Incarceration and Opioid Overdoses Across the US

• In Event: Substance Use and Misuse Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Incarceration has been negatively associated with individual outcomes. We aim to expand the perspective of incarceration effects to consider the effects on the community, especially focusing on the young inhabitants of that community. We analyze county prison data for over three decades (N = 2,800 counties from 45 states), combined with National Vital Statistics data, and data from the American Community Survey. We analyze data from regression models with fixed effects for county and year to examine the extent to which higher incarceration is significantly linked with opioid overdoses among children and young adults. The results indicate the importance of accounting for the more recent vs long term effects of incarceration on the community, especially its youngest residents, with key implications for policy.

Authors

• Corina Graif, Penn State University

• Joe Risi, Penn State University

• Christopher Seto, Purdue University