Description/Abstract

In the United States, over 100,000 people die from drug overdoses every year. County fiscal policies, particularly police spending and revenue generated from fines and forfeitures, not only shape the resources available for health interventions but may also influence how those resources are used to prevent overdoses. This brief highlights findings from a study that used data from the U.S. Census of Governments to examine how counties use of extractive policing practices (fines and forfeitures) as well as spending on health and policing were related to opioid overdose deaths from 2017 to 2020. Findings show that higher county-level police spending is associated with higher overdose death rates, especially in areas where extractive policing practices (revenue generation through fines and forfeitures) is prevalent.

Document Type

Research Brief

Keywords

Substance use disorders, social determinants of health, local governments, policing

Disciplines

Economic Policy | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy | Social Welfare | Substance Abuse and Addiction

Date

1-7-2025

Language

English

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Alyssa Kirk and Shannon Monnat for their edits on a previous draft of this brief.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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