Depression, anxiety, and history of substance abuse among Norwegian inmates in preventive detention: Reasons to worry?

Henning Værøy

doi:10.1186/1471-244x-11-40

Abstract

BackgroundInmates on preventive detention are a small and select group sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment. Mood disorders and substance abuse are risk factors for inmate violence and recidivism, so the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse was examined in this cohort using psychometric tests.MethodsCompletion of self-report questionnaires was followed by face-to-face clinical interviews with 26 of the 56 male inmates on preventive detention in Norway's Ila Prison. Substance abuse histories and information about the type of psychiatric treatment received were compiled. To assess anxiety and depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Clinical Anxiety Scale (CAS), and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were used.ResultsScores on the MADRS revealed that 46.1% of inmates had symptoms of mild depression. The HADS depression subscale showed that 19.2% scored above the cut-off for depression (κ = 0.57). The CAS anxiety score was above the cut-off for 30.7% of the subjects, while 34.6% also scored above the cut-off on the HADS anxiety subscale (κ = 0.61). Almost 70% of all these inmates, and more than 80% of those convicted of sex crimes, had a history of alcohol and/or drug abuse.ConclusionsMild anxiety and depression was found frequently among inmates on preventive detention. Likewise, the majority of the inmates had a history of alcohol and drug abuse. Mood disorders and substance abuse may enhance recidivism, so rehabilitation programs should be tailored to address these problems.

Highlights

Inmates on preventive detention are a small and select group sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment
The findings reported by Kjelsberg et al [2] are of special interest because they provide the first estimate of the rates of anxiety and depression in detainees on preventive detention
Affective conditions are associated with an enhanced risk for prison violence and recidivism [9], while alcoholism is frequently found among prisoners [11]

Summary

Introduction

Inmates on preventive detention are a small and select group sentenced to an indefinite term of imprisonment. In Norway, inmates on preventive detention are a group of offenders at high risk for recommitting violent crimes. The options available to Norwegian courts of law are either a time limited or a time unlimited (indefinite) term. The latter sentence is relatively rare and is applied only in cases in which the perpetrators have committed serious violent crimes. A sentence to preventive detention indicates that the courts consider the defendant at high risk for reoffending, and an imminent threat to society. Offenders judged legally insane are sentenced to indefinite psychiatric treatment, while those considered mentally fit are sentenced to preventive detention.

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