About the project
On behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the PriSUD group is conducting a research project that aims to provide updated knowledge on quality of life and health status among people sentenced to prison or community sanctions.
The overall goal is to describe quality of life and prevalence of diagnosed substance abuse and mental health problems among convicted individuals both in prison and under community sanctions in the period from 2010 to 2022. The results of the research project will furthermore provide knowledge about the service needs of the sentenced individuals and whether the services offered meet their actual needs. The project will culminate in a report to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in July 2024. It is expected that the results of the research project will have important clinical and practical implications.
Methods
The project is divided into three work packages: In work packages 1 and 2, prevalence of mental health diagnosis, living conditions and socioeconomic status are investigated using data from the nPRIS cohort including national register data that covers both prison and community sanctions in Norway from 2010 to 2022. The data is linked with the Norwegian Patient Register, social welfare data from Statistics Norway, and the Cause of Death Register. For work package 3 an anonymous questionnaire survey have been developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and the non-profit user organization WayBack. People having served sentence in prison or in community are asked to answer, with the aim to determine to what extent the offered treatment, support, and follow-up during and after the criminal sanctions meet the actual needs of the sentenced individuals.
Background
There is a significant accumulation of health problems among people in prison. We know that half of all individuals in prison have a substance abuse disorder when they enter prison, and large proportions also have mental and physical disorders. Individuals with previous substance abuse problems are more likely to relapse into substance abuse and criminality after release, and many experience difficulties in finding employment and education opportunities. A national survey of substance use, health, and living conditions is important for identifying risk groups among convicted individuals in prison and community sanctions and directing interventions accordingly.
There is limited knowledge about individuals sentenced under community sanctions. The proportion undergoing this type of criminal sanction has increased significantly in the past 10 years as more types of offenses have been included in the program. To be eligible for this type of criminal sanction, the sentenced individual must meet certain specific criteria. It is expected that those serving their sentence in the community are healthier and might have a greater quality of life than the population in prison. This study will be the first in Norway to examine mental health and living conditions among all individuals sentenced to community sanctions.