A new study in B.C. says people with mental health and substance use disorders in corrections systems are at higher risk of getting sent back.

Based on her report, Amanda Butler, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University (SFU), says people with co-occurring disorders (COD) and substance use disorders are at an “elevated risk of reincarceration,” compared to those without mental health needs.

She says the criminal justice system in Canada is not designed to address the health and well-being of people.

“Despite the high prevalence of mental health and substance use-related needs in this setting, disorders are frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated among people who experience incarceration,” the report says.

Butler’s report suggests that there are not a lot of options to support people with mental health and substance use needs from custodial sentences into the right community-based care, and not enough services in custody to prevent reoffending after their release.

Her study is based on 13,109 incarcerated people from different demographics in British Columbia.

• 3,019 people were categorized as having COD,
• 4,097 people had substance use needs only,
• 1,862 people had mental health needs only, and
• 4,131 people had no disorder

She reports that 61 per cent of people from the total amount were reincarcerated within 3 years. Of those with at least one reincarceration — 27 per cent, had COD, 35 per cent had substance use needs only, and 12 per cent had mental health needs only, and 25 per cent had no disorder.

Among the COD group, 72 per cent of people were reincarcerated, 70 percent from substance use disorder, 54 per cent from mental health needs, and 49 per cent from no disorder.

“COD and substance use disorder alone were positively and significantly associated with incarceration — people in these categories had the highest rate of reincarceration and the shortest time in the community before experiencing a reincarceration event,” the study states.

In her study, she concludes that correctional, health, and social services must work together to reduce incarcerations and other adverse outcomes, especially among people with substance use and COD.

“In doing that we’re also going to reduce their criminogenic risk because the social determinants of health overlap considerably with the social determinants of crime,” she said.