Views and experiences of involuntary civil commitment of people who use drugs in Massachusetts (Section 35).

Criminalization Involuntary Civil Commitment Opioid Use Policy Section 35

Journal

Drug and alcohol dependence
ISSN: 1879-0046
Titre abrégé: Drug Alcohol Depend
Pays: Ireland
ID NLM: 7513587

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
20 Aug 2024
Historique:
received: 29 02 2024
revised: 28 06 2024
accepted: 03 08 2024
medline: 22 8 2024
pubmed: 22 8 2024
entrez: 21 8 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

Involuntary civil commitment (ICC) is a court-mandated process to place people who use drugs (PWUD) into substance use treatment. Research on ICC effectiveness is mixed, but suggests that coercive drug treatment like ICC is harmful and can produce a number of adverse outcomes. We qualitatively examined the experiences and outcomes of ICC among PWUD in Massachusetts. Data for this analysis were collected between 2017 and 2023 as part of a mixed-methods study of Massachusetts residents who disclosed illicit drug use in the past 30-days. We examined the transcripts of 42 participants who completed in-depth interviews and self-reported ICC. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed using inductive and deductive approaches to understand the diversity of ICC experiences. Participants were predominantly male (57 %), white (71 %), age 31-40 (50 %), and stably housed (67 %). All participants experienced ICC at least once; half reported multiple ICCs. Participants highlighted perceptions of ICC for substance use treatment in Massachusetts. Themes surrounding ICC experience included: positive and negative treatment experience's, strategies for evading ICC, disrupting access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and contributing to continued substance use and risk following release. PWUD experience farther-reaching health and social consequences beyond the immediate outcomes of an ICC. Findings suggest opportunities to amend ICC to facilitate more positive outcomes and experiences, such as providing sufficient access to MOUD and de-criminalizing the ICC processes. Policymakers, public health, and criminal justice professionals should consider possible unintended consequences of ICC on PWUD.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Involuntary civil commitment (ICC) is a court-mandated process to place people who use drugs (PWUD) into substance use treatment. Research on ICC effectiveness is mixed, but suggests that coercive drug treatment like ICC is harmful and can produce a number of adverse outcomes. We qualitatively examined the experiences and outcomes of ICC among PWUD in Massachusetts.
METHODS METHODS
Data for this analysis were collected between 2017 and 2023 as part of a mixed-methods study of Massachusetts residents who disclosed illicit drug use in the past 30-days. We examined the transcripts of 42 participants who completed in-depth interviews and self-reported ICC. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed using inductive and deductive approaches to understand the diversity of ICC experiences.
RESULTS RESULTS
Participants were predominantly male (57 %), white (71 %), age 31-40 (50 %), and stably housed (67 %). All participants experienced ICC at least once; half reported multiple ICCs. Participants highlighted perceptions of ICC for substance use treatment in Massachusetts. Themes surrounding ICC experience included: positive and negative treatment experience's, strategies for evading ICC, disrupting access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and contributing to continued substance use and risk following release.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
PWUD experience farther-reaching health and social consequences beyond the immediate outcomes of an ICC. Findings suggest opportunities to amend ICC to facilitate more positive outcomes and experiences, such as providing sufficient access to MOUD and de-criminalizing the ICC processes. Policymakers, public health, and criminal justice professionals should consider possible unintended consequences of ICC on PWUD.

Identifiants

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112391 PMID: 39167986
pubmed: 39167986
pii: S0376-8716(24)01316-4
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112391
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

112391

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Findings may not reflect the views of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and/or the funder.

Auteurs

Joseph Silcox (J)

The Heller School for Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA; University of Massachusetts - Boston, Department of Sociology, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: joesilcox@brandeis.edu.

Sabrina S Rapisarda (SS)

The Heller School for Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA; University of Massachusetts - Lowell, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, Lowell, MA, USA.

Jaclyn M W Hughto (JMW)

Brown University, Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Providence, RI, USA; Brown University School of Public Health, Departments of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA.

Stephanie Vento (S)

Brown University, Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Providence, RI, USA; The Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.

Patricia Case (P)

Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA.

Wilson R Palacios (WR)

University of Massachusetts - Lowell, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, Lowell, MA, USA.

Sofia Zaragoza (S)

The Heller School for Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.

Shikhar Shrestha (S)

Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.

Thomas J Stopka (TJ)

Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.

Traci C Green (TC)

The Heller School for Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA; Brown University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology, Providence, RI, USA.

Classifications MeSH