Post-prison mortality: Unnatural death among people released from Victorian prisons between January 1990 and December 1999

The extent and nature of unnatural death among people who were released from Victorian prisons between January 1990 and December 1999 were examined. A total of 820 men and women released during that period were identified as having died unnatural deaths while not imprisoned prior to July 2000. The rate of unnatural deaths among Victorian ex-prisoners was double the 1996/1997 Victorian rate of deaths in prison custody. The unnatural death rate of ex-prisoners was 10 times that found in the general Victorian population. Risk of unnatural death was greatest during the weeks immediately following release and greater among those who had previous imprisonments. Over half of the unnatural deaths were heroin-related deaths. Ex-prisoner heroin-related deaths accounted for at least 25% of all the Victorian heroin-related deaths.