Return to illicit drug use post-incarceration among formerly incarcerated Black Americans.

AIMS: The number of drug dependent individuals incarcerated in the U.S. is exceptionally high, and reportedly 60 percent of incarcerated Black Americans have a substance abuse disorder. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with return to illicit drug use post-incarceration.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 121 formerly incarcerated Black Americans in New York City to examine predictors of return to illicit drug use. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated on the outcome of time-to-drug use for various predictors and compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify significant predictors of return to illicit drug use post-incarceration.

FINDINGS: Approximately 83 percent (n=100) of the participants reported a history of illicit drug use, not including participants who have only used marijuana. Out of 121 participants, 36 (29.8%) had used drugs within one day after release. By two weeks after release, half had used drugs. Gender and history of heroin use were significant predictors of time-to-drug use according to the log rank test.

CONCLUSIONS

The potential for immediate return to drug use among our sample suggests that discharge support programs that focus specifically on healthy decision-making among women and heroin users are especially critical.