[AJHN] Prof Degenhardt, Dr Santo, Prof Farrell- Post-release Outcomes Study (POST): Initial findings

The Prison Outcomes STudy (POST) is a population-based data linkage study of all adults incarcerated in New South Wales since 2000 (~200,000 people), using 16 linked health, justice and social datasets. The presentation will describe the cohort’s socio-demographic characteristics and initial analyses of health and social outcomes after release from prison. We will also outline plans to examine the impact of treatment for opioid and methamphetamine dependence post-release and to model the population-level impact of key interventions and improved linkage to care

Speakers:
Professor Michael Farrell FRCP FRCPsych is Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW Sydney and an addiction psychiatrist. His research spans treatment evaluation, national and international drug policy, and improving alcohol and other drug treatment systems, particularly for marginalised populations. He previously held the Chair of Addiction Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, and has advised governments and international agencies on responses to drug-related harm.

Scientia Professor Louisa Degenhardt is an epidemiologist and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, and Deputy Director at NDARC, UNSW Sydney. Her work focuses on the health and social impacts of illicit drug use, including large cohort and data linkage studies on opioid dependence, mental health and incarceration. She has contributed to global burden of disease estimates and international guidelines, and her research informs policy and practice to reduce drug-related harms in community and criminal justice settings.

Dr Thomas Santo Jr is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. His research focuses on drug dependence, comorbid mental health and trauma, and criminal justice involvement. He uses observational data, including large-scale linked health and justice datasets, to examine post-release health and social outcomes and to evaluate access to, and impact of, interventions for drug dependence in prison and community settings. His recent work includes a global review of access to services for blood-borne viruses, opioid dependence and needle and syringe programs in prisons.

Chair:
Prof Stuart Kinner, Head of the Justice Health Group and Professor of Health Equity, Curtin University; Group Leader, Justice Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Honorary Professor, University of Melbourne; Adjunct Professor, Griffith University; and Technical Advisor, World Health Organisation Health in Prisons Programme.

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CHAPTERS
0:00 Presentation
26:01 Wrap up
28:54 Q&A
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You can register for the 2026 webinar series here: https://unimelb.zoom.us/meeting/regis...

Justice Health Group Linkedin:   / 14428751  

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