Prevalence and correlates of previous adult imprisonment among Australians who primarily smoke methamphetamine: a cross-sectional study.

Background: In Australia, methamphetamine use is a significant public health concern, and is common among people involved with the criminal justice system. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of adult imprisonment history among adults who primarily smoke methamphetamine.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using baseline data from 'VMAX', a cohort of adults who regularly use methamphetamine. Data were collected between June 2016 and March 2020 from 718 participants. Sampling methods included convenience and respondent-driven sampling. Prison exposure was measured by asking if participants had ever been imprisoned due to a conviction (and was distinguished from juvenile detention). Logistic regression was used to examine how this correlated with socio-demographics, drug use, mental health, and criminogenic characteristics.

Results: Nearly one-third (30%) of 718 participants reported having been imprisoned. Increased odds of reporting a history of imprisonment were found for participants reporting older age, male gender, non-metropolitan residential location, past-year homelessness, not being currently employed, schooling ≤ Year 9, ≥ weekly methamphetamine use, past-year illicit opioid use, injecting drug use history, and juvenile detention history. In contrast, participants reporting past-year other illicit stimulant (cocaine, ecstasy, illicit pharmaceutical stimulant) use were less likely to report a history of imprisonment.

Conclusions: Social characteristics, patterns of drug use, and juvenile detention history were found to be correlated with imprisonment history. These findings point to the importance of providing targeted services to address characteristics of social disadvantage and drug use behaviours among people who use drugs, including among people who primarily smoke methamphetamine.