Women with opioid use disorders in the criminal justice system: A brief report - Abstract
The number of women in the criminal justice system is growing. Women represent a significant number of these opioid-abusing and dependent incarcerated individuals. Substance-abusing men and women in the criminal justice system differ in terms of their patterns of drug use, criminal history, co morbidities and psychosocial stressors. These differences may have important treatment implications. Both men and women with opioid use disorders (OUDs) in the criminal justice system (CJS) are undertreated. However, gender differences have rarely been examined in treatment outcome studies, with a paucity of treatment studies looking specifically at women with opioid use disorders. Future studies should include more women, assess for gender differences and gender-specific needs, and ultimately treatment interventions addressing their unique clinical issues should be developed and tested.