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A new study from Simon Fraser University shows that British Columbia’s prison population with mental health and addiction issues has grown dramatically over the past decade.
The Department of Health Sciences study was released last week in the review Psychiatric services. Researchers there found that people with both mental health and substance abuse problems made up 32% of British Columbia’s provincial prison system in 2017, up from 15% in 2009.
Study author Amanda Butler claims that the prevalence of disorder in prisons really gives us a mirror of what is happening and not happening within the community in the health system.
“It is important to note that the average length of stay in our sample was only 12 days, so more than half of the people who go to a provincial prison are there for less than a week and the vast majority are there. for less than a month, “said the butler.
“During this period we have seen an increase in precarious employment, an increase in the number of homeless … in addition to changes in the drug market and increased drug toxicity in the drug supply. . ”
The report found that three in four people in British Columbia’s prison population have a mental health or addiction problem. Methamphetamine use fell from 6% to 29% and heroin use from 11% to 26%.
The report was created using data from BC Corrections’ screening assessment tool. Butler said every adult admitted to a penal institution in British Columbia goes through a screening process in which they identify their health needs, substance abuse needs, social background and more.
Hope for improvement
One of the reasons the data stops at 2017 is that in October 2017, responsibility for the delivery of health services in prisons shifted from BC Corrections to the provincial health services authority.
“The hope is that in the last few years, since 2017, we will have actually improved the continuity of care and access to high quality services within the prison system and hopefully see improvements in the transitions when people are released from prison, ”she said. .
But Butler says a lot more needs to be done to address the underlying issues.
“We really, really need to invest in our community services. Right now, most evidence-based services are unaffordable in the mental health and addictions sectors and are not publicly covered by provincial insurance, ”she said.
“Sometimes people have to end up in the prison system before they can get treatment. “
7:17Number of Inmates in British Columbia With Mental Health and Addiction Issues Rises Dramatically
A new study from SFU shows that one in three inmates in this province report having mental health and addiction issues. Study author Amanda Butler of SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences spoke to Kathryn Marlow. 7:17
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Sources 2/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prison-mental-health-sfu-study-1.6271915 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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