Availability and Attitudes Toward Correctional Psychiatry Training: Results of a National Survey of Training Directors

Abstract

An online survey was developed and administered to estimate how often psychiatry residents train at correctional facilities and to explore the residency directors' attitudes towards this training. The survey contained two factual and eight opinion questions assessing their experiences with and attitudes toward resident training in correctional facilities, and allowed for free responses. Ninety-five people participated out of 492 for a response rate of 20%. Thirty percent of responders make a correctional rotation mandatory and another 25% offer it as an elective. Approximately one-third (36%) of responders have worked at a correctional facility themselves. Opinions towards correctional psychiatry were mostly positive with the exception of various logistical difficulties being mentioned in free responses. These provisional findings should generate interest in this area as providing more resident rotations at correctional facilities may increase access to care of this patient population and provide residents valuable training opportunities.