Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Original article

Vol. 154 No. 7 (2024)

The Swiss Prison Study (SWIPS): Results from a registry-based study of prisoners in Switzerland from 2015 to 2020

  • Naser Musli
  • Patrick Baumgartner
  • Marc Meier
  • Sira Thiel
  • Silvana K. Rampini
  • Edouard Battegay
  • Malcolm Kohler
  • Floris van Rooij
  • Thomas Kuratle
  • Luca Nover
  • Mo Saffarini
  • Carolin Steinack
  • Shekhar Saxena
  • Thomas Gaisl
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57187/s.3351
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2024;154:3351
Published
30.07.2024

Summary

AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate demographic characteristics of inmates in the Canton of Zurich (exposure), and investigate the changes in diseases and drug use between 2015 and 2020 (outcome).

METHODS: The study prospectively evaluated 51,989 inmates admitted to the Police Prison Zurich in Switzerland between 1 April 2015 and 31 August 2020 and who were systematically medically assessed. A total of 19,027 (37%) inmates had one or more health conditions, which the authors recorded according to the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10), in addition to demographic data (country of origin, sex, age, year of imprisonment), as well as details of any drugs used (type and dosage).

RESULTS: The 19,027 inmates with medical conditions had a mean age of 35.4±12.5 years (range 10–89) and comprised 16,489 males (87%). The inmates originated from 170 countries, including 4606 from Switzerland (24.2%), 4227 from Eastern Europe (22%) and 3432 from the Middle East & North Africa (18%). A total of 1631 inmates (9%) were enrolled in the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programme, and 672 patients (4%) received a psychiatric evaluation. The proportions of foreign prisoners did not increase during the study period. There was a significant increase in the use of antipsychotics from year 1 to 5 (y = 0.866x; R2 = 0.902; p = 0.01) and anticonvulsants from year 1 to 4 (y = 1.27x; R2 = 0.823; p = 0.01), and a significant decrease in the use of analgesics from year 2 to 5 (y = -4.42x; R2 = 0.947; p = 0.03) and antianxiety drugs from year 1 to 4 (y = -3.31x; R2 = 0.989; p = 0.005). Inmates from Switzerland were most likely to use antianxiety drugs, while inmates from the Middle East & North Africa were most likely to use antipsychotics (OR 2.09; CI 1.88–2.34) and anticonvulsants (OR 3.52; CI 2.90–4.29), whereas inmates from Latin and North America were most likely to use herbal medicine (OR 1.50; CI 1.05–2.10).

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study could help anticipate needs of prisons as well as improve treatment of disease and assist with substance use or abuse, particularly in the context of migration.

References

  1. Fair H, Walmsley R. World Prison Population List. ICPR. Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research; 2021.
  2. Baranyi G, Fazel S, Langerfeldt SD, Mundt AP. The prevalence of comorbid serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders in prison populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health. 2022;7(6):e557-e68. doi: 10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00093-7. PubMed PMID: 35660217; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC9178214. 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00093-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00093-7
  3. Baranyi G, Scholl C, Fazel S, Patel V, Priebe S, Mundt AP. Severe mental illness and substance use disorders in prisoners in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies. Lancet Glob Health. 2019;7(4):e461-e71. Epub 2019/03/19. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30539-4. PubMed PMID: 30879509; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6419715. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30539-4
  4. Crowley D, Murtagh R, Cullen W, Lambert JS, McHugh T, Van Hout MC. Hepatitis C virus infection in Irish drug users and prisoners – a scoping review. BMC Infect Dis. 2019;19(1):702. Epub 2019/08/10. doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-4218-6. PubMed PMID: 31395032; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC6686252. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-4218-6
  5. Stewart LA, Nolan A, Sapers J, Power J, Panaro L, Smith J. Chronic health conditions reported by male inmates newly admitted to Canadian federal penitentiaries. CMAJ Open. 2015;3(1):E97-E102. Epub 2015/04/07. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20140025. PubMed PMID: 25844377; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4382040. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20140025
  6. Moschetti K, Stadelmann P, Wangmo T, Holly A, Bodenmann P, Wasserfallen JB, et al. Disease profiles of detainees in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland: gender and age differences in substance abuse, mental health and chronic health conditions. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:872. Epub 2015/09/12. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2211-6. PubMed PMID: 26358116; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4566300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2211-6
  7. Wolff H, Sebo P, Haller DM, Eytan A, Niveau G, Bertrand D, et al. Health problems among detainees in Switzerland: a study using the ICPC-2 classification. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:245. Epub 2011/04/21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-245. PubMed PMID: 21504562; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC3108317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-245
  8. Klingemann HK. Drug treatment in Switzerland: harm reduction, decentralization and community response. Addiction. 1996 May;91(5):723–36. 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1996.9157238.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.1996.9157238.x
  9. Liebrenz M, Gamma A, Buadze A, Schleifer R, Baggio S, Schwartz B, et al. Fifteen years of heroin-assisted treatment in a Swiss prison-a retrospective cohort study. Harm Reduct J. 2020;17(1):67. Epub 2020/10/14. doi: 10.1186/s12954-020-00412-0. PubMed PMID: 33046103; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC7552491. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-020-00412-0
  10. Substitution-assisted treatments in case of opioid dependence: Federal Office of Public Health; 2022 [cited 2022 22/08/2022]. Available from: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/gesund-leben/sucht-und-gesundheit/suchtberatung-therapie/substitutionsgestuetzte-behandlung.html#links__content_bag_en_home_gesund-leben_sucht-und-gesundheit_suchtberatung-therapie_substitutionsgestuetzte-behandlung_jcr_content_par_tabs
  11. Bissig C, Schlapfer M, Bogdal C. NPS in Switzerland: current trends. Toxicol Anal Clin. 2019;31(4):268–74. 10.1016/j.toxac.2019.09.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxac.2019.09.002
  12. Evans-Brown M, Gallegos A, Christie R, Jorge R, De-Morais J, Planchuelo G, et al. New psychoactive substances: 25 years of early warning and response in Europe. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction; 2022.
  13. Federal Statistical Office. 2023 [14/02/2023]. Available from: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home.html
  14. Aebi MF, Cocco E, Hashimoto YZ. Probation and prisons in Europe 2022: key findings of th SPACE reports. Council of Europe and University of Lausanne; 2022.
  15. Gaisl T, Musli N, Baumgartner P, Meier M, Rampini SK, Blozik E, et al. The Swiss Prison Study (SWIPS): Protocol for Establishing a Public Health Registry of Prisoners in Switzerland. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020;9(12):e23973. Epub 2020/10/26. doi: 10.2196/23973. PubMed PMID: 33099459; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC7755536. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/23973
  16. von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Bmj. 2007;335(7624):806-8. Epub 2007/10/20. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39335.541782.AD. PubMed PMID: 17947786; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC2034723. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39335.541782.AD
  17. Austin PC, Steyerberg EW. The number of subjects per variable required in linear regression analyses. J Clin Epidemiol. 2015 Jun;68(6):627–36. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.12.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.12.014
  18. Soria ML. Las nuevas drogas psicoactivas: populares y peligrosas. Rev Esp Med Leg. 2018;44(2):64–72. 10.1016/j.reml.2017.11.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reml.2017.11.004
  19. Roy S, Charreteur R, Peries M, Kheloufi F, Eiden C, Nagot N, et al. Abuse and misuse of second-generation antipsychotics: an analysis using VigiBase, the World Health Organisation pharmacovigilance database. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Oct;88(10):4646–53. 10.1111/bcp.15420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.15420
  20. Schjerning O, Rosenzweig M, Pottegård A, Damkier P, Nielsen J. Abuse Potential of Pregabalin: A Systematic Review. CNS Drugs. 2016 Jan;30(1):9–25. 10.1007/s40263-015-0303-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-015-0303-6
  21. Dart RC, Surratt HL, Cicero TJ, Parrino MW, Severtson SG, Bucher-Bartelson B, et al. Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan;372(3):241–8. 10.1056/NEJMsa1406143 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1406143
  22. Dematteis M, Auriacombe M, D’Agnone O, Somaini L, Szerman N, Littlewood R, et al. Recommendations for buprenorphine and methadone therapy in opioid use disorder: a European consensus. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2017 Dec;18(18):1987–99. 10.1080/14656566.2017.1409722 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2017.1409722
  23. Binswanger IA, Nowels C, Corsi KF, Glanz J, Long J, Booth RE, et al. Return to drug use and overdose after release from prison: a qualitative study of risk and protective factors. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2012;7:3. Epub 2012/09/12. doi: 10.1186/1940-0640-7-3. PubMed PMID: 22966409; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC3414824. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1940-0640-7-3
  24. Degenhardt L, Mathers BM, Wirtz AL, Wolfe D, Kamarulzaman A, Carrieri MP, et al. What has been achieved in HIV prevention, treatment and care for people who inject drugs, 2010-2012? A review of the six highest burden countries. Int J Drug Policy. 2014 Jan;25(1):53–60. 10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.08.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.08.004

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 > >>