Formerly Incarcerated Students Work More Hours, Have More Severe Substance Use Disorder.
Formerly Incarcerated Students Work More Hours, Have More Severe Substance Use Disorder
A new study examined how former legal system involvement affects college students in recovery and what academic institutions can do to meet the needs of these students and ensure their success.
For formerly incarcerated adults, a college education can lead to well-paying jobs that provide stability and reduce chances of recidivism. As more than half of incarcerated adults also experience substance use disorder, research is needed to fill a dearth in knowledge about the unique challenges and needs of formerly incarcerated students in recovery while enrolled in college.
A new study led by a School of Public Health researcher fills this gap by identifying significant differences among students in collegiate recovery programs based on their level of involvement in the criminal legal system.
Published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the findings show that students who are formerly incarcerated are more likely to work more hours than students who have not been incarcerated. Students who have had some level of involvement with the criminal justice system, but not incarcerated, were more likely to experience more severe substance use disorder (SUD) than students who did not engage with this system.
College can be an overwhelming experience for anyone, but the pervasive peer pressure to drink or us e drugs presents additional challenges for students in recovery. Understanding how prior incarceration may affect students in recovery programs guide researchers by identifying necessary future research, as well as help college administrators, healthcare providers, and recovery program staff identify optimal resources these students may need for both academic and personal success.
“Our findings fill a critical research gap and provide a lens through which to address broader societal issues of mass incarceration and structural inequities within our educational systems,” says study lead and corresponding author Noel Vest, assistant professor of community health sciences. “By understanding the unique challenges faced by formerly incarcerated students in recovery, we can advocate for policies and interventions that support their successful integration into higher education, thereby disrupting cycles of incarceration and promoting equity and opportunity for all individuals, regardless of their past involvement with the legal system.”
For the study, Vest and colleagues analyzed survey data among 435 college students who participated in the National Longitudinal Collegiate Recovery Study between fall 2020 and spring 2022. The survey assessed lifetime legal system involvement (non-system involved, system involved but no incarceration, and formerly incarcerated), demographics, alcohol and drug use, academic and job success, recovery support, and overall quality of life.
Almost half of the college students surveyed in recovery had a history of involvement with the legal system, and one third had been incarcerated.
After adjusting for age and gender, there were significant differences in SUD severity and the number of hours worked per week. Students not involved in the legal system reported lower severity of SUD than students who had engaged with the system or been incarcerated. Formerly incarcerated students worked much more on average—25 hours per week—than students not involved in the system (14 hours), or those who were involved but not incarcerated (16 hours). Prior to adjusting for age, the researchers did observe that higher age was linked to increases in all substance use and recovery-related outcomes, recognizing that incarceration usually delays educational pursuit.
Greater consumption of alcohol or drugs by formerly incarcerated students matches a similar pattern among the general incarcerated population. Increased work hours among these students may reflect some of the economic consequences of incarceration, including difficulty securing higher-paying jobs and the need to supplement their income with additional work, which can affect academic success.
“To support these students, collegiate recovery programs can implement targeted interventions such as providing flexible academic schedules, offering financial aid and scholarship assistance, and connecting students to community-based recovery resources,” Vest says. “Additionally, system-impacted peer support groups and counseling services tailored to the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals can be instrumental in helping them navigate the transition to college life and maintain their recovery journey. By implementing these interventions, collegiate recovery programs can better support the academic and personal success of formerly incarcerated students, ultimately breaking the cycle of incarceration.”
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. It was coauthored by researchers at SPH, DePaul University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Washington State University, Chestnut Health Systems, and Rutgers University.