Prison Population Research Articles

The Impact COVID had on Carceral Institutions in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic is something that affected, and continues to affect, the entire world. In the United States specifically, it impacted the nation majorly- so many people became infected and died, and there were numerous policies implemented to slow the spread. These policies mostly took place in the general population, but in the prison population, many inmates were not protected. Inmates have five times greater risk of COVID than citizens in the general population do. Carceral institutions in the United States are already known to treat many of their inmates inhumanely, but the COVID pandemic amplified the poor living conditions of the inmates. This paper gives an overview of how prisons functioned pre-pandemic, and then it goes into how federal, state, and local carceral institutions initially responded to the start of COVID. How inmates were treated and whether or not they were prioritized in vaccine distributions is discussed, and the impact the COVID virus had on correctional staff is discussed as well. The rise of lawsuits is also briefly explored. Ultimately, there is much variation in how different jurisdictions responded to the pandemic and how they continue to respond. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2024 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]

A Survey of State Correctional Health Care Providers on Advance Care Planning: Opportunity for Collaboration With Corrections.

Prison populations are rapidly aging. Persons in prison age quicker and suffer more chronic illness and disability than their nonincarcerated peers, posing challenges to caring for prisoners who are chronically ill and dying. The goal of our study was to describe state prisons' practices and policies addressing persons in prison with advanced chronic and life limiting illness through a national web-based survey of state-level prison health care professionals. In particular, we focused on advanced care planning, use of health care directives, decision-making about goals of care, including life sustaining treatments, The response rate was 22% for a sample size 152 completed surveys. The average age of respondent was 52years; majority were female and Caucasian, and had worked in corrections more than 8years. Nearly half were registered nurses. Most reported their prison did not have a dedicated end-of-life care program and only 11% offered a peer-care program. However, two-thirds indicated their facility provided the opportunity to designate a health care agent with physicians most likely responsible for facilitating completion of a health care directive. It is evident the care of persons aging and dying in prison is complex and requires further investigation addressing staff and prison population education, ethics guidelines for care, compassionate release, and advance care planning. This study suggests that hospice and palliative care professionals could collaborate with corrections professionals and national organizations to provide innovative education and support to enhance the humane care of this vulnerable population.

Prevalence, Levels and Correlates of Intellectual Disability among Adolescents Incarcerated in a Correctional Facility in Kaduna, NorthWestern Nigeria

Background: Adolescents with intellectual disability are disproportionately represented within correctional facilities. Studies have shown that such adolescents are vulnerable to manipulation and influence including coercion into homosexual relationships, as well as to being victims of homicide compared to others. However, there are few studies on intellectual disability among adolescents in correctional facilities in Northern Nigeria. This study thus aimed to assess the prevalence, levels and correlates of intellectual disability among adolescents in a correctional facility in Kaduna, Northwestern Nigeria
 Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among all the adolescents incarcerated at the Borstal Training Institution in Kaduna, North-western Nigeria between March and June 2018 who gave informed consent/assent. Data collection was done using a sociodemographic questionnaire; Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM); Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire and Perceived parental support questionnaire.
 Results: The 93 participants aged 13 years to 19 years were all males with a mean age of 17.71 years (SD ±1.19). The majority (88.2%) were below average intellectually while 58.1% were intellectually defective. Participants with below-average IQ had experienced parental death (χ2 = 4.099, p=0.043), had mothers with less than 12 years of education (χ2 = 5.653, p=0.015) and scored lower on perceived combined parental support (t=-4.704, p=0.032), maternal (t=- 4.334, p=0.000) and paternal support (t=-3.506, p=0.001).
 Conclusions: Intellectual disabilities are prevalent among adolescents in incarceration. There is a need to put in place programs for the identification of such adolescents in our correctional facilities so that programs which minimize the disability while emphasizing the adolescents' strengths can be instituted thus probably reducing their representation in the prison population as well as enhancing the success of rehabilitation back into the society. In addition, identified correlates should be incorporated into targeted prevention strategies for vulnerable adolescents effectively and sustainably to reduce their occurrence.

DESAFIOS DA GESTÃO PRISIONAL

This article has os its theme the analysis of the several factors that hinder the management of prison houses. For this purpose, the work has as generais objective to demonstrate the difficulty of prison management and, as specific objectives, the analysis of factors such as resource management, prison population and functional staff. The applied methodology was bibliographic research, using the hypothetical-deductive approach method. The concepts listed demonstrate that managers face daily internal and external factors that greatly damage the prison system. The lack of investments in health, education and job creation contributes to the growth of crime rates and the overcrowding of establishments, making it difficult to reinsert those sentenced to social life.

Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study: Background and Methods

AbstractObjectiveThe Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study (MDPS) builds upon previous epidemiologic studies to provide estimates of prevalence and treatment rates of mental and substance use disorders among adults aged 18–65 in the U.S. The study background and methods are described.MethodThe MDPS employed novel techniques such as the inclusion of household, prison, homeless and state psychiatric hospital populations, a semi‐structured clinical interview administered by trained clinical interviewers to assess disorders, the assessment of both past year and lifetime schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) using full Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 criteria, as well as other mental and substance use disorders, and video‐based interviewing. Population specific and combined sample weights were developed to estimate nationally representative prevalence and treatment rates.ResultsData collection was conducted between October 2020 and October 2022 resulting in 5679 clinical interviews. The statistical weighting and analytic plan are described. Weighted response rates and reasons for non‐response are provided for each study population.ConclusionsThe MDPS successfully developed and employed novel techniques to estimate the prevalence and treatment rates of mental and substance use disorders in both household and non‐household populations, including some of the most impairing disorders such as SSD.

Factors associated with non-treatment for long-term illness among incarcerated individuals

PurposeThe prison population is seldom studied and often overlooked in many countries despite their vulnerability to long-term illness. This study aims to explore the factors associated with the non-treatment for long-term illnesses among incarcerated individuals.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a cross-sectional analysis. The authors conducted a secondary data analysis using information collected in the Peruvian census of incarcerated individuals. The study population consisted of incarcerated individuals diagnosed with a long-term illness. To evaluate the factors associated with non-treatment, the authors used a Poisson regression model.FindingsThe authors included 12,512 incarcerated individuals (age: 40.9 ± 13.1 years), and 39% of them did not receive treatment for their long-term illness. The authors observed that non-treatment was statistically associated with gender, age, having children, use of the Spanish language, sexual identity, judicial situation, penitentiary location, discrimination inside the penitentiary and health insurance before incarceration. However, only having children (prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.11, confidence interval [CI]95% 1.03–1.19), using the Spanish language (PR: 1.15, CI95%: 1.01–1.31), being in a penitentiary not in Lima (PR: 1.11, CI95%: 1.06–1.17) and perceiving discrimination inside the penitentiary (PR: 1.12, CI95% 1.06–1.18) increased the prevalence of non-treatment.Originality/valueIdentifying the factors associated with non-treatment will allow us to implement measures for prioritizing groups and developing strategies for the evaluation, close follow-up of their health and management of comorbidities.

Impulsive and compulsive reading comprehension in the prison population

BackgroundDevelopmental dyslexia is characterized by reading and writing deficits that persist into adulthood. Dyslexia is strongly associated with academic underachievement, as well as impulsive, compulsive, and criminal behaviors.The aims of this study were to investigate impulsive or compulsive reading comprehension, analyzing the differences in reading errors between two distinct groups —one with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and another with Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and examine their correlation with criminal behavior within a prison population.MethodsWe gathered data from 194 participants: 81 with ASPD and 113 with OCPD from a prison center. Participants took part in interviews to gather data on demographic, criminal, and behavioral data. Additionally, the participants underwent various assessments, including the International Examination for Personality Disorders; Symptom Inventory, and Battery for the Assessment of Reading Processes in Secondary and High School – Revised.ResultsOur analysis revealed differences in reading skills between the ASPD and OCPD groups. Specifically, the OCPD group showed poorer performance on lexical selection, semantic categorization, grammar structures, grammatical judgements, and expository comprehension when compared with the ASPD group. Conversely, the OCPD group obtained higher scores on narrative comprehension relative to the ASPD group.ConclusionsThe OCPD group showed slow lexical-phonological coding and phonological activation.

Self-stigma of incarceration and its impact on health and community integration.

Individuals returning to the wider community from incarceration face many re-entry barriers, including stigmatising beliefs regarding past criminal record, that have impact on health and re-entry. Understanding the development and impact of self-stigma on health can inform re-entry and rehabilitation services. The two aims of this study were first, to evaluate a previously established model of self-stigma applied to individuals who have experienced incarceration and, secondly, to study the impact of self-stigma on physical and mental health as well as community integration on re-entry. This is a cross-sectional study of 129 formerly incarcerated adults recruited using an online platform and asked to complete online rating scales about self-stigmatisation, health and sense of community integration. Repeated-measures analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and path analyses were used to evaluate the model. There was support for the four distinct stages of self-stigmatisation apparent in mental health research. There was a relationship between self-stigma harm and sense of community integration, mediated by mental but not physical health status scores. Our findings add to work on self-stigmatisation in the field of mental health by showing that the concept appears relevant and appears in similar staging among formerly incarcerated individuals and that self-stigmatisation is likely to be important for their community reintegration. Our sample was not typical of the wider prison population for race and gender distribution, in particular having fewer than expected those minority groups likely to be especially vulnerable to stigmatisation by others. Our findings nevertheless suggest that further, preferably, longitudinal research on self-stigma to enable better understanding of pathways could substantially help treatment and rehabilitation of individuals after release from a correctional facility.

The need for speed? Exploring the risks and benefits of pharmacological treatment for adult ADHD in prisons

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overrepresented in prison populations globally. Although pharmacological treatment has generally been demonstrated to be an effective tool for managing ADHD symptoms in the general population, it remains controversial in the prison context. This is primarily due to concerns about the diversion and abuse of medication. To evaluate the impact of pharmacological ADHD treatment for adults who are or have been in prison, a narrative literature review was completed and seven international studies were identified. Further research into the use of stimulant medication in prisons, particularly within the Australian context, is recommended.

Antécédents d’adversité et types d’homicide : une étude menée en Unité pour Malades Difficiles

In this article, we explore the links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the commission of certain types of homicide(s): infanticide, filicide, uxoricide, matricide, patricide, parricide, fratricide, aviolicide, double homicide, mass killings, serial murders, and so on. The patient files of 423 male perpetrators of homicide(s) hospitalized in a French secure forensic psychiatric unit between 1963 and 2020 were examined. A thematic collection grid was specially designed to reconstruct the traumatogenic trajectories of the subjects concerned, and to thereby determine the presence or absence of different forms of ACE (physical, emotional, and sexual violence, physical and emotional neglect, exposure to domestic abuse and conjugal violence, etc.). After calculating prevalence data, multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) were performed, in order to identify patterns of association linking specific ACEs to the types of homicide investigated. Projection of the results within a multidimensional space will enable us to visualize the main associations that may be established for clinical and preventive purposes. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) is then used to group individuals into distinct latent classes, based on the similarities and dissimilarities of the homicidal criminals studied. The profiles outlined are then discussed, as are the particularly high rates of ACEs found – especially in comparison with data obtained from other studies (carried out in general, prison or forensic populations). Finally, we suggest a few avenues for future research.

Prehabilitation in the prison population.

Prehabilitation in the prison population.

Sleepless behind bars: the connection between mental health, environment, and sleep among women in jail.

Given the barriers to good sleep in corrections facilities and the lack of research in this area, the current study aimed to characterize sleep quality and insomnia incidence in women in jail. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the relation of sleep to depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and trauma exposure in incarcerated women. Lastly, we examined self-reports of environmental and individual factors that impaired sleeping in this population. Participants included 176 women incarcerated in two jails in southeast Idaho. Participants were randomly selected to complete several self-report questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index, verbally administered by interviewers. A majority of participants endorsed poor sleep quality (76%) and subthreshold or higher levels of insomnia (70%). Multiple regression analyses found that depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms were both significantly related to insomnia and poor sleep quality. Excessive noise, poor bedding, and mental health were commonly cited factors that disrupted sleep. These results are consistent with previous literature that has examined these outcomes in prison populations and incarcerated populations in other countries. Correctional facilities can consider altering environmental factors that impair sleep to not only promote better overall health but also as a way to address common manifestations of poor mental health in their inmate populations. Screening for and treating mental health problems, namely depression and PTSD, is another way these facilities can improve inmate health and promote better sleep.

Psychiatric and legal considerations for ketamine treatment within prison settings.

The fundamental right to equivalence of health care in prison settings encompasses the provision of medication to address mental health conditions. Considering the increased risk for self-harm among individuals dealing with depression, the limited effectiveness of conservative antidepressants is a major challenge in psychiatry. The high prevalence of suicidal tendencies within prison populations underscores the imperative for state-of-the-art pharmacological treatment to uphold adequate health care standards. Notably, the denial of access to effective medication could be deemed a violation of human rights of people living in prison according to international treaties, domestic law, and United Nations normative standards of detention. This article presents the authors' perspective on the accessibility of ketamine treatment in prison settings, discussing psychiatric and legal considerations as well as current challenges in this context. Implementing novel psychopharmacological interventions may alleviate the distress experienced by individuals struggling with depressive symptoms and suicidality. At the same time, unprecedented treatment alternatives bring along potential issues, including limited understanding of long-term effects and the risk of abuse. Given the scarce data-availability, a pressing need exists for further research on the benefits and risks of ketamine treatment within prison populations.

Impact of philosophical workshops on the prison population: a qualitative and quantitative evaluation

ABSTRACT Background Prison creates philosophical needs due to the exceptionality of the situation. This study explores how philosophy can meet these needs by focusing on three aspects: critical thinking, personal relationships and the government of passions. It builds on similar interventions in several countries and is proposed as a research that bypasses some limitations of previous projects in prisons. Method Following the participation of 81 inmates in 22 philosophical sessions over six months, the results of both interventions were analyzed using mixed methods, as well as a pretest posttest design with a control group. Specifically, Webster’s Self Assessed Wisdom Scale, a questionnaire and an interview with four participants were used. These methods were triangulated in order to obtain data from the various methodologies and to improve the validity and reliability of the results. Results It was demonstrated that the experimental group showed significant progress in relation to the categories “openness”, “humor” and “emotion regulation”. Participants also showed a progression in categories related to the project’s goals. These results allow for a description of the categories that explain in what sense philosophy can act in the context of imprisonment. Conclusions This study demonstrates, on the one hand, how philosophy workshops involve outcomes linked to cognitive, affective and relational aspects. Furthermore, it provides evidence to confirm previous studies and interventions that are more modest in their results and use less rigorous scientific methodologies.

Causal attributions of impulsive and compulsive behaviors.

Aggression, and therefore gender-based violence, can be an impulsive or compulsive behavior, depending on the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs. In Europe, the prevalence of gender-based violence is 16 to 23%. This prevalence shows that there is a need to make further progress in the treatment of aggression against women. Qualitative techniques allow us to understand perceptions and attributions holistically by analyzing what people who commit the crime say, why they say it and how they say it. To explore the experience of physical and verbal aggression by a partner, dependent on the presence or absence of alcohol and drug use, in the prison population. A mixed methodology was used (combining qualitative and quantitative techniques). The sample was made up of 140 men divided into two focus groups [with alcohol and/or drug consumption (SAD) and without alcohol and/or drug consumption (NSAD)] who completed the Demographic, Criminal and Behavioral Interview in Penitentiary Institutions; the Gender Violence Questionnaire (both developed for this study) and the MultiCAGE CAD-4 Questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis and quantitative data were obtained using contingency tables. It was found that the SAD group attributed the crime committed to alcohol and/or drug consumption, while the NSAD group attributed it to jealousy and to their partner. The SAD group revealed that the consequence of the physical aggressions was to get what they were looking for from their partner and the consequences of the verbal aggressions was regret, unlike the NSAD group that did not get anything from the aggressions. The SAD group recognized that to avoid future aggressions they would have to avoid alcohol and/or drug use, while the NSAD group mentioned that they would have to avoid contact with their partner. The need to include perceptions and attributions as well as the use of alcohol and/or drugs is emphasized when assessing individuals who commit the crime of gender-based violence.

UTILIZAÇÃO DO TESTE RÁPIDO MOLECULAR PARA TUBERCULOSE ENTRE PESSOAS PRIVADAS DE LIBERDADE: REVISÃO DE ESCOPO

ABSTRACT Objective: to map the repercussions of using the rapid molecular test for diagnosing tuberculosis among people deprived of liberty in the scientific literature. Method: this is a scoping review following the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA for Scoping Reviews. The search was conducted using controlled and free vocabulary in the following databases: EMBASE, Scopus, MEDLINE, Cinahl, Academic Search Premier, LILACS and Web of Science, in the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and Google Scholar. The materials which answered the review question were selected by two independent reviewers based on reading the titles, abstracts and publications. All types of studies and publications were included. The extracted data was subjected to narrative synthesis and presented graphically. Results: a total of 13 among the 461 publications found were included in the review. The studies pointed out the following repercussions of using the rapid molecular test in the prison population: increase in the diagnosis of cases compared to sputum smear microscopy; reduction in diagnosis time, initiating treatment and isolation; identification of strains resistant to antibiotic therapy; reducing the prevalence and occurrence of tuberculosis; high agreement of test results with culture results; lower cost of the test when carried out in groups of samples or when screening is carried out by radiography. Conclusion: the literature indicated that the rapid molecular test is relevant for combating tuberculosis in prison units, so its use should be considered by authorities and managers as a strategic tool for controlling the disease.

Economic aspects of the effectiveness of forced labor in the Soviet camp system in the first half of the 1950s. (based on the Southern Kuzbass Corrective Labor Camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR materials).

Using the example of the Corrective Labor Camp of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, some economic aspects of the effectiveness of forced labor in the Soviet camp system in the first half of the 50s are considered. The twentieth century particular attention is paid to the issue of expenses and income of the forced labor camp. Based on archival materials from the current archive of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kemerovo Region, a list of expenses is given, as well as the amount of money spent by the state on the maintenance of the prison population and the forced labor camp as a whole. Data on the costs required to maintain the camp economy are correlated with the amount of money for which the contingent produced marketable products annually. Information is provided on the amount of financial assistance received by the forced labor camp from the state budget and from the departmental unit under the jurisdiction of which it was located. The novelty of the research lies in the appeal to unpublished archival documents of the current archive of the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kemerovo region and in local history topics that have not received widespread scientific coverage. The author comes to the conclusion that the income received from the labor activities of the prison population not only did not compensate for the costs of servicing the activities of the correctional labor camp, but also significantly exceeded them. Analysis of documentary material clearly showed that the use of forced labor was not cheap for the state, much less free. The state spent significant sums to organize camp production and maintain the prison population. The camp existed thanks to annually received government grants and subsidies.

Treating insomnia in people who are incarcerated: a feasibility study of a multicomponent treatment pathway.

Around 60% of people who are incarcerated have insomnia; 6-10 times more prevalent than the general population. Yet, there is no standardized, evidence-based approach to insomnia treatment in prison. We assessed the feasibility of a treatment pathway for insomnia in a high-secure prison to inform a future randomized controlled trial (RCT) and initial efficacy data for sleep and mental health outcomes. We used a within-participants pre-post design. The stepped-care pathway included: self-management with peer support, environmental aids, and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi). Assessment measures for insomnia, well-being, mood, anxiety, suicidality, overall health, sleepiness, fatigue, and cognitive functioning were administered at baseline and pathway exit. Feasibility criteria included eligibility to participate, CBTi uptake, and assessment completion. Forty-two adult males who are incarcerated were approached of which 95.2% were eligible. Of those deemed eligible, most participated (36/40, 90.0%). Most who completed baseline completed post-assessments (28/36, 77.8%) and of these, most showed improvements in their subjective sleep (27/28, 96.4%). Large reductions were found from pre- to posttreatment in insomnia severity (d = -1.81, 95% CI: 8.3 to 12.9) and 57.0% reported no clinically significant insomnia symptoms at post-assessment. There was no overall change in actigraphy-measured sleep. Large treatment benefits were found for depression, anxiety, well-being, and cognitive functioning, with a medium benefit on suicidal ideation. The treatment pathway for insomnia in prison was feasible and may be an effective treatment for insomnia in people who are incarcerated, with additional promising benefits for mental health. A pragmatic RCT across different prison populations is warranted. This paper is part of the Sleep and Circadian Health in the Justice System Collection.

Relações sociais e determinantes da saúde: reflexões sobre a população encarcerada à luz de Betty Neuman

Abstract Introduction: The increase in the world's prison population is recorded in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, with a 25% increase since 2000. We live in a society with power structures, in global scenarios, that are real both inside and outside prison and that place the population in a vulnerable position. Objective: To reflect on social relations in the determinants of the health of the population deprived of their liberty, in the light of Betty Neuman's theory. Methodology: Theoretical essay, with a search carried out between January and March 2022. Results: The living conditions of this population are affected not only by illness but also by social structures that determine relationships before, during and after incarceration. Conclusions: Social relations in the health determinants of the incarcerated population are impaired. Studies are limited, reiterating the need for research in the area of prison healthcare so that we can act on the different facets of the prison system's structure. Understanding social relations, their determinants of health and their influence on the incarcerated population and civil society is essential to guarantee the effectiveness of human rights, health care and resocialization, with a view to social development as a whole.

The Impact of Prison Overcrowding on Inmate Safety and Security

The Impact of Prison Overcrowding on Inmate Safety and Security