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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Black English in a Mississippi prison population.

Nine linguistic features unique to Black English were examined in the speech of 87 Black and 77 White inmates of a Mississippi prison population. The purpose of the study was to determine whether Black inmates could be distinguished from White inmates by their use of the present progressive, final stops, distributive be, remote aspect been, noun plurals, third person singular present tense, possessives, consonant clusters, and the copula. Results showed that use of eight of the nine features accurately predicted the ethnicity of the subjects. Only remote aspect been failed to identify ethnic differences. Identification of dialect variation among minority populations and more specifically among prison populations is an important step toward providing effective remediation programs.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Longitudinal study on the prevalence of benzodiazepine (mis)use in a prison: importance of the analytical strategy.

AIMS: This study evaluates the suitability of gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis to follow-up the extent of benzodiazepine (mis)use in a Belgian prison population and compares it to other analytical strategies (e.g. screening followed by confirmation of the positive samples). DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: From February to August 1998, 598 persons were jailed of which 188 (31.4% of the incoming detainees) volunteered to be screened. Urine samples (530 in total) were collected on the day of arrival and after 14, 30 and 90 days of imprisonment. MEASUREMENTS: All samples were screened by EMIT(R) for benzodiazepines and analysed subsequently by GC-MS. FINDINGS: EMIT(R) screening yielded 117 (22.1%) positive samples, a number which increased to 174 (32.8%) after GC-MS analysis. Of these 174 GC-MS positive samples, 119 (68.4%) contained one benzodiazepine while for the remaining samples multiple benzodiazepine (mis)use could be demonstrated. A significant increase in benzodiazepine (mis)use was indicated only from day 0 to day 14 based on the GC-MS results but not on the immunoassay results, even when the latter were complemented with GC-MS analysis of the positively screened samples. The GC-MS data also demonstrated that benzodiazepines are mainly (mis)used by subjects on benzodiazepine prescription as almost 50% of these subjects took additional non-prescribed benzodiazepines. During GC-MS analysis other drugs were co-extracted unintentionally and chromatographed and 23.9% of the volunteers were positive for illegal drugs on the day of arrival. CONCLUSION: Immunoassay results yield an underestimation of the problem of benzodiazepine (mis)use in prison due to the high false negative rate. GC-MS analysis of all samples therefore is the recommended strategy for this type of longitudinal study as it yields more correct and detailed information than the immunoassay results.

Belgium↗
PubMed1998

Admission trends to a special hospital: court diversion and prison transfers.

This paper reviews the literature regarding the diversion of mentally disordered offenders from the criminal justice system to the mental health services, with a specific focus on the high security psychiatric special hospitals. The traditional sources of admission to these institutions have been predominantly courts and prisons, with the majority of patients being admitted via the former route. This study reports on the admissions to a special hospital over a 20-year period, and shows that over the previous decade there has been a reversal in this trend, with the number of patients transferred from prison being greater than that via any other route. The factors that may have contributed to this reversal are discussed and conclusions are drawn as to the external and internal forensic factors that may influence the court's decision in the referral process.

England↗
PubMed2001

[Did suicidal behavior have relevance for prison suicide?].

OBJECTIVE: Suicides in correctional institutions occur more frequently than in the general population. Inmate suicide rates have been increasing in many countries during the last decades, possibly reflecting a selection of highly endangered individuals with a high prevalence of mental disorders. This study investigates all suicides in all correctional institutions of Austria during the last 25 years. METHODS: All available personal files of inmates who had committed suicide in the 29 Austrian prisons between January 1st, 1975, and December 31st, 1999, were analysed. Beside personal characteristics and circumstances of custody, information concerning psychiatric disorders and the inmate's history of suicidal behavior was included. RESULTS: 220 personal files of 250 suicides were available and included. Half of all suicides had a history of attempted suicide and 37 % had expressed suicidality. Referral to psychiatric consultants was known in 48.6 % and about 37 % received psychopharmacological treatment. Based on these frequent signs of psychiatric illness and vulnerability, possible implications of these results for psychiatric services of the correctional system to improve suicide prevention are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Obvious signs of suicidality play an important role in vulnerability profiles for jail and prison suicides. Any signs of suicidality (st. p. attempted suicide, verbal suicide threat, self-harm) should have the consequence of further psychiatric care.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Psychiatric comorbidity in risk groups of opioid addiction: a comparison between opioid dependent and non-opioid dependent prisoners (in jail due to the German narcotics law)].

Individuals who do not develop opioid dependence although they have access to opioids might differ with regard to psychiatric risk factors from opioid-exposed subjects who developed opioid dependence. To test this assumption, the present investigation compared individuals who were in jail due to the German "Dangerous Drugs Act" (i. e. particular risk group due to facilitated opioid availability) according to presence or absence of opioid dependence and psychiatric comorbidity in each group. This study design is in line with the assumption that in addition to the (postulated) environmental risk factor of facilitated availability of opioids, psychiatric risk factors enhance the likelihood for the development of opioid dependence. Opioid addicts represent a risk group, not only for other forms of substance dependence, but also psychiatric disorders like anxiety disorders, suicide attempts and specific forms of personality disorders. However the difference between opioid dependent subjects and non-opioid dependent controls was less marked than initially postulated. Alcoholism of non-opioid dependent prisoners also was associated with depressive episodes, anxiety disorders as well as cocaine dependence. Despite the high frequency of life-time psychiatric comorbidity in the opioid dependent sample, this increased comorbidity was not paralleled by psychiatric treatment. In general, the sample of prisoners investigated here, was characterized by a high frequency of psychiatric disorders including substance dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Drug addiction in young prison inmates with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)].

Prospective studies of children with ADHD have shown a high level of substance use disorder comorbidity, particularly when associated with social maladaptation and antisocial behavior. Conversely, studies of drug abusing participants and delinquents revealed a high prevalence of ADHD comorbidity. In this study 129 young male prison inmates were systematically examined for ADHD and substance use disorders. 64,3 % showed harmful alcohol consumption. 67,4 % fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for any drug abuse or dependence. 28,8 % of these participants were diagnosed with ADHD, combined type, other 52,1 % showed ADHD residual type. Opioid dependence was more common in delinquents without ADHD. Addicted delinquents with ADHD showed worse social environment and a higher degree of psychopathology, including externalizing and internalizing behavior, compared to addicted delinquents without ADHD. Neuroticism and conscientiousness ratings of the addicted ADHD group, but not of those without ADHD, differed from non-addicted delinquents. The results underline the need of adequate therapeutic programs for addicted young prison inmates considering ADHD comorbidity, which is associated with additional psychopathology and social problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Neuropsychological outcomes of traumatic brain injury and substance abuse in a New Zealand prison population.

Fifty subjects with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or substance use, completed neuropsychological measures of short and long term verbal and visual memory, information processing, motor speed and co-ordination, executive functioning, and malingering. All subjects performed below norms on tests of verbal memory and verbal abstract thinking, but overall no differences were found due to either severity of TBI or level of substance use. Maori subjects obtained the lowest scores on tests of verbal ability, but also reported higher rates of TBI and substance use, which is presumed to account for this result. In conclusion, prison populations seem to have disproportionately high rates of TBI, recurrent TBI, and substance use, compared to the general population. Further, there are a group of individuals who have experienced both TBI and substance abuse, with associated impairments in verbal memory and learning, abstract thinking, and who report problems with general memory and socialization. These difficulties may affect functioning both in prison and following release.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Dying in prison: sociocultural and psychosocial dynamics.

In January 1988, an inmate-staffed hospice volunteer program began operation at a federal correctional medical facility, with the goal of meeting the unique psychosocial, palliative, and spiritual needs of terminally ill prisoners, primarily men with AIDS and cancer. This paper discusses sociocultural and psychosocial characteristics of the incarcerated patients and the prison hospital setting. It presents a number of case examples. Particular attention is given to the effect that an environment of intensified anger, hostility, distrust, and despair has on the coping mechanisms of terminally ill, incarcerated patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2004

Finding boundaries inside prison walls: case study of a terminally ill inmate.

The number of terminally ill prison inmates rises each year. Mental health professionals are uniquely prepared to provide therapy during the end-of-life process with their assessment, training, empathy, and communication skills. This case study examines the six-month therapy of one terminally ill inmate, using a client-centered approach. Drawing from existential therapy, the review of meaningful life events in the client's life clarifies current goals and the value of the current final stage of life. Ethical issues that arose are discussed, including pain management and compassionate release. Creative solutions to these ethical dilemmas were implemented through consideration of the overt and underlying goals of the inmate, the necessary rules and protocols of the prison, and in conjunction with professional codes of ethics.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed2001

Ganser syndrome after solitary confinement in prison: a short review and a case report.

A short review of the Ganser syndrome is given. The condition is a rare, probably dissociative, disorder with transient Vorbeireden as the central symptom. The case of a middle-aged man developing a transient Ganser syndrome after long-term solitary confinement in a remand prison is presented. Systematic investigation of 268 remand prisoners confirms the rarity of the syndrome, as only the case subject had this disorder.

Attention↗
PubMed2006

Factors that affect the quality of life of prison inmates on antiretroviral treatment.

Quality of life (QoL) is one of the most commonly used self-assessment outcome measures in chronic disease. The prison environment has specific characteristics that may affect antiretroviral treatment and adherence in HIV-positive patients. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to analyse the association between several factors and QoL in inmates on antiretroviral treatment in three Andalusian prisons. A total of 160 patients on antiretroviral treatment was enrolled. QoL was measured by means of the MOS-HIV. Of the sample, 88% were men and, of these, 53.8% were considered adherent to treatment. In the multivariate analysis, inmates who were considered adherent, who had a higher educational level, who did not receive food supplements and who were prescribed a greater number of pills were found to have a better physical and mental QoL. Likewise, those who felt unable or scarcely able to continue the treatment and who had been drug abusers for a longer time presented a lower physical QoL. Regarding mental QoL, those without a fixed abode, with difficulties in treatment or chronic disease had lower scores.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Expired carbon monoxide levels in self-reported smokers and nonsmokers in prison.

Breath carbon monoxide (CO) is a convenient, widely used method for abstinence validation, with cutoffs of 8-10 ppm commonly employed. The goal of the present study was to determine an appropriate CO cutoff to differentiate nonsmokers and smokers within a large sample (N = 374) of female prisoners incarcerated at a correctional facility in Virginia. Mean age of the population was 34.5 years, 49.2% were White, and 29% had less than a high school education. Smoking prevalence was 74.1% within the prison population. Examination of CO levels versus smoking self-report using a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that a CO cutoff of 3 ppm resulted in the best sensitivity (98.1%) and specificity (95.8%). Overall ROC area under the curve was 99% (95% CI = 98.2%-99.9%). This same cutoff was optimal for smoking subgroups including Black and light (<10 cigarettes/day) smokers. Results suggest that CO cutoffs higher than 3 ppm may misclassify some smokers as nonsmokers and underestimate the prevalence of smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Immunologic predictors of HIV-related survival among Texas prison inmates.

Research indicates that being incarcerated adversely affects overall health status. Because HIV-infection is a growing problem among the U.S. prison population, understanding how incarceration affects HIV-related survival holds particular clinical and public health relevance. Moreover, while the prognostic roles of CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte count have been well documented in noninstitutionalized populations, little is known about how these factors operate to predict survival among prison populations. The present study examined immunologic determinants of HIV-related survival in a cohort of 752 Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) inmates who were treated for HIV/AIDS between 1993 and 1996 at a large south-western medical center. Survival analysis using proportional hazards modeling showed that: (1) the prognostic role of CD4 count among inmates was similar to previous findings among non-incarcerated populations; (2) the prognostic role of CD8 count was slightly weaker than that previously reported for non-incarcerated populations; and (3) inmates who exhibited high levels of both CD4 and CD8 count had a survival advantage over those who had a high score on only one of the two factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Changing patterns of infections in patients with AIDS: a study of 279 autopsies of prison inmates and nonincarcerated patients at a university hospital in eastern Texas, 1984-1993.

Reports on autopsies of 279 persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were reviewed retrospectively to determine changes in survival rates and infections and to identify differences between prison inmates and nonincarcerated patients. The 78 cases from 1984 through 1988 were compared with 201 from 1989 through 1993, on the basis of use of antiretroviral therapy and (after 1988) prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). Risk factors for HIV infection were homosexuality/bisexuality (30%), injection drug use (IDU; 22%), transfusion (5%), heterosexual contact (4%), and combinations of the above or unknown factors (38%); 95% of patients were males and 41% were state prison inmates in Texas. IDU was more common and homosexuality/ bisexuality was less common among inmates than among nonincarcerated patients. Mean survival time was 12 months in the first period studied and 23 months in the later period (P < .05). Cytomegalovirus infection was the most common type in both periods. The number of cases of PCP declined and the number of cases of bacterial infections increased significantly in the later period. Tuberculosis was significantly more common in inmates than in nonincarcerated patients. Tuberculosis and disseminated histoplasmosis (noted at autopsy) and deaths due to disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex and histoplasmosis were significantly more common among injection drug users than among homosexuals/bisexuals. Invasive candidiasis was more common in homosexuals/ bisexuals and in those who survived > 3 years. Antiretroviral therapy, prophylaxis for PCP, and risk factors for HIV infection appear to influence the mortality rate and prevalence of certain infections found at autopsy.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2006

Extreme cause-specific mortality in a cohort of adult prisoners--1988 to 2002: a data-linkage study.

OBJECTIVES: Describe the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and its trend in adults who have served time in prison. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of 85,203 adults imprisoned in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2002. METHODS: We obtained information on deaths by record linkage with the Australian National Death Index (NDI). Mortality rates were estimated using the person-time method. SMRs were calculated using sex, age, and calendar-specific death rates from the NSW population. Time trends in SMRs were assessed using the test for linear trends. RESULTS: The median overall follow-up of the cohort was 7.7 years. We identified 5137 deaths (4714 men, 423 women) among the cohort of which the vast majority (4834, 94%) occurred following release from custody. All-cause SMR was 3.7 (95% CI: 3.6-3.8) in men and 7.8 (95% CI: 7.1-8.5) in women. SMRs were substantially raised for deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders (men: 13.2, 95% CI: 12.3-14.0; women: 62.8, 95% CI: 52.7-74.9) and drug-related deaths (men: 12.8, 95% CI: 12.2-13.5; women: 50.3, 95% CI: 43.7-57.8). The SMR for death by homicide was 10.2 (95% CI: 8.9-11.7) in men and 26.3 (95% CI: 17.8-39.0) in women. Aboriginal men were 4.8 times, and Aboriginal women 12.6 times, more likely to die than the general NSW population. Over the study period on average all-cause SMR decreased significantly in men (p = 0.003) and women (p = 0.05) largely due to the decline in SMRs for drug-related deaths and suicide. CONCLUSION: In the largest study so far reported, mortality of male and female offenders was far greater than expected for all major causes, especially deaths caused by drug overdose. Despite some indication of a reduction in excess mortality in recent years, there remains an overwhelming need for enhanced responses to mental health and drug problems for people who have been in prison.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Prolonged incubation period of AIDS in intravenous drug abusers: epidemiological evidence in prison inmates.

Fourteen heterosexual inmates who developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) while incarcerated in New York state prisons were studied. All 14 had regularly used illicit drugs intravenously in New York City prior to imprisonment. Leukocyte counts on admission to the state prison system--when all of these inmates were well--were depressed by one-third when compared with those in matched intravenous drug-using inmates used as controls (mean leukocyte counts, 4,430 vs. 6,320 cells/mm3, respectively; P less than .005); twelve (86%) of the 14 inmates who developed AIDS had counts of less than 5,000 cells/mm3, compared with only six (14%) of the 42 controls (P less than .00001). The 14 inmates developed AIDS symptoms a mean of 22.6 +/- 9.6 months after imprisonment. We conclude that leukopenia is frequently to be found in presymptomatic AIDS infection and that the minimum mean incubation period of AIDS in intravenous-drug abusers is quite prolonged.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Hearing loss in prison inmates.

The incidence of hearing disorders in 34 State Penitentiary prison inmates all with a previous history of drug abuse were investigated. Subjects were evaluated using routine pure-tone air conduction audiometry, immittance measures, and short-latency auditory brain stem responses. Of the 34 inmates, 20 (58.8%) demonstrated normal bilateral peripheral hearing sensitivity, whereas 10 (29.4%) inmates presented with some degree of hearing impairment. In addition, the conflicting results of elevated pure-tone thresholds with normal immittance measures and normal ABR findings suggested that four (11.8%) subjects exhibited functional hearing loss. The results of this study support the reported high incidence of hearing loss in the prison population. The synergistic effects of drug abuse, noise exposure, and head trauma as possible contributing factors are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Epidemiological studies of female prisoners. IV. Homosexual behavior.

The existence of homosexual behavior in female offenders is investigated not only as an adaptive process but as an established behavior existing prior to detention. Ninety-five prisoners from the Framingham Institution for Women were included: 26 were self-reported homosexuals, 42 were considered homosexuals by prision staff, and 27 were nonhomosexuals. Suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, psychiatric problems during menstruation, and a history of violent crimes against persons were characteristic of the homosexual group, whereas a history of crimes against self and property as well as history of alcoholism were common in the nonhomosexual group. Violet behavior together with suicidal attempts in homosexual female prisoners support the hypothesis that aggressive impulses may be expressed either externally or toward the self, the problem being one of impairment in control mechanisms. The findings also suppor the idea that violent behavior, as shown by this group of incarcerated homosexual females, is multidetermined. The factors that influence its appearance and expression could include a history of family violence, impulse control as children, neurological abnormality, sex role identification problems, biochemical abnormalities (manifested as menstrual irregularities), and impulse control problems as adults. A better understanding of human violence must be based on the recognition of the multidimensional nature of the problem using the tools and insights from many disciplines.

Adaptation, Psychological↗