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Substance Misuse and Offending

NCJ Number
179606
Journal
Current Opinion in Psychiatry Volume: 11 Dated: 1998 Pages: 669-673
Author(s)
Andrew Johns
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This review summarizes recent work on the epidemiology of substance misuse and offending, including the contribution of mental illness.
Abstract
Substance misuse has long been recognized as a risk factor for offending and especially for violent offending. However, only recently have epidemiological studies been conducted that quantify the risk and that outline the relative contributions of severe mental illness and substance misuse to violence. In addition, several studies have confirmed the view that substance misuse is the most common mental disorder found among prisoners. More specifically, studies show that the high prevalence of substance misuse by prisoners and psychiatric patients is associated with increased morbidity, the aggregation of underlying mental disorders, and an increased risk of violence. These findings have considerable implications for the delivery of health care in prisons and mental hospitals and for the clinical practice and training of mental health workers. The author suggests that psychiatric services should aim to develop a dual-diagnosis response to substance misuse and offending by working closely with addiction and community mental health teams. 36 references

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