Iqtidar, Madeeha and Sharma, Kapil and Mullaney, Ronan and Kelly, Enda and Keevans, Mary and Cullinane, Myra and Kennedy, Harry and Mohan, Damian (2018) Deaths in custody in the Irish prison service: 5-year retrospective study of drug toxicology and unnatural deaths. BJPsych Open, 4, (5), pp. 401-403.
External website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61713...
Mental health and substance misuse disorders are associated with unnatural deaths in prisoners. Deaths in Irish prisons between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively analysed using coroner's findings, including post-mortem toxicology. There were 69 deaths in custody, 38 of which met inclusion criteria. All deaths by overdose (16) were positive for illicit drugs; 53% of deaths (8 of 15) due to hanging were also positive for illicit drugs, and 29% of deaths (2 of 7) from other causes were toxicology positive. In conclusion, 26 unnatural deaths (68%) were associated with use of illicit drugs, which are a major contributory factor to deaths of prisoners.
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Health care programme, service or facility > Prison-based health service
MM-MO Crime and law > Justice system > Correctional system and facility > Prison
P Demography, epidemiology, and history > Population dynamics > Substance related mortality / death
T Demographic characteristics > Person in prison (prisoner)
VA Geographic area > Europe > Ireland
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