Economic decline, incarceration, and mortality from drug use disorders in the USA between 1983 and 2014: an observational analysis

New Lancet study states - Counties with increased incarceration have increased fatal overdose rates and highlights a largely neglected dimension of the US criminal justice system - local jails!

Hot off the press: an open access study published in The Lancet investigating the associations between economic decline, incarceration rates, and age-standardized mortality from drug use disorders at the county level in the U.S.

Our findings suggest a strong association between the rise in incarceration rates and mortality rates from drug use disorders, over and above the potential effects of low household income and other important confounders. We also highlight a largely neglected dimension of the US criminal justice system-local jails-which are independently associated with drug deaths.

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Nosrati, E. et al. 07/01/2019 Economic decline, incarceration, and mortality from drug use disorders in the USA between 1983 and 2014: an observational analysis. The Lancet.