Transition from prison for people with intellectual disability: A qualitative study of service professionals

People with intellectual disability are over-represented in prisons internationally (Fazel et al. 2008); in Australia, approximately nine to 10 percent of soon-to-be-released prisoners have an intellectual disability (Dias et al. 2013). Prisoners with intellectual disability often experience complex comorbid chronic physical conditions and mental health disorders (Männynsalo et al. 2009; Dias et al. 2013; Dias et al. 2014). Substance misuse among prisoners with intellectual disability is also common, both prior to and during incarceration (Hassiotis et al. 2011; Bhandari et al. 2014). Prior research has shown prisoners with intellectual disability are more likely to use certain illicit drugs (Hassiotis et al. 2011). They are also more likely to risk substance-related harm through practices such as injecting drug use and sharing needles in prison than prisoners without intellectual disability (Bhandari et al. 2014).