33% of ex-prisoners’ drug deaths occur within week of release

ALMOST a third of prisoners who die from drugs after being released from jail die within a week.

Research shows nearly half of this group die within a month including eight out of 10 who are on temporary, or early, release.

The report from the Health Research Board (HRB) comes as separate figures show almost 1,000 convicted criminals are on temporary release as the prison overcrowding crisis deepens.