People get in trouble with the law because of drug abuse, and find themselves behind bars. It's what happens after they're released that interested researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
They recently published research that shows nearly half (42%) of people who used drugs in rural areas across the country had recently been incarcerated. Oregon was part of the sample, which included ten states. To lead researcher Dan Hoover, this indicates that people could be helped by a greater availability of drug treatment programs while in lockup.
Hoover, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at OHSU, visits with further details of the findings.