A large proportion enter prison with challenges related to drug addiction and mental disorders. In a new study from the PriSUD project at SERAF, it emerged that people serving sentences with OMT have major health challenges: more than 90% have other drug disorders; and more than 60% have other mental disorders.
The study from the PriSUD project is based on all people who were imprisoned in the period 2010-2019, and includes a total of 51,148 individuals. During the entire observation period, 14% of the prison population had an opioid addiction disorder, and of these, 64% received OMT treatment. As the study included a follow-up of 10 years, it could also be seen that the proportion receiving OMT was increasing; from 35.7% in 2010 to 70.9% in 2019.
That more people receive OMT treatment during their sentence is a positive development. At the same time, it is important that the Correctional Service and the health department in the prisons are aware that this is an extra vulnerable group of OMT patients. It is also important that those serving sentences while in OMT can also receive treatment for other substance abuse disorders and mental disorders.
The study has been published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence