Sample Of Prisoners Research Articles

Variants of psychopathy in Chinese male offenders: A latent profile analysis in a large prison sample

The current study aimed to identify meaningful subtypes of psychopathic traits among male offenders. A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) based on the scores of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale was performed in a large sample of Chinese male prisoners (N = 3375, M age = 36.03, SD = 9.50). Results of the LPA revealed the existence of four profiles: “moderate psychopathy group” (59.5%); “low psychopathy group” (19.5%); “high psychopathy-moderate callousness group” (14.7%); and “low psychopathy-high callousness group” (6.3%). Using the modified Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) and categorical distal variable (DCAT) methods, we found that these profiles differed on multiple outcome variables including risk for recidivism, anxiety, depression, reactive aggression and proactive aggression. Overall, findings indicate that the variants of psychopathy found in western incarcerated populations could largely be generalized to the non-western populations, and for the first time suggest that a special profile with low total psychopathy but high callousness traits might exist among male offenders.

Culture in prison, culture on the street: the convergence between the convict code and code of the street

ABSTRACT The convict code guides behaviors, beliefs, and interactions of incarcerated people by encouraging them to mind their own business, never back down, keep to themselves, and not get too close with correctional officers. Within communities, a similar subculture exists, termed the code of the street, which values respect, toughness, autonomy, and anti-police sentiments. Despite the overlap in their themes, these cultures have been theorized and analyzed independently. Yet, with 600,000 people entering and leaving prisons annually, it is possible that these seemingly distinct cultures blend together through the transition of people into and out of prison, raising theoretical and empirical questions about their independence. We examine the overlap between the convict code and code of the street in a representative sample of prisoners. Our results indicate that the code of the street and convict code are moderately correlated (r = 0.368 to r = 0.591), although the code of the street indicator overlaps mainly with the convict code dimension for masculinity. A sizeable group (47%) of individuals held converging beliefs regarding these two constructs. Convergence was explained primarily by years in prison, prison misconduct, gang membership, and neighborhood quality. Implications for an integrated model of culture are discussed.

Elaborating on the construct validity of the antisocial process screening device in Chinese children and adolescents: Across-informants and across-samples

The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) is a widely used measure to assess psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior in youth, although controversy exists with respect to its factor structure. The aim of the current study was to further examine the factor structure and construct validity of the APSD using data from multiple informants (i.e., parent-report and self-report) and varied samples: community adolescents (N = 1073), male prisoners (N = 613), and schoolchildren (N = 473). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the existing factor structures (i.e., two-factor, three-factor, and four-factor models) did not yield adequate fit in any of the three samples. Exploratory structural equation modeling approach did not yield a consistent solution among samples, either. The APSD total scores showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and mean item correlations (MIC), while the subscale scores showed low to moderate consistency and MICs. The convergent and criteria validity of both the APSD total and factor scores were supported, exhibiting the expected correlations with other measures of psychopathy and aggressive behavior (r ranging from −.01 to .62 for adolescent sample; from −.16 to .69 for prisoner sample; and from −.05 to .70 for children sample). These findings suggest that the APSD total score is a reasonable measure of psychopathy in the Chinese youth population, although the use of APSD factor scores should be avoided in future studies with Chinese youth since no structural model provided adequate fit with acceptable reliability.

Assessing vulnerability to risk of suicide and self-harm in prisoners: a Rasch analysis of the suicide concerns for offenders in the prison environment (SCOPE-2)

BackgroundWith increasing levels of suicide and self-harm behaviour in the criminal justice system professionals would benefit from a tool that can identify individuals who may be at risk of self-harm and/or suicidal behaviour.MethodThe Suicide Concerns for Offenders in the Prison Environment (SCOPE) tool was originally devised and validated in six UK prisons between 2003 and 2004. The goal of this study is to re-evaluate the SCOPE using Rasch methodology to produce a psychometrically robust instrument. Data were presented from 1051 SCOPE assessments of male and female offenders.ResultsThe analysis produced a revised SCOPE-2 tool reducing the tool from a 27 to a 19 items and simplifying the categorical six point scale to a four item scale.ConclusionsFurther validation of the new SCOPE-2 tool is required in samples of male and female prisoners to assess different cut-off points for clinical and policy use.

High Psychiatric Morbidity and Comorbidity Among Female Prisoners in Hunan, China.

BackgroundHigh prevalence of mental disorders has been found among female prisoners in Western countries, however, little is known about the epidemiology of mental disorders in such populations in China. This study aims to investigate psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity among sentenced prisoners in a female prison in China.MethodsA cluster sample of 2,703 female adult prisoners from Hunan Provincial Female Prison were interviewed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, a semi-structured Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder diagnostic tool. The rates of psychotic disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders were reported.ResultsNearly 2/3 (66.2%, N=1,790) of the sample fulfilled the criteria for at least one lifetime DSM-IV disorder 36.5% had major depression, 22.2% had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 16.5% had drug use disorder. Drug use disorders were the major comorbid disorders. 60.8% of people with alcohol use disorder and 37.0% of those with psychotic disorders also had a drug use disorder. More than one-quarter (26.1%) of the population met criteria for a current diagnosis of any mental disorder, of which major depression was the most common (14.7%), followed by PTSD (6.4%) and psychotic disorder (1.8%).ConclusionThe high levels of psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in a representative sample of female prisoners in China indicate unmet needs that require identification and therapeutic intervention in prisons.

Coexisting violence and self‐harm: Dual harm in an early‐stage male prison population

PurposeThis study examined the characteristics of men in prison who have a history of both self‐harm and violence (known as dual harm) and the extent to which demographic and criminogenic factors, in‐prison incidents, and self‐harm method could differentiate men who dual harm.MethodsOfficial prison sample data were examined for the period April 2010 to November 2017 (n = 965). Regression analysis of all custodial incidents, demographic and offending information, and imprisonment experience, was undertaken.ResultsSelf‐harm was associated with violence in prison, representing a 3.5‐fold risk of violence compared with men who did not self‐harm, after controlling for time in prison, age, and index offence. 60% of men who harmed themselves also engaged in custodial violence, while 32% who were violent also had a self‐harm event. After controlling for age at first incident, 11% of the sample had custodial history of dual harm and they accounted for 56% of all recorded custodial incidents. They had a high probability of property damage and fire setting in prison and spent 40% longer in custody. Men who dual harmed used a greater variety of self‐harm methods, with increased use of lethal methods.ConclusionDual harm is prevalent, particularly among those who harm themselves in prison. Men who dual harm contribute excessively to the overall incident burden in prison and demonstrate behavioural variability and risk regarding both violence and self‐harm. The findings challenge the usual distinctive management responses or that self‐harm or violence is solely the responsibility of health or justice, with greater integration required.

The underlying dimensions of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their relationships with mental and somatoform dissociation, depression and anxiety among jail inmates

ABSTRACT In this study we examined the DSM-5 factor structure of scores on the Turkish version of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM–5 (PCL-5) and predictors of PTSD caseness in a sample of male prisoners. The 7-factor hybrid model was the optimal model relative to the alternatives. Consistent with the PTSD literature in prisoners, the majority of respondents had past traumatic experiences (96.7%), a probable PTSD diagnosis (68.4%), pathological dissociation (46.8%) and somatoform dissociation (52.3%). Probable PTSD caseness was significantly associated with dissociation and depression, as well as higher levels of education and being married. Re-experiencing was strongly associated with mental and somatic dissociation; whereas dysphoric arousal was related to depression and anxiety.

Further evaluation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure: Evidence from community adult and prisoner samples from Portugal.

The Triarchic Measure of Psychopathy (TriPM) was developed to assess manifest expressions of biobehavioural liabilities relevant to psychopathy and other forms of mental illness. Psychometric findings have been examined for a number of international translations of the TriPM, but further work is needed to evaluate its cross-cultural applicability and its properties in clinical versus nonclinical samples. The present study sought to evaluate the reliability and criterion-related validity and characterize the internal factor structure of the European Portuguese version of the TriPM in a large community sample (N = 1,833), and examine its ability to differentiate between community and prisoner (N = 240) samples. Reliability and criterion-related validity analysis supported the TriPM as an effective measure of psychopathic traits. Internal structure was characterized using exploratory structural equation modeling to specify bifactor models for the TriPM's three subscales and for the inventory as a whole; the model for each subscale included a general factor and a variable number of specific factors as determined by parallel analysis. These modeling analyses demonstrated unidimensionality for each TriPM subscale, and provided support for the triarchic structure of the TriPM as a whole. Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis showed that the disinhibition score, as assessed by the TriPM, is the most sensitive for differentiating between prisoner and community samples. Our results are in line with other reports regarding the psychometric properties of the TriPM and provide further evidence for the construct validity of the TriPM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Exposure to Traumatic Events and Development of Psychotic Symptoms in a Prison Population: A Network Analysis Approach

Previous studies consistently observed an association between exposure to traumatic events and psychotic symptoms. However, little is known about the differential impact of distinct traumatic events and the role of general symptoms in mediating this relationship. Thus, our study aimed to explore the differential association of several traumatic events to the psychotic symptoms in a sample of prisoners and whether this association is mediated by general symptoms. The total sample from the Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners in England and Wales (N = 3039; 75.4% male) was used. Participants completed a list of traumatic events experienced before reclusion, the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire, Clinical Review Schedule-Revised. Network analysis was used to estimate the network of interactions between traumatic events and general and psychotic symptoms. Shortest paths analysis was performed to identify the different development trajectories. Results suggested that memory problems, compulsions, and irritability might be key mediating symptoms for most traumatic events. However, sexual abuse showed alternative mediators that might be specific of this traumatic event. Finally, the traumatic events, suffered from violence at work, separation/divorce and been homeless showed direct associations with specific psychotic symptoms.

Temporal stability and dynamic convergence of the Personality Assessment Screener in a prison sample.

Although the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS; Morey, 1997) has garnered substantial research interest, the measure's temporal stability and sensitivity to change have remained largely uninvestigated. The present study employs a dynamic approach to investigating the convergent and discriminant validity of the PAS by examining relationships between temporal changes on the PAS and changes on external criterion measures, thereby exploring the extent to which changes on the PAS offer meaningful information regarding changes in psychological functioning. Data were obtained from a public dataset funded by the United States Department of Justice in which male inmates were administered various psychological measures at 5 time points spanning the course of a year. The PAS demonstrated appreciable stability across all testing intervals and the full study period, and temporal changes on the PAS correlated as expected with changes on both conceptually similar and distinct external criterion measures. These findings offer evidence to suggest that temporal variations across testing intervals are not fully explained by error, as conceptualized in classical test-retest analyses, but rather may indicate meaningful changes in functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

There and Back Again: The Selectivity of Recidivism in Belgian Prisons

AbstractThe “panoptic” powers characteristic of nineteenth-century criminal justice systems created prison sources that are increasingly used to study past populations. Each step of the criminal process has its own selection logic, leading to a predominance of unskilled and low-skilled men and women in prison samples. There are also crucial differences between the profiles of single and repeat offenders. This article employs a sample of more than 27,000 individual admissions to Belgian prisons in the nineteenth century to explore these trends in greater depth. Recidivists form a specific subset of the prison population. Detailed comparisons of recidivists and nonrecidivists are therefore useful as they help to understand the selection mechanisms inherent in prison data. Male recidivists were predominately low-waged workers incarcerated for minor acts of violence or misconduct classified as disturbances of the peace. Female recidivists were disproportionately low-skilled workers arrested for beggary and sex work. Recidivists also differed in their stature. Male recidivists in Belgian prisons were shorter than the average prisoner. By contrast, female recidivists were taller than one-time offenders. These height differences have important implications for our understanding of well-being in the past.

Supplemental Material for Further Evaluation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure: Evidence From Community Adult and Prisoner Samples From Portugal

Supplemental Material for Further Evaluation of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure: Evidence From Community Adult and Prisoner Samples From Portugal

The nature and extent of prisoners’ social care needs: Do older prisoners require a different service response?

Summary In light of longstanding concern about the lack of social care in prisons, the 2014 Care Act made local authorities in England responsible for identifying, assessing and meeting prisoners’ social care needs. However, service planning is difficult, for little is known about the level of demand or the extent to which the needs of older and younger prisoners differ. Against this background, face-to-face interviews (including screens for social care needs, substance misuse and mental health problems) were undertaken with a sample of male prisoners in North-West England. Findings Three hundred and ninety-nine participants were aged 18–49 and 80 aged 50 plus. Overall, more than a 10th of participants had problems maintaining personal hygiene, dressing and/or getting around the prison safely; a significant minority lacked meaningful occupation; and approaching a sixth acknowledged problems forming/maintaining relationships. Older prisoners were significantly more likely than younger prisoners to need help with personal hygiene, dressing and moving around safely and to identify problems with their physical health and memory. Applications The findings highlight the substantial number of older prisoners who could potentially benefit from some form of social care and support if they are to maintain their safety and dignity and make best use of their time in prison. They also underline the need to develop suitable screening and assessment tools for older prisoners, and for further research on the best service models for prisoners requiring intimate personal care.

Mental wellbeing among people in prison in Scotland: an analysis of repeat cross-sectional surveys.

ABSTRACTBackgroundMental wellbeing among people in prison is poorly studied, despite featuring in many health and justice policies. We aimed to describe for the first time mental wellbeing among an unselected national prison sample.MethodsSince 2013, the Scottish Prisoner Survey—a biennial survey of people in custody in Scotland—has included the Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale (WEMWBS), a 14-item scale with higher scores indicating greater wellbeing. We analysed data from sweeps in 2013 (n = 3158), 2015 (n = 2892) and 2017 (n = 2405) using Student’s t-test, ANOVA and multiple linear regression. We also used WEMWBS data from the Scottish Health Survey stratified by age, gender and deprivation to compare with the population at liberty.ResultsMean WEMWBS scores overall were 43.4 in 2013 (SD = 12.2), 41.8 (SD = 11.9) in 2015 and 41.2 (SD = 12.3) in 2017. Mean scores were lower among people on remand and with multiple prison episodes. Age-standardized mean scores were lower among people in prison than their peers at liberty.ConclusionsPoor mental wellbeing is an important, under-studied facet of the extreme health inequalities associated with imprisonment. These results identify that people on remand or with multiple episodes are particularly disadvantaged and provide a baseline for monitoring impacts of service or policy interventions.

Treatment, Reintegration, and Quality of Prison Life: Perception by Inmates.

This article inquires into the validity of the hypothesis on which prison sentences are formally based in Spain, according to Article 25.2 of Spanish Constitution: reeducation and social reintegration of the convicted person. For this purpose, we have analyzed the current state of prison "morals" in five penitentiary facilities located in the south of Spain through a representative sample of prisoners. They have answered a questionnaire that includes, among others, some questions connected with the following two issues: (a) their relationship with prison staff, and (b) the prison environment as related to the effectiveness of their treatment in terms of their reintegration into society. This investigation will also allow to detect possible differences in the quality of prison life in the five penitentiaries analyzed.

Socioeconomic Barriers to Child Contact with Incarcerated Parents

Scholarship suggests that prison visitation is beneficial and may be especially so for children and their incarcerated parents. However, economically disadvantaged families face unique challenges during incarceration, which may include greater difficulties visiting incarcerated family members. This study uses survey data from a nationally representative sample of state prison inmates to explore how economic disadvantage impacts children visiting their parents in prison. Analyses suggest that lower income parents are less likely to be visited by their children. Results are similar for fathers and mothers. We also find that economic disadvantage may condition impacts of other practical barriers, such as distance from home. Our findings have important implications for understanding challenges families face maintaining ties during incarceration and, more broadly, illuminate a critical pathway through which incarceration may be especially disadvantageous for already disadvantaged populations. Additional conclusions for theory, research, and policy are discussed.

The Annual Reports of the Prison Commissioners for Scotland and Religion, 1903–1931

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century penologists began to explore the possibility that environment and upbringing, as opposed to individual choice, were the causes criminality. The Prison Commissioners for Scotland, the devolved body who administered prisons north of the border, were not immune to this wider trend. Smith has argued that from the 1890s onwards the Commissioners began to accept that criminality was caused by social problems, namely alcoholism, but also parental neglect, poor education and poverty. In their efforts to test these new criminological theories, the Commissioners began to make more careful enquiries into the backgrounds of their charges. From 1896 to 1931 the Commissioners interviewed a sample of prisoners each year and included the findings in their annual report. Although the main focus of these interviews was on the upbringing and drinking habits of prisoners; by the 1900s the Commissioners seem to have added irreligion to the growing list of etiological causes of crime, and from 1903 onwards prisoners were asked to give details on their religious habits. Although it is debateable how much the Prison Commissioners revealed about the relationship between religion and crime, they did however provide a useful insight into the religiosity of the average prisoner.

Severe mental illness and substance use disorders in prisoners in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies

SummaryBackgroundAlthough more than two thirds of the world's incarcerated individuals are based in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), the burden of psychiatric disorders in this population is not known. This review provides estimates for the prevalence of severe mental illness and substance use disorders in incarcerated individuals in LMICs.MethodsFor this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched 17 electronic databases to identify prevalence studies of psychiatric disorders in prison populations in LMICs, published between January, 1987, and May, 2018. We included representative studies from general prison samples, providing information about four major psychiatric diagnoses: psychosis, major depression, alcohol use disorders, and drug use disorders. We pooled data from studies using random-effects meta-analyses and assessed the sources of heterogeneity by meta-regression. We extracted general population estimates from the Global Burden of Diseases 2016 database to calculate comparative prevalence ratios. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42015020905.FindingsWe identified 23 publications reporting prevalence estimates of severe mental illness and substance use disorders for 14 527 prisoners from 13 LMICs. In this population, the estimated pooled 1 year prevalence rates for psychosis were 6·2% (95% CI 4·0–8·6), 16·0% (11·7–20·8) for major depression, 3·8% (1·2–7·6) for alcohol use disorders, and 5·1% (2·9–7·8) for drug use disorders. We noted increased prevalence at prison intake and geographic variations for substance use disorders. For alcohol use disorders, prevalence was higher in the southeast Asian region than in the eastern Mediterranean region; and drug use disorders were more prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean region than in Europe. Prevalence ratios indicated substantially higher rates of severe mental illness and substance use disorders among prisoners than in the general population (the prevalence of non-affective psychosis was on average 16 times higher, major depression and illicit drug use disorder prevalence were both six times higher, and prevalence of alcohol use disorders was double that of the general population).InterpretationThe prevalence of major psychiatric disorders is high in prisoners in LMIC compared with general populations. As these findings are likely to reflect unmet needs, the development of scalable interventions should be a public health priority in resource-poor settings.FundingCONICYT of the Chilean government and the Wellcome Trust.

Prediction of violent reoffending in prisoners and individuals on probation: a Dutch validation study (OxRec)

Scalable and transparent methods for risk assessment are increasingly required in criminal justice to inform decisions about sentencing, release, parole, and probation. However, few such approaches exist and their validation in external settings is typically lacking. A total national sample of all offenders (9072 released from prisoners and 6329 individuals on probation) from 2011–2012 in the Netherlands were followed up for violent and any reoffending over 2 years. The sample was mostly male (n = 574 [6%] were female prisoners and n = 784 [12%] were female probationers), and median ages were 30 in the prison sample and 34 in those on probation. Predictors for a scalable risk assessment tool (OxRec) were extracted from a routinely collected dataset used by criminal justice agencies, and outcomes from official criminal registers. OxRec’s predictive performance in terms of discrimination and calibration was tested. Reoffending rates in the Dutch prisoner cohort were 16% for 2-year violent reoffending and 44% for 2-year any reoffending, with lower rates in the probation sample. Discrimination as measured by the c-index was moderate, at 0.68 (95% CI: 0.66–0.70) for 2-year violent reoffending in prisoners and between 0.65 and 0.68 for other outcomes and the probation sample. The model required recalibration, after which calibration performance was adequate (e.g. calibration in the large was 1.0 for all scenarios). A recalibrated model for OxRec can be used in the Netherlands for individuals released from prison and individuals on probation to stratify their risk of future violent and any reoffending. The approach that we outline can be considered for external validations of criminal justice and clinical risk models.

Validity of the Reaction Time Concealed Information Test in a Prison Sample.

Detecting whether a suspect possesses incriminating (e.g., crime-related) information can provide valuable decision aids in court. To this means, the Concealed Information Test (CIT) has been developed and is currently applied on a regular basis in Japan. But whereas research has revealed a high validity of the CIT in student and normal populations, research investigating its validity in forensic samples in scarce. This applies even more to the reaction time-based CIT (RT-CIT), where no such research is available so far. The current study tested the application of the RT-CIT for an imaginary mock crime scenario both in a sample of prisoners (n = 27) and a matched control group (n = 25). Results revealed a high validity of the RT-CIT for discriminating between crime-related and crime-unrelated information, visible in medium to very high effect sizes for error rates and reaction times. Interestingly, in accordance with theories that criminal offenders may have worse response inhibition capacities and that response inhibition plays a crucial role in the RT-CIT, CIT-effects in the error rates were even elevated in the prisoners compared to the control group. No support for this hypothesis could, however, be found in reaction time CIT-effects. Also, performance in a standard Stroop task, that was conducted to measure executive functioning, did not differ between both groups and no correlation was found between Stroop task performance and performance in the RT-CIT. Despite frequently raised concerns that the RT-CIT may not be applicable in non-student and forensic populations, our results thereby do suggest that such a use may be possible and that effects seem to be quite large. Future research should build up on these findings by increasing the realism of the crime and interrogation situation and by further investigating the replicability and the theoretical substantiation of increased effects in non-student and forensic samples.