Pathways in and out of prison for young men with a history of injecting drugs – PhD Project

  • Research program: Justice health
  • Project status: Completed
  • Start date: June 2015
  • Expected end date: June 2020
  • Completion date: June 2020
  • Funded by: APA Curtin University scholarship
  • Lead organisation: Curtin University

Young men (aged 18-24) represent 17% of the adult prison population in Australia. Research on young adults in the criminal justice system has found they are much more likely than their same-age counterparts in the community to have poor educational and employment histories, come from low socio-economic backgrounds and exhibit risky health related-behaviors. Those with IDU histories have even more complex needs, including a range of physical and mental health comorbidities and increased risk of blood borne virus infections. In addition, they are more likely to be re-incarcerated than older men and their non-injecting peers. Few Australian studies have explored their needs and experiences, especially from an Australian perspective. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature.

The study is embedded in the Prisoner and Transition Health (PATH) study of the Burnet Institute. In-depth interview data from twenty-eight young men (aged 19-24 years) has been gathered, with the aim of developing a deeper understanding of young men’s experiences of drug use, incarceration and release from adult prison, via a post-structuralist lens. Findings will provide important insights for policy and practice responses to reduce the harms associated with drug use and re-incarceration.

Dr Shelley Walker
Research Fellow
Tel: 0490 421 750
shelley.walker@curtin.edu.au
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Dr Peter Higgs
Research Fellow
Tel:

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Associate Professor Mark Stoove
Associate Professor
Tel:

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Dr Mandy Wilson
Research Fellow
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1625
mandy.wilson@curtin.edu.au
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Professor Simon Lenton
Director
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1603
s.lenton@curtin.edu.au
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Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location

This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets:

Stewart, A., Cossar, R., Wilkinson, A., Quinn, B., Dietze, P., Walker, S., Butler, T., Curtis, M., Aitken, C., Kirwan, A., Winter, R., Ogloff, J., R., Kinner, S., A. and Stoove, M., A. (2021). The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) cohort study: Prevalence of health, social, and crime characteristics after release from prison for men reporting a history of injecting drug use in Victoria, Australia. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 227. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108970 [RJ1787] View web page

Kirwan, A., Curtis, M., Dietze, P., Aitken, C., Woods, E., Walker, S., Kinner, S., A., Ogloff, J., R., Butler, T. and Stoove, M., A. (2019). The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) cohort study: Study protocol and baseline characteristics of a cohort of men with a history of injecting drug use leaving prison in Australia. Journal of Urban Health, 96, (3), pp. 400-410. doi:10.1007/s11524-019-00353-5 [RJ1511] View web page

Walker, S. (2019). Pathways in and out of prison for young men with injecting drug use histories. Drug and Alcohol Research Connections. [UJ217] View web page

Walker, S., Stoove, M., A., Wilson, M. and Higgs, P. (2019). Understanding HIV and hepatitis C virus risk among incarcerated young men with histories of injecting drug use. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 19, (2), pp. 130-131. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30801-6 [RJ1473] View web page

Walker, S., Lancaster, K., Stoove, M., A., Higgs, P. and Wilson, M. (2018). “I lost me visits”: A critical examination of prison drug policy and its effects on connection to family for incarcerated young men who inject drugs. Contemporary Drug Problems, 45, (3), pp. 303-328. doi:10.1177/0091450918777280 [RJ1413] View web page

Walker, S., Higgs, P., Stoove, M., A. and Wilson, M. (2017). Narratives of young men with injecting drug use histories leaving adult prison. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62, (12), pp. 3681-3707. doi:10.1177/0306624X17747829 [RJ1404] View web page