Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33046089›Full record

ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2020

Prison sentencing increases the risk of unemployment among illegal heroin users in Taiwan.

Charles Tzu-Chi Lee, Chiu-Mieh Huang, Li-Chun Chang, Shih-Wen Wang, Hsiao-Pei Hsu, Jung-Yu Liao, Jong-Long Guo

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Charles Tzu-Chi LeeDepartment of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, He-ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 10610.
Chiu-Mieh HuangInstitute of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, 155, Sec. 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan, 11221.
Li-Chun ChangDepartment of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, 261, Wen-Hua 1st Rd, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, 33303.
Shih-Wen WangDepartment of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, He-ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 10610.
Hsiao-Pei HsuInstitute of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, 155, Sec. 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan, 11221.
Jung-Yu LiaoInstitute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 35053, Taiwan.
Jong-Long GuoDepartment of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, He-ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 10610. jonglong@ntnu.edu.tw.ORCID 0000-0002-3940-1755
National Taiwan Normal University · TWNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWChang Gung University of Science and Technology · TWNational Health Research Institutes · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrevious studies have rarely explored the effect of type of sentencing on employment status among illegal heroin users, therefore, we aims to examine the association of the sentencing types and employment outcomes among illegal heroin users in Taiwan.

methodsParticipants with illegal heroin use were identified through the national prison register system and deferred prosecution system: 2406 with deferred prosecutions, 4741 with observation and rehabilitation, 15 compulsory rehabilitation and 1958 sentenced to prison in calendar 2011. Logistic regression models were built to estimate the effect of sentencing type on unemployment status at 2 years after release. Stratification analysis was conducted to determine the effect of sentencing type based on the offender's employment status before sentencing.

resultsIllegal heroin users receiving a prison sentence were more than twice as likely to be unemployed 2 years later than those receiving deferred prosecution. The unemployment rate was also higher for those with observation and rehabilitation and compulsory rehabilitation than deferred prosecution in the 2 years following sentencing. Males, older users, without a job before sentencing, divorced or widowed and higher prior drug use criminal records were also higher risk of unemployment. Subgroup analysis by prior employment status revealed that being sentenced to prison, observation and rehabilitation and compulsory rehabilitation affected the subsequent employment status only for those heroin users with a job before sentencing. The strength of associations showed dose-dependent relationship between different sentencing types (sentenced to prison> compulsory rehabilitation> observation and rehabilitation) and employment outcomes.

conclusionsIllegal heroin users who receive a prison sentence have a much higher risk of unemployment than those who receive deferred prosecution after controlling potential confounders, especially those who had a job before sentencing. The implication is the stronger freedom of punishment, the higher risk of unemployment outcomes. Our study support that illegal heroin user is legally regarded as a patient before being regarded as a criminal, so giving priority to quit addition rather than imprisonment.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAge FactorsFemaleHeroin DependenceHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPrisonersSex FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsTaiwanUnemploymentYoung AdultDeferred prosecutionEmployment rateHeroin usersObservation and rehabilitation, compulsory rehabilitationPrison sentence

Identifiers

PMID33046089
PMCPMC7552449
OpenAlexW3092442126

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.