A psychiatric ward run by inmates in a prison setting.

The role of psychiatry in prisons has attracted much interest in recent years. Very little has bcen reported. howcver. about the practicc of in-patient psychiatry in prisons. 'Vhat has been written has dealt mostly with (I) the difficulties of cstablishing a psychiatric ward and (2) the perpctual conflict bctwccn the p,ychiatrically orientcd physician and staff and the custody-oriclltcd guards who compcte for control of thc ward. A joint solution is evcntually reached which works until thcrc is a change of penonnel. Both of the,e problems have been shown by Graff! and Stamm.2 who have separately report cd on their cxperiences working as phy,icians at the Mcdical Center for Federal Prisoners at Springfield. l\I issouri. Bartholomcw~ also discmsed the same problems in his paper. Although somc of them have occurred at Lcwi,burg. Lewisburg has an innovative and thriving Psychiatric 'Vanl. The lack of civilian staff on the 'Vanl led to the training of inmates as Psychiatric Aides.