TY - JOUR
T1 - Police violence among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland
AU - Park, Ju Nyeong
AU - Linton, Sabriya L.
AU - Sherman, Susan G.
AU - German, Danielle
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge Colin Flynn at the Maryland Department of Health and the contributions of community members and project staff. This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via a cooperative agreement with the Maryland Department of Health. The authors’ views do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maryland Department of Health or the U.S. government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2019/2
Y1 - 2019/2
N2 - Background: Police violence is a deleterious public health and criminal justice issue that disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies documenting the prevalence and correlates of physical police violence in this population are rare. The aim of this study was to examine the correlates of past year physical police violence among an urban sample of PWID. Methods: PWID participating in the 2015 wave of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system in Baltimore City, Maryland, completed a socio-behavioral survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to detect the socio-demographic, place-based, law-enforcement and health behavior correlates of exposure to police violence as well as knowledge of violence directed towards other PWID. Results: Enrolled PWID (N = 570) were mostly male (72%), non-Hispanic Black (77%) and daily heroin injectors (86%). Seven percent had experienced past year physical police violence (Respondent-Driven Sampling [RDS] weighted estimate: 4%), and a quarter (24%) knew someone who had experienced physical police violence in the past year (RDS-weighted estimate: 17%). Male gender, homelessness, arrest, drug paraphernalia confiscation, and receptive syringe sharing were independently associated with police violence. Knowing someone who had experienced police violence was independently correlated with selling drugs, arrest, and attending a syringe services program. Conclusion: Population differences in the extent of police violence exposure indicate that experiences of police violence are not uniform among PWID. Violent encounters with police were associated with disruptions in harm reduction strategies that can prevent HIV and HCV transmission. This study adds to the small body of public health literature on police violence and highlights the importance of monitoring and addressing this critical issue.
AB - Background: Police violence is a deleterious public health and criminal justice issue that disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies documenting the prevalence and correlates of physical police violence in this population are rare. The aim of this study was to examine the correlates of past year physical police violence among an urban sample of PWID. Methods: PWID participating in the 2015 wave of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system in Baltimore City, Maryland, completed a socio-behavioral survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to detect the socio-demographic, place-based, law-enforcement and health behavior correlates of exposure to police violence as well as knowledge of violence directed towards other PWID. Results: Enrolled PWID (N = 570) were mostly male (72%), non-Hispanic Black (77%) and daily heroin injectors (86%). Seven percent had experienced past year physical police violence (Respondent-Driven Sampling [RDS] weighted estimate: 4%), and a quarter (24%) knew someone who had experienced physical police violence in the past year (RDS-weighted estimate: 17%). Male gender, homelessness, arrest, drug paraphernalia confiscation, and receptive syringe sharing were independently associated with police violence. Knowing someone who had experienced police violence was independently correlated with selling drugs, arrest, and attending a syringe services program. Conclusion: Population differences in the extent of police violence exposure indicate that experiences of police violence are not uniform among PWID. Violent encounters with police were associated with disruptions in harm reduction strategies that can prevent HIV and HCV transmission. This study adds to the small body of public health literature on police violence and highlights the importance of monitoring and addressing this critical issue.
KW - Addiction
KW - Law enforcement
KW - Substance use
KW - Trauma
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U2 - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.12.005
DO - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.12.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 30579221
AN - SCOPUS:85058562664
SN - 0955-3959
VL - 64
SP - 54
EP - 61
JO - International Journal of Drug Policy
JF - International Journal of Drug Policy
ER -