By Canadian Press

B.C. inmates with addiction issues at high risk of reincarceration: study

Mar 21, 2024 | 3:31 PM

A new study led by a B.C. criminology professor says people jailed in the province who have addiction and mental health issues are at high risk of being reincarcerated within a few years of being released. 

Amanda Butler, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University, says former inmates with substance use disorders and mental health issues are more likely to end up back in jail than those without addiction or “mental health needs” on their own. 

The study published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior says 72 per cent of people with both substance use and mental health disorders ended up back in jail within three years of being let out.

It says 70 per cent of former inmates with substance use disorders alone also went back to prison within a few years of their release. 

Butler’s study examined data collected by BC Corrections for 13,109 people who were released from provincial jails between October 2012 and September 2014. 

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She says the disorders are often under-treated at the facilities, and her study highlights the need to treat the problems to reduce reincarceration. 

“Now more than ever, it is crucial for correctional, health, and social services to come together and ensure that people are accessing timely, appropriate, and evidence-based care,” Butler says in a news release. “Ensuring that people have their basic needs met, such as housing and income support, is central to reducing reincarceration.”

Her report says 61 per cent of released inmates from the study period ended up back in jail within three years, and those with both addiction and mental health disorders were found to be at “substantially elevated risk of reincarceration.” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press