Remand Centre Research Articles

Sex work, drug use, HIV infection, and spread of sexually transmitted infections in Moscow, Russian Federation

Rates of HIV-1 infection are growing rapidly, and the epidemic of sexually transmitted infections is continuing at an alarming rate, in the Russian Federation. We did a cross-sectional study of sexually transmitted infections, HIV infection, and drug use in street youth at a juvenile detention facility, adults at homeless detention centres, and women and men at a remand centre in Moscow. 160 (79%) women at the remand centre were sex workers. 91 (51%) homeless women had syphilis. At least one bacterial sexually transmitted infection was present in 97 (58%) female juvenile detainees, 120 (64%) women at the remand centre, and 133 (75%) homeless women. HIV seroprevalence was high in women at the remand centre (n=7 [4%]), adolescent male detainees (5 [3%]), and homeless women (4 [2%]). In view of the interaction between sexually transmitted infections and HIV infection, these findings of high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections show that these disenfranchised populations have the potential to make a disproportionately high contribution to the explosive growth of the HIV epidemic unless interventions targeting these groups are implemented in the Russian Federation.

Geographical profiling of criminals.

The President: Ladies and gentlemen, this evening we are honoured to have Professor David Canter with us, who has come from Liverpool. He is the Professor of Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and has been for almost the last 10 years, not quite 10 years. He has a long and varied CV. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association and a member of the Forensic Science Society. He has a PhD from Liverpool and is a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and is one of the first psychologists to be elected as an Academician to the Academy of Social Sciences. He is interested in a number of things, but he provided expert evidence in the case of prisoners, for example, in the Risley Remand Centre charged with riot, that their actions were an understandable response to the environment and the regime. I am not quite sure what he is talking to us about tonight. His recreations are listed as clarinet and musical composition. We are honoured to have Professor David Canter to speak to us this evening. (Applause.)Professor Canter: What I quite unashamedly decided to do this evening was to talk through the theme of my new book Mapping Murder, which is available in all good book shops. (Laughter) When I was asked to give this talk about a year ago it was really quite fortunate that it coincided with the recent publication of the book, so I thought I would talk through the issues that are dealt with in the book, which grow out of the work I have done as a psychologist working with the police and then, moving on beyond that work, to carry out research work that is of relevance to police investigation.

Juvenile Drug Offenders Who Use Amphetamine Recommitted to a Remand Center: The Role of Psychiatric Morbidity

One hundred consecutive juvenile drug offenders with amphetamine use in a remand center were assessed for extent of substance use and psychiatric morbidity by a psychiatrist from 1998 to 1999. They were monitored for one year after discharge. The “risk” of being recommitted to the remand center against use of various drugs and psychiatric morbidity was determined. Amphetamine-use disorder was more prevalent in those who were recommitted than those who were not, while no significant difference was found with licit substances, psychiatric morbidity, or the number of substances used between these two groups. In view of the high dependency properties of amphetamine, early intervention is suggested to prevent reuse.

Police custody: An area of concern?

This article describes three studies on several aspects of police custody in The Netherlands. The first study shows that the quality of accommodation, facilities, interaction and differential treatment are substandard in Dutch police stations, but dependent of the organisational size, degree of specialisation of the custodial task and extensiveness of duty‐prescriptions and registration. Detention circumstances in police stations are worse than in remand centres. The second study reveals high prevalence rates of symptoms of depression and somatisation (SCL‐90) among police custody detainees. Police custody detainees' symptom levels are higher than those in a jail population and a male general population. The third study addresses the prevalence rates of suicides and other deaths in Dutch police custody in the period 1983‐1993 and shows that the mortality rate, suicide rate and deadly poisoning rate are higher than those in remand centres and the general population. The findings of the three studies demonstrate that police custody is an area of concern.

Forensic Nursing in the Prairies of Western Canada

Travel bursaries enable staff to visit centres of excellence in order to study practice that is different or innovative. This study tour enabled visitors to study the practice in Provincial Forensic Assessment Units, Remand Centres and Prisons, in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada.

The midwife advice service at Reading Remand Centre

This article describes a midwifery advice service provided for the visitors of inmates at Reading Young Offenders Institute and Remand Centre. The need for this service was identified following a Healthy Options Day at the prison in December 1995, and the observations of one of the health-care officers working with both the inmates and the visitors. The aims of the scheme were: to provide antenatal education, advice and support to the women visiting their partners in the remand centre; to provide general health education to both women and their partners, e.g. smoking, diet and avoiding infection; and to liaise with other health professions/organizations to facilitate ongoing health care. Evaluation of the scheme has been difficult. However, the feedback from the visitors, inmates and staff has been very positive and the results show that the aims are being met.

The Structure of the Canadian Sentencing System

1. Constitutional Framework In 1867 Canada was constituted as an indepen dent constitutional monarchy configured on a federal plan. Now, Canada encompasses ten provinces and two northern territories.1 The Constitution Act, 1867 divides the subjects of legislative competence between the federal and provincial legislatures. Criminal law was placed within the federal sphere and, hence, the Criminal Code of Canada applies in every jurisdiction. We have a unitary judicial system2 in which each province and territory has its own courts, including an appellate court. The Supreme Court of Canada is the final court of appeal from cases commenced in the various provincial and territorial courts. The Supreme Court exercises only limited appellate jurisdiction in sentencing matters.3 While the legal framework of sentencing is federal, Canada has a curious array of federal, provincial and territorial entities involved the implementation of sentences. For a reason which history has entrusted only to the long-since departed participants in the constitutional conferences which occurred between 1864 and 1867, the Constitution Act, 1867 gave the federal Parliament authority over penitentiaries while provincial governments are responsible for local prisons, jails, remand centers and other correctional facilities. The distinction between the two kinds of correctional institutions is

Serious suicide attempts among adolescents in custody.

The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody has focused attention on people who are held in custody in police cells, prisons, remand centres and detention centres. A series of research papers has been released by the Royal Commission which delineates some important aspects of the needs of these people. Nearly half of the deaths which occur in these custodial settings appear to be self-inflicted. Suicide seems to be particularly common among younger age groups of those in custody [1,2]. This pattern parallels suicide levels among young people in the Australian community generally, so that suicide is now a leading cause of death among young Australians [3,4].

Entering a very different world.

While Linda Humphreys was a patient in a psychiatric hospital she set fire to bedding and a tea towel and was subsequently charged with two counts of arson. At her recent trial, North Wales Hospital in Denbigh was said to be unable to take her back. Referral to Ashworth, the special hospital, was ruled out as the admission process was 'causing some delay'. She has no fixed address and the court was awaiting psychiatric reports. Magistrates said they had no option but to return her, for the sixth time, to Risley Remand Centre.

Adolescents in custody: hidden psychological morbidity?

Seventy-eight adolescents admitted to Adelaide's youth remand centre provided social data and completed the Youth Self Report (YSR) checklist. Most came from chaotic social backgrounds and were without education or family support. Nearly 40% of remanded adolescents scored above the recommended cut-off scores of the YSR, a figure four times greater than that found among adolescents living in the community. This figure was comparable with that reported by adolescents attending child psychiatric services in Adelaide.

Nigerian juvenile offenders: A case-controlled study

A case controlled study was carried out on all the 51 juvenile delinquents found in a point prevalence survey of a Nigerian Borstal Remand Centre. Mean age of the delinquents was 17.27 years ± 4.7. They were mostly from the low social class (70.6%) and the commonest reason for admission was for being beyond parental control (68.6%). Identified risk factors found for juvenile delinquency were death of Biological mother, parental marital failure, growing up with relatives rather than parents, drug abuse and ordinal position in the family. Possible cultural explanations for some of these observations were proffered. The need to improve on the living conditions of these juveniles and their assessment procedure were highlighted. Finally it is imperative that the obsolete Nigerian Children and Young Person's Laws be updated.

Predicting suicide behaviours in incarcerated settings.

Attempts to predict suicide behaviours have produced a number of useful clinical tools. Unfortunately, these have been largely designed with a specific psychiatric population or institutional setting in mind and are not easily transferred to an incarcerated setting. In 1983 the authors developed a suicide checklist which could be used to aid screening of new admissions to Remand Centres in the Province of Alberta. Studies completed to date have revealed this checklist to be a practical and reliable method of standardizing the suicide screening process. This paper presents findings from a study designed to evaluate the predictive power (discriminant validity) of the checklist. A stepwise multivariate framework is used to assess the overall ability of checklist items to discriminate a high risk group. As well, the relative importance of specific socio-demographic, clinical and historical variables is assessed. Data were collected on a cohort of consecutive admissions to the Edmonton Remand Centre during 1986. Findings reveal that marital status is the only direct statistical predictor of suicide risk. Inmates who had divorced or separated from a spouse were more likely to be active suicide risks at some time during their remand than those who were married or single. Symptom score was found to be generally predictive, however, closer assessment revealed this relationship to be heterogeneous across subgroups defined on the basis of certain criminological variables. The model which allowed for the interaction of clinical with criminological variables correctly discriminated 100% of the active suicide risks and 63% of inmates who had a prior history of suicide behaviours. The practical implications of these findings for suicide screening are discussed.

Development of a suicide screening instrument for use in a remand centre setting.

In penal settings it is important to be able to quickly discriminate which kinds of self-destructive behaviours carry a larger suicide potential and which inmates present a greater suicide risk. This paper is a preliminary report of the first phase of a suicide research project conducted at the Calgary Remand Centre, Calgary, Alberta which has entailed the development of a tool for screening potentially suicidal inmates. The Suicide Checklist was designed for use by the nursing staff of the Centre to provide a screening process which would be: (a) reliable; (b) valid (within the broad constraints and difficulties inherent in any attempt to predict dangerousness to self); (c) standardized; (d) quick and feasible to implement; and (e) a combination of clinical and past history variables. This paper identifies some of the issues which have surrounded the development of this tool and presents findings from an initial reliability study.

Incidence of vaginal Weeksella virosa (formerly group IIf).

The antimicrobial susceptibilities, biochemical properties, and cultural characteristics of six strains of Weeksella virosa (formerly group IIf) were determined. The main characteristics of this non-fermentative organism were production of cytochrome oxidase, gelatinase, and indole, but a lack of saccharolytic activity. A study was then made of the isolation rates of Weeksella virosa from high vaginal swabs from 300 women: a healthy control group (n = 100), a general group with symptoms of vaginal infection (n = 100), and 100 women from a remand centre, where likelihood of exposure to sexually transmitted disease might be expected to be higher. The incidence of Weeksella virosa was found to be 2% in the first two groups. This suggests that, irrespective of the presence of pathogens, the incidence of the species in the general female population is around 2%. A much higher incidence (15%) was found in the third group, suggesting sexual transmission of the organism.

Health checks demand for remand centres.

Medical and nursing checks on prisoners at one of Britain's biggest remand centres have been demanded after a series of suicides.

The female offender: a Canadian study.

Consecutive female admissions to the Winnipeg Remand Centre were studied and data concerning personal history, family background, psychological factors and mental health were recorded. An effort was made to determine a typical profile of female offenders and relate this to the alleged offences. Our data failed to identify what has been described by others as the "new female criminal".

Collaboration between psychiatrists and other professionals in a remand and assessment centre

A referral system used in a remand and assessment centre for behaviourally disturbed boys is described. The psychiatric input to the centre is undertaken in the context of a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of the present study was to assist non-psychiatrically trained staff to make suitable referrals to psychiatrists. This enables the psychiatrist to work with the institution as a whole, without neglecting the needs of individual boys.

Certificates of Unruly Character: a survey of a juvenile remand centre

The present survey sought to examine the factors involved in the issuing of Certificates of Unruly Character, and to comment on the effects of legislation to limit their issue. A large juvenile remand centre serving south-east England was selected as the location for the survey. The results showed that despite firm Home Office guidance irregularities in the process by which juveniles were remanded in penal custody were apparent. It is suggested that such anomalies are due to pressures on the court and the shortage of alternative facilities which legislation can only partly hope to change.

Children in Prisons and Remand Centres

Industrial and Reformatory Schools were established in the middle of the nineteenth century largely as the result of the considerable public anxiety being expressed about the numbers of children held at the time in prisons primarily concerned with the detention of adults. In the remaining years of the century as the schools gained in number and size the practice of sentencing children in this way declined steadily until by 1914‐15 there were only six actually in prison. The Children Act of 1908 by abolishing imprisonment altogether for those children aged less than fourteen, and only permitting those aged between fourteen and seventeen to be remanded with a special certificate, set the seal on these trends as well as laying the foundation for the legislation that governs the present situation.

Beese and Another v. Governor of Ashford Remand Centre and Another

The individual in international law — Extradition — Procedure — Sufficient evidence — Time-limit for production of evidence — Adjournment for further evidence — Admissibility of confession — Application of rules of evidence to foreign investigation — The law of England