerated in prisons and jails in the USA. More than 6·5 million individuals are under daily correctional supervision, which includes probation and parole, representing 2·6% of the entire US adult population

Risk of fentanyl-involved overdose among those with past year incarceration: Findings from a recent outbreak in 2014 and 2015

Overdose is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death. Rhode Island (RI) has the highest rate of illicit drug use nationally and the 5th highest overdose mortality rate. RI has experienced an outbreak of fentanyl-related overdoses. In incarcerated populations, risk of overdose is greatly elevated. However, little is known about fentanyl-related overdose post-release. In the current analyses, we identify changes in fentanyl-related fatal overdose among those who died in 2014 and 2015 who were incarcerated in the year before death. We linked data from the RI Office of the Medical Examiner with records from the RI Department of Corrections. We calculated risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals using log-binomial regression to compare risk of fentanyl-involved overdose death. We also compared median time to death since release, median sentence length, and median number of incarcerations in 2014 and 2015. Results indicate that the risk of dying of a fentanyl-related overdose increased (RR: 1.99 (95% CI: 1.11–3.57, p = 0.014)) from 2014 to 2015 among those with past year incarceration. This study is one of the first to describe fentanyl-related fatal overdose among those with past year incarceration. In 2015 the median sentence was longer among those with a fentanyl-related overdose death and the median time from release to death among all who had past year incarceration extended past 90 days. Access to medications for addiction treatment, overdose education, and naloxone should be available during community re-entry and extended beyond the early post-release period

Postincarceration fatal overdoses after implementing medications for addiction treatment in a statewide correctional system

As the epidemic of opioid use in the United States continues to shift fromprescription opioids to illicit drugs, more people living with opioid use disorder are encountering the criminal justice system. Most US correctional facilities do not continue or initiate medications for addiction treatment (MAT). This is especially unfortunate given the higher rates of opioid overdose immediately after release from incarceration

The failed liberalisation of Algeria and the international context: a legacy of stable authoritarianism

The paper attempts to challenge the somewhat marginal role of international factors in the study of transitions to democracy. Theoretical and practical difficulties in proving causal mechanisms between international variables and domestic outcomes can be overcome by defining the international dimension in terms of Western dominance of world politics and by identifying Western actions towards democratising countries. The paper focuses on the case of Algeria, where international factors are key in explaining the initial process of democratisation and its following demise. In particular, the paper argues that direct Western policies, the pressures of the international system and external shocks influence the internal distribution of power and resources, which underpins the different strategies of all domestic actors. The paper concludes that analysis based purely on domestic factors cannot explain the process of democratisation and that international variables must be taken into more serious account and much more detailed

Estimating the impact of wide scale uptake of screening and medications for opioid use disorder in US prisons and jails

Background: Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are the most effective treatment for OUD, but uptake of these life-saving medications has been extremely limited in US prisons and jail settings, and limited data are available to guide policy decisions. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of screening and treatment with medications for OUD in US prisons and jails on post-release opioid-related mortality. Methods: We used data from the National Center for Vital Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and relevant literature to construct Monte Carlo simulations of a counterfactual scenario in which wide scale uptake of screening and treatment with medications for OUD occurred in US prisons and jails in 2016. Results: Our model predicted that 1840 (95% Simulation Interval [SI]: -2757 – 4959) lives would have been saved nationally if all persons who were clinically indicated had received medications for OUD while incarcerated. The model also predicted that approximately 4400 (95% SI: 2675 – 5557) lives would have been saved nationally if all persons who were clinically indicated had received medications for OUD while incarcerated and were retained in treatment post-release. These estimates correspond to 668 (95% SI: -1008 – 1812) and 1609 (95% SI: 972 – 2037) lives saved per 10,000 persons incarcerated, respectively. Conclusions: Prison and jail-based programs that comprehensively screen and provide treatment with medications for OUD have the potential to produce substantial reductions in opioid-related overdose deaths in a high-risk population; however, retention on treatment post-release is a key driver of population level impact