RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Factors that support successful transition to the community among women leaving prison in British Columbia: a prospective cohort study using participatory action research
JF CMAJ Open
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E717
OP E723
DO 10.9778/cmajo.20160165
VO 5
IS 3
A1 Patricia A. Janssen
A1 Mo Korchinski
A1 Sarah L. Desmarais
A1 Arianne Y.K. Albert
A1 Lara-Lisa Condello
A1 Marla Buchanan
A1 Alison Granger-Brown
A1 Vivian R. Ramsden
A1 Lynn Fels
A1 Jane A. Buxton
A1 Carl Leggo
A1 Ruth Elwood Martin
YR 2017
UL http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/5/3/E717.abstract
AB Background: In Canada, the number of women sentenced to prison has almost doubled since 1995. In British Columbia, the rate of reincarceration is 70% within 2 years. Our aim was to identify factors associated with recidivism among women in British Columbia.Methods: We prospectively followed women after discharge from provincial corrections centres in British Columbia. We defined recidivism as participation in criminal activity disclosed by participants during the year following release. To identify predictive factors, we carried out a repeated-measures analysis using a logistic mixed-effect model.Results: Four hundred women completed a baseline interview, of whom 207 completed additional interviews during the subsequent year, contributing 395 interviews in total. Factors significantly associated in univariate analysis with recidivism included not having a family doctor or dentist, depression, not having children, less than high school education, index charge of drug offense or theft under $5000, poor general health, hepatitis C treatment, poor nutritional or spiritual health, and use of cannabis or cocaine. In multivariate analysis, good nutritional health (odds ratio [OR] 0.52 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.76]), good spiritual health (OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.44-0.83]), high school education (OR 0.44 [95% CI 0.22-0.87]) and incarceration for a drug offence versus other crimes (OR 0.30 [95% CI 0.12-0.79]) were protective against recidivism.Interpretation: Our findings emphasize the relevance of health-related strategies as drivers of recidivism among women released from prison. Health assessment on admission followed by treatment for trauma and associated psychiatric disorders and for chronic medical and dental problems deserve consideration as priority approaches to reduce rates of reincarceration.