Violence-related deaths among people released from incarceration: protocol for a systematic review

Abstract

IntroductionYoung people and adults released from incarceration have a risk of dying from violence that far exceeds that in the general population. Despite this, evidence regarding the incidence, elevated risk and predictive factors for violence-related deaths after release have not yet been synthesised. This information is important to inform the development of evidence-based approaches to effectively prevent deaths from violence in this population. This systematic review will synthesise the literature examining the crude mortality rates (CMRs), standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and predictive factors for violence-related deaths among people released from incarceration.Methods and analysisWe searched key electronic health, social science and criminology databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, CINCH, Criminal Justice Abstracts) for peer-reviewed cohort studies published in English on 14th September 2020. Our primary outcome of interest is violence-related deaths occurring in the community following release from incarceration. We will not restrict study eligibility by year of publication or age of participants. The Methodological Standard for Epidemiological Research (MASTER) scale will be used to assess the quality of included studies. If there are sufficient studies and homogeneity between studies, we will conduct meta-analyses to calculate pooled estimates of CMRs, SMRs or predictive factors for violence-related deaths. If there is a sufficient number of included studies, meta-regression will be conducted to examine the influence of subgroups and methodological factors on the CMRs, SMRs or predictive factors. If the studies do not report sufficient data, or if there is substantial heterogeneity, findings will be presented in a narrative form.Ethics and disseminationThis review is exempt from ethics approval as it will synthesise findings from published studies that have already obtained ethics approval. Our findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal article, and national and international conference and seminar presentations.Trial registration detailsThis study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020209422).

Violence-related deaths among people released from incarceration: systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

“…This is the most comprehensive review of violence-related deaths after release from incarceration to date. Our review followed best-practice reporting guidelines [17] and we specified our methods a priori [18] . We took a conservative approach by excluding studies with fewer than 20 violence-related deaths, less than 6 months of follow-up, or selected samples, which was consistent with previous literature [7] .…”

“…Our review is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines [17] . The protocol for this review has been published [18] , and is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42020209422), which was updated on 26 May 2021.…”

“…Study data are available on request to the authors. The protocol for this review has been published and is openly available [18] .…”

Mortality among people who have experienced homelessness: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Mortality that results from legal intervention (ie, where a person dies because of interactions with a law enforcement officer in the course of duty, or death in custody) will be included, consistent with the international literature. 23–25 …”