This doctoral dissertation study analyzed changes in the division of labor between the main societal institutions that handle substance-abuse-related harm, the changes in substance-abuse problems among prisoners that occurred between 1985 and 2006, as well as current prison practices in the assessment and treatment of these problems. The study materials included registers from the social and health authorities, the police and the prisons, along with nationally representative medical studies - Finnish Prisoner Health investigations conducted in 1985, 1992 and 2006. The study shows that substance-abuse-related harm handled within institutions increasingly became a matter for the prison rather than the social-welfare institutions between 1985 and 2006. The number of prisoners with substance-abuse problems in Finnish prisons grew substantially between 1985 and 2006. Addiction to both alcohol and drugs increased. Drug dependence increased to a higher degree and drugs have heavily supplemented alcohol among prisoners. Substance abuse is currently seen as a risk factor that should be tackled in prison in order to reduce reoffending. The study further investigated the degree to which substance-abuse problems are recognized in prisons, comparing the prisoner s sentence plans and risk and need assessments to the independent prisoner health study of 2006. Furthermore the study analyzed interventions given to prisoners whose sentence plans or risk and needs assessments recognized problems related to intoxicant abuse, focusing on prisoners released in 2011 (N=3798). The study shows that longer sentences allow more thorough recognition of problems and leave time for interventions, whereas short sentences seem to warrant both less thorough recognition of problems and fewer interventions. This is a cause for concern given the prominent link between substance abuse and repeat offending among prisoners who receive short sentences. The study suggest that efforts should be made to notice misuse problems in prison and to provide support during the re-entry phase via the providers of social and other services if there is not time during the sentence.
This doctoral dissertation study analyzed changes in the division of labor between the main societal institutions that handle substance-abuse-related harm, the changes in substance-abuse problems among prisoners that occurred between 1985 and 2006, as well as current prison practices in the assessment and treatment of these problems. The study materials included registers from the social and health authorities, the police and the prisons, along with nationally representative medical studies - Finnish Prisoner Health investigations conducted in 1985, 1992 and 2006. The study shows that substance-abuse-related harm handled within institutions increasingly became a matter for the prison rather than the social-welfare institutions between 1985 and 2006. The number of prisoners with substance-abuse problems in Finnish prisons grew substantially between 1985 and 2006. Addiction to both alcohol and drugs increased. Drug dependence increased to a higher degree and drugs have heavily supplemented alcohol among prisoners. Substance abuse is currently seen as a risk factor that should be tackled in prison in order to reduce reoffending. The study further investigated the degree to which substance-abuse problems are recognized in prisons, comparing the prisoner s sentence plans and risk and need assessments to the independent prisoner health study of 2006. Furthermore the study analyzed interventions given to prisoners whose sentence plans or risk and needs assessments recognized problems related to intoxicant abuse, focusing on prisoners released in 2011 (N=3798). The study shows that longer sentences allow more thorough recognition of problems and leave time for interventions, whereas short sentences seem to warrant both less thorough recognition of problems and fewer interventions. This is a cause for concern given the prominent link between substance abuse and repeat offending among prisoners who receive short sentences. The study suggest that efforts should be made to notice misuse problems in prison and to provide support during the re-entry phase via the providers of social and other services if there is not time during the sentence.
