PATH: Prison and Transition Health cohort study

High rates of injecting drug use, blood-borne virus infection and poor physical and mental health characterise a growing population people incarcerated in Australia.

Objective

Finding effective responses is hampered by our only partial understanding of prisoner health needs and the extent to which these are identified and appropriate responses integrated into pre- and post-release care plans.

To help fill this gap in knowledge we are undertaking a globally unique prospective study of people incarcerated and released from prison with recent histories of injecting drug use in Australia.

Timeline 

2012–complete. 

Approach

The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) cohort study helps inform policy and practice responses to reduce intersecting harms associated with incarceration and drug use. It characterises the transition from prison to the community among men in Victoria, Australia, who reported regular injecting drug use in the months prior to imprisonment.

Between 2014 and 2016, 400 men were interviewed in the weeks leading up to their release and then followed up with interviews scheduled three months, one year and two years after their release.

Interviews cover demographics, drug use and treatment histories, pre/post release service access and utilisation, criminal involvement and incarceration history, drug using risk behaviours and standardised measures of health. Extensive record linkage to health and law enforcement data bases compliments these data at approximately 2, 5 and 10 years post-release.  

Community impact

Conducted in collaboration with Justice Health (Victoria) and researchers from the University of New South Wales and Swinburne University, this project will provide important insights to inform policy and practice to prevent ongoing health and social harms experienced by people who use drugs and are incarcerated.