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Leaving Their Drugs at the Gate? Exploring Changes in Drug Use From Before to During Incarceration in Norway
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Leaving Their Drugs at the Gate? Exploring Changes in Drug Use From Before to During Incarceration in Norway

Synove N. Andersen, Jordan M. Hyatt, Philipp Lobmaier, Marianne Riksheim Stavseth and Anne Bukten
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, pp 306624X231168596-306624X231168596
13 Jun 2023
PMID: 37312513

Abstract

Criminology & Penology Psychology Psychology, Applied Social Sciences
As the number of incarcerated persons who use drugs increases in many countries, it is important to understand the nature of drug use in prison by exploring how substance use patterns change from before to during incarceration. In this study, we rely on cross-sectional, self-report data from The Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction (NorMA) study to identify the nature of changes in drug use among incarcerated respondents who reported having used either narcotics, non-prescribed medications, or both, during the 6 months before their incarceration (n = 824). Results show that about 60% (n = 490) stop using drugs. Of the remaining 40% (n = 324), about 86% changed their use patterns. Most commonly, incarcerated people stopped using stimulants and started using opioids; switching from cannabis to stimulants was the least common change. Overall, the study illustrates that the prison context leads most individuals to change their use patterns, some in unanticipated ways.

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4 citations in Scopus

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#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Criminology & Penology
Psychology, Applied
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