Introduction and Aim. Although tobacco and alcohol use have declined substantially in the Australian community, substance use among prisoners remains high. The aim was to compare the smoking, drug, and alcohol characteristics, sociodemographic profile, and general health of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal male prisoners in a smoking cessation intervention. Design and Methods. This study was a des...

OBJECTIVES This study compares the prevalence of Mantoux positivity among prisoners in NSW in 1996 and 2001 and examines factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. DESIGN Cross-sectional random samples of prisoners, including a longitudinal cohort of prisoners screened in both 1996 and 2001. SETTING 29 correctional centres. PARTICIPANTS 747 men and 167 women participate...

INTRODUCTION Several studies have pointed to high rates of substance use disorders among female prisoners. The present study aimed to assess comorbidities of substance use disorders with other mental disorders in female prisoners at admission to a penal justice system. METHODS A sample of 150 female prisoners, consecutively admitted to the penal justice system of Berlin, Germany, was intervie...

The U.S. criminal justice population is aging at a significantly more rapid rate than the overall U.S. population, with the population of older adults in prison having more than tripled since 1990. This increase is at the root of a prison healthcare crisis that is spilling into communities and public healthcare systems because nearly 95% of prisoners are eventually released. The graying prison ...

That people evaluate themselves more favourably than their average peer on desirable characteristics - the better-than-average effect (BTAE) - is one of the most frequently cited instances of motivated self-enhancement. It has been argued, however, that the BTAE can be rational when the distribution of characteristics is skewed such that most people lie above the mean. We addressed whether the ...

The paper compares the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity amongst sentenced prisoners and in the general population. Major psychosis was no more common in the majority of studies of criminal populations. Although prisoners have a higher level of neurotic symptomatology, this was mainly found to be secondary to imprisonment itself. Long term imprisonment was not found to be a precipitant of sev...

BACKGROUND little is known about the treatment needs of older prisoners and to what extent they are being met. SUBJECTS representative sample of 203 sentenced prisoners aged 60 and over in 15 prisons in England and Wales. DESIGN case notes were surveyed using a standardised proforma and information on current medication was collected. RESULTS three-quarters of older prisoners were prescri...

The aim of this longitudinal research was to assess and monitor adjustment (operationalised in terms of anxiety) of 60 prisoners as they entered prison and one month later. Results confirmed very high levels of anxiety on admission, which reduced after one month, but still remained significantly higher than adult population norms. Given that Correctional Officers (COs) play an integral role in ...

BACKGROUND Common mental health problems are prevalent in prison and the quality of prison health care provision for prisoners with mental health problems has been a focus of critical scrutiny. Currently, health policy aims to align and integrate prison health services and practices with those of the National Health Service (NHS). Medication management is a key aspect of treatment for patients ...