Email michael.curtis@burnet.edu.au to be sent the event link.

Title: Mental illness, substance use disorders, dual diagnosis, and reincarceration among First Nations adults leaving prisons.

Abstract: Mental illness, substance use disorder (SUD), and their dual diagnosis are highly prevalent among incarcerated populations, though existing prevalence estimates may not be accurate for several methodological reasons. While many studies have demonstrated associations between these diagnoses and future justice system contact, few studies have demonstrated the temporal relationship between diagnosis and reincarceration in First Nations adults. Further, evidence on whether dual diagnosis presents a significantly greater risk of reincarceration than mental illness or SUD alone is scarce and equivocal. In a sample of First Nations adults (n=978) released from prisons, we aimed to: (1) estimate the lifetime prevalence of mental illness, substance use disorder, and dual diagnosis among First Nations adults in prisons, (2) determine the temporality and strength of any association between mental illness, SUDs, or dual diagnosis and reincarceration, and 3) determine whether dual diagnosis presents a greater risk of reincarceration than diagnoses of mental illness or SUD alone.

Speaker bio: Dr Darcy Coulter is a Research Fellow with the Justice Health Group at the enAble Institute and School of Population Health, Curtin University. He holds honorary appointments at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science. He conducts research focussed on healthcare use and health outcomes for justice-involved people, primarily in the context of mental and behavioural disorders. He has considerable experience working with linked administrative data to understand and improve health and justice outcomes in vulnerable populations.