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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Dyslexia among Swedish prison inmates in relation to neuropsychology and personality.

Several investigations have reported high frequencies of reading and writing disabilities in criminal populations. The aims of the present study were to assess the frequency of dyslexia among Swedish prison inmates and to relate dyslexia to other indices of neuropsychological functions. Sixty-three prison inmates with Swedish as their native language, age 19 to 57 years, were examined by interviews, tests of academic achievement, and neuropsychological assessment. Twenty-six (41%) were diagnosed as dyslexic. As expected, the dyslexic group performed more poorly on verbal tests as compared to the normal readers among the prison inmates, but they also performed more poorly on tests measuring nonverbal abilities. The dyslexic group had higher frequencies of paranoid and avoidant personality disorders compared to the nondyslexics. They also reported higher levels of anxiety and suspicion and a lower degree of socialization. Previous studies report low IQ to be associated with criminal propensity, supporting the interpretation that a double handicap (dyslexia and low IQ) increases the risk of entering a criminal career and remaining in it.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Trauma and its sequelae in male prisoners: effects of confinement, overcrowding, and diminished services.

With explosive growth in prison populations, deteriorating conditions "inside," and a large number of mentally disordered felons, correctional mental health programs are inundated with demands for services. Based on the author's first-hand survey of state prisons, inmate responses to the harsh conditions are described and a link is suggested between childhood traumas of inmates and the traumas they experience in prison. Implications for correctional mental health services, as well as correctional policy in general, are offered.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Jaggers in the pokey: understanding tattooing in prisons and reacting rationally to it.

The legalisation of tattooing in prisons, as well as the provision of access by inmates to professional tattooists during incarceration, have remained contentious issues between custodial and health authorities in most Western prisons. This article examines the arguments of both stakeholders as well as the attitudes of inmates vis-à-vis tattooing, and suggests a multifaceted approach that takes cognisance of inmates' motivation to have prison tattoos, and (potential) public health implications of tattooing in correctional settings.

Attitude↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of mental health service utilization in the 12 months before imprisonment: analysis of results from a national prisons survey.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the self-reported history of health service utilization and help-seeking to those who are drug-dependent in the period of time prior to imprisonment. METHOD: A cross-section survey of 3142 sentenced or remand prisoners in English prisons completed private, face-to-face interviews with trained Office for National Statistics staff covering a full structured psychiatric assessment interview. Specific questions about service utilization prior to imprisonment were included, as were questions on patterns of drug use and dependence prior to imprisonment. RESULTS: Receipt of any form of help was demographically most strongly associated with being older, white and female. Women were about twice as likely as men to report having received help for mental or emotional problems. Older age was also consistently associated with greater levels of reporting having received help, for both genders but only for use of general practitioners. Being black was strongly associated with reduced likelihood of receiving help and this was maintained after adjusting for other sociodemographic variables. Opioid dependence alone or opioid dependence with stimulant dependence, psychiatric disorder alone and probable psychosis were all most predictive of service use in the 12 months prior to imprisonment. CONCLUSIONS: In the year prior to imprisonment, the majority of mental health needs of these individual prisoners were not able to access help prior to imprisonment. Future strategies should aim for better health access before, during and after imprisonment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected prisoners: reincarceration and the lack of sustained benefit after release to the community.

Responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in correctional settings and their sustained benefit in prisoners after release are currently not known. To examine the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA level (VL) and CD4 lymphocyte response to HAART during incarceration and upon reentry to the correctional system, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of longitudinally linked demographic, pharmacy, and laboratory data from the Connecticut prison system. During incarceration, the mean CD4 lymphocyte count increased by 74 lymphocytes/ mu L, and the mean VL decreased by 0.93 log10 copies/mL (P<.0001). Fifty-nine percent of the subjects achieved a VL of <400 copies/mL at the end of each incarceration period. For the 27% of subjects who were reincarcerated, the mean CD4 lymphocyte count decreased by 80 lymphocytes/ mu L, and the mean VL increased by 1.14 log10 (P<.0001). Although HAART use resulted in impressive VL and CD4 lymphocyte outcomes during the period of incarceration, recidivism to prison was high and was associated with a poor outcome. More effective community-release programs are needed for incarcerated patients with HIV disease.

Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active↗
PubMed1999

Determinants of HIV-related survival among Texas prison inmates.

Research indicates that being incarcerated adversely affects disease progression and overall health status. Because HIV infection is a growing problem among prison populations in the United States, understanding how incarceration affects HIV-related survival patterns is critical. The present study examined determinants of HIV-related survival in a cohort of 2380 Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates who were treated for HIV/AIDS, dating from January 1, 1992 and June 31, 1997. Assessment of the study factors indicated that there were no substantial violations of the assumptions of the Cox's proportional hazards (PH) model in the present study population. Furthermore, to address the potential problem of censoring-related bias, mortality information was collected on all inmates who were paroled on the basis of disease status. The present study's findings indicate that the following factors were associated with significant decreases in HIV-related survival in the TDCJ prison population: male gender, older age, self-report of no known HIV transmission risk factors, and presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Moreover, survival decreased in a monotonic fashion with decrease in baseline CD4 count. While the majority of the present study's findings were consistent with those reported for non-incarcerated populations, it will be important for investigators to assess whether these findings persist among future cohorts of prison inmates.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Cost-effectiveness of HIV counseling and testing in US prisons.

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in correctional facilities is much higher than in the general population. However, HIV prevention resources are limited, making it important to evaluate different prevention programs in prison settings. Our study presents the cost-effectiveness of offering HIV counseling and testing (CT) to soon-to-be-released inmates in US prisons. A decision model was used to estimate the costs and benefits (averted HIV cases) of HIV testing and counseling compared to no CT from a societal perspective. Model parameters were HIV prevalence among otherwise untested inmates (1%); acceptance of CT (50%); risk for HIV transmission from infected individuals (7%); risk of HIV acquisition for uninfected individuals (0.3%); and reduction of risk after counseling for those infected (25%) and uninfected (20%). Marginal costs of testing and counseling per person were used (no fixed costs). If infected, the cost was $78.17; if uninfected, it was $24.63. A lifetime treatment cost of $186,900 was used to estimate the benefits of prevented HIV infections. Sensitivity and threshold analysis were done to test the robustness of these parameters. Our baseline model shows that, compared to no CT, offering CT to 10,000 inmates detects 50 new or previously undiagnosed infections and averts 4 future cases of HIV at a cost of $125,000 to prison systems. However, this will save society over $550,000. Increase in HIV prevalence, risk of transmission, or effectiveness of counseling increased societal savings. As prevalence increases, focusing on HIV-infected inmates prevents additional future infections; however, when HIV prevalence is less than 5%, testing and counseling of both infected and uninfected inmates are important for HIV prevention.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tuberculosis screening in the federal prison system: an opportunity to treat and prevent tuberculosis in foreign-born populations.

OBJECTIVES: Despite recent success in tuberculosis (TB) control efforts in the United States, marked declines in TB case rates have not been observed in foreign-born populations. Because foreign-born populations are becoming more important for targeted national TB control efforts, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) reviewed inmate medical data to evaluate risk factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and active TB disease. To improve screening strategies, BOP implemented chest radiograph screening for all inmates entering a federal detention center in San Diego, California. METHODS: Tuberculin skin test (TST) data from an approximated intake cohort of inmates entering the system from February 1 to June 30, 1999, were analyzed to assess risk factors for M. tuberculosis infection among inmates entering federal prisons. The most recent case reports of inmates diagnosed with TB disease were reviewed. All inmates entering a San Diego detention facility from July 1 to December 31, 1998, were screened for TB by symptom review, TST, and chest radiographs. RESULTS: System-wide, foreign-born inmates were 5.9 times more likely to have a positive TST than US-born inmates, and accounted for 60% of recently diagnosed TB cases. Chest radiograph screening of all inmates entering the San Diego facility reduced exposure time to active TB cases by 75%, but TB incidence remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of M. tuberculosis infection and TB disease among foreign-born inmates entering the federal prison system presents a strategic opportunity to provide preventive therapy to a high-risk population and to identify contagious cases that might elude traditional public health efforts. Universal chest radiograph screening was no more sensitive than TST for detecting active TB cases among newly incarcerated foreign-born inmates with a high prevalence of TB infection, but the screening reduced potential TB exposures through rapid identification of contagious cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Lessons learned about working with men: a prison memoir.

From the very beginning of my career as a social worker, I have believed that the fullest and most effective use of self requires an integration of personal, professional, and spiritual-political values and beliefs into a framework that respects their dialectical tensions while striving for wholeness. In this very personal memoir, I tell of such a period in my life. The setting is a maximum-security prison. I learned about mutuality, transparence, risk taking, openness, and vulnerability from men in the prison: inmates, the warden, and other prison staff. The lessons I learned have served as ground and guide for my subsequent psychotherapy practice with men, my own relational growth, and my commitment to the struggle for gender equality and social justice.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Adolescent detainees in an adult prison in Geneva.

UNLABELLED: Despite the Convention on the Rights of the Child, some adolescents are still detained in adult prisons in Europe. Little is known about their health status. This cross-sectional study of 67 teenagers detained in an adult prison in Switzerland shows that morbidity in this group is high. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the need for developmentally appropriate health services for teenagers in adult prisons. The long-term implications of detention of adolescents in adult detention facilities also need to be discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Mentally abnormal prisoners on remand: II--Comparison of services provided by Oxford and Wessex regions.

Most regional health authorities have or plan to have secure units for treating mentally abnormal offenders. A retrospective study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of the health care services for men remanded to Winchester prison from Oxford and Wessex regions over the five years 1979-83. Thirty seven (30%) of 124 prisoners from Oxford region were rejected for treatment compared with 36 (16%) of the 220 men from Wessex region. Men from Oxford region were significantly more likely to be recommended for admission to a special hospital than those from Wessex (13/124 (10%) v 9/220 (4%), respectively) and significantly less likely to be recommended for admission to a hospital in the catchment area (35/124 (28%) v 94/220 (43%)). Men on remand from Oxford region were significantly more often perceived as being disruptive or aggressive by hospital staff and more likely to be labelled as having psychopathic or personality disorders. These differences may have reflected different attitudes towards mentally abnormal offenders and the allowances in the services available in the two regions; in particular, Oxford region did not have a secure unit or a forensic psychiatrist. If mentally ill prisoners do not receive the treatment that they need they run the risk of being criminalised. Most such men are best treated in general psychiatric units; only a few require secure conditions and staff with specialised psychiatric skills.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1976

Medical practice: defendants and prisoners.

It is argued in this paper that a doctor cannot serve two masters. The work of the prison medical officer is examined and it is shown that his dual allegiance to the state and to those individuals who are under his care results in activities which largely favour the former. The World Health Organisation prescribes a system of health ethics which indicates, in qualitative terms, the responsibility of each state for health provisions. In contrast, the World Medical Association acts as both promulgator and guardian of a code of medical ethics which determines the responsibilities of the doctor to his patient. In the historical sense medical practitioners have always emphasized the sanctity of the relationship with their patients and the doctor's role as an expert witness is shown to have centered around this bond. The development of medical services in prisons has focused more on the partnership between doctor and institution. Imprisonment in itself could be seen as prejudicial to health as are disciplinary methods which are more obviously detrimental. The involvement of medical practitioners in such procedures is discussed in the light of their role as the prisoner's personal physician.

Codes of Ethics↗
PubMed2004

A working theology of prison ministry.

Drawing upon experiences as a prison chaplain and a state director of prison chaplaincy services, the author proposes a working theology of prison ministry. Such a theology begins with an understanding of the inherent worth of humankind as created by God in God's own image, addresses the question of hope, embodies the incarnate presence of God by being present with people in their alienation, enables the giving and receiving of forgiveness, deals with issues of power and control, and respects the diverse paths that humans take in their walk toward and with God.

Anomie↗
PubMed1990

Prison suicide in England and Wales, 1972-87.

The case notes of 295 suicides (98.3% of the total) in prisons in England and Wales between 1972 and 1987 were studied. This period has witnessed an increase in the suicide rate far in excess of the rate of rise in the prison population. The most common method of suicide was by hanging, usually at night. There was a frequent past history of psychiatric treatment and self-injury. People charged or convicted of violent or sexual offences were over-represented, as were those serving life sentences. There was an association between suicide and both guilt for the offence and being charged or convicted of a homicide offence. Some suicides occurred many years after reception into prison. Routine enquiry about previous suicide attempts must be implemented, along with better, ongoing, active communication between staff and inmates.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

International prisoner health care: how nurses can do more.

This short article provides a summary account of the authors' recent visit to an international prisoner healthcare conference in Estonia, where there were a number of medical model presentations. The authors have explored the nursing contribution to prisoners' health care and have offered some examples of where this good practice is evident in England. The article highlights the value of nursing initiatives and how this should be given greater emphasis within international prisoner health care in the future.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed2000

Taxonomic anxieties: Axis I and Axis II in prison.

This essay describes the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatry in the prison setting. The distinction between the Axis I disorders (major mental illness) and those designated Axis II (character disorders) is explored in terms of the professional division of labor in prison and the problems posed for prison discipline by "behaviorally disturbed" inmates. Conflicts over diagnosis are placed in ethnographic and historical perspective and form the basis for a discussion of the problematic relationship between disciplinary space and issues of subjection and agency.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Pathological effects of the supermaximum prison.

The drawings of Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli, a prisoner confined in a Pennsylvania "close-security" or "supermaximum" prison, tell a story--one that graphically portrays the devastating effects of a prison on the mental health of its inmates.

Anger↗
PubMed2003

Male prisoners and HIV prevention: a call for action ignored.

US prison inmates are disproportionately indigent young men of color. These individuals are severely affected by HIV/AIDS, largely owing to the high-risk behavior that they engage in prior to incarceration. Researchers and practitioners have issued a call for the importance of offering HIV prevention services in prison settings. However, this call has largely been ignored. In this article, we outline reasons why these recommendations have been largely ignored, discuss innovative HIV prevention programs that are currently being implemented in prison settings, and offer recommendations for securing support for HIV prevention services in correctional settings.

Adult↗