Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry pp 3–20Cite as

Prison Psychiatry

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine ((LIME,volume 46))

Abstract

Despite countless promises for a better life in prisons by national commissions, governments and the international community, there is a vicious cycle of neglect, abandonment, indignity, inhuman treatment, and punishment of persons with mental illness. From an American view, some authors have argued that the de-institutionalisation movement has resulted in new places of confinement for this population, such as jails, prisons and homeless shelters (Gostin 2008). Recently homelessness has become far more common among US state and federal prison inmates than the general population (Greenberg and Rosenheck 2008). On the other hand, at least in Norway, the rise in incarceration rates can only be attributed to de-institutionalisation to a very limited extent (Hartvig and Kjelsberg 2009). From a European view current national and international data bases are insufficient to firmly conclude or otherwise on a link between general psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and penitentiaries and to identify inappropriate patient shifting (Salize et al. 2008).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abram, K.M. 1990. The problem of Co©Occurring disorders among jail detainees. Law and Human Behavior 14: 333–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, H.S., D. Sestoft, T. Lillebaek, G. Gabrielsen, and P. Kramp. 1996. Prevalence of ICD-10 psychiatric morbidity in random samples of prisoners on remand. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 19: 61–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Backett, S.A. 1987. Suicide in Scottish prisons. The British Journal of Psychiatry 151: 218–221.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bellino, T.T. 1973. The Ganser syndrome: A contemporary forensic problem. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 17: 136–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernheim, J.C. 1994. Suicides and prison conditions. In Deaths in custody: International perspectives, ed. A. Liebling and T. Ward. Bournemouth: Bourne Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beven, G.E. 2005. Offenders with mental illnesses in maximum- and supermaximum-security settings. In Handbook of correctional mental health, ed. C.L. Scott and J.B. Gerbasi. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birmingham, L. 2004. Mental disorder and prisons. Psychiatric Bulletin 28: 393–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaauw, E., F.W. Winkel, and A.J.F.M. Kerkhof. 2001. Bullying and suicidal behaviour in jails. Criminal Justice and Behaviour 28: 279–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogue, J., and K. Power. 1995. Suicide in Scottish prisons, 1976–93. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry 6: 527–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brinded, P.M.J., A.I.F. Simpson, T.M. Laidlaw, N. Fairley, and F. Malcom. 2001. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in New Zealand prisons: A national study. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 35: 166–173.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brooke, D., C. Taylor, J. Gunn, and A. Maden. 1996. Point prevalence of mental disorder in unconvicted male prisoners in England and Wales. BMJ 313: 1524–1527.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G.K., G.R. Henriques, D. Sosdjan, and A.T. Beck. 2004. Suicide intent and accurate expectations of lethality: Predictors of medical lethality of suicide attempts. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 72: 1170–1174.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bulten, E., H. Nijman, and C. van der Staak. 2009. Psychiatric disorders and personality characteristics of prisoners at regular prison wards. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 32: 115–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, T., S. Allnutt, D. Cain, D. Owens, and C. Muller. 2005. Mental disorder in New South Wales prisoner population. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 39: 407–413.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Case, B., H.J. Steadman, S.A. Dupuis, and L.S. Morris. 2009. Who succeeds in jail diversion programs for persons with mental illness? A multi-site study. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27: 661–674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coid, J., P. Moran, P. Bebbington, T. Brugha, R. Jenkins, M. Farrell, N. Singleton, and S. Ullrich. 2009. The co-morbidity of personality disorder and clinical syndromes in prisoners. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 19: 321–333.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Council of Europe. 2006. Recommendation Rec (2006)2 on the European Prison Rules. https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=955747

  • Daigle, M.S., and G. Côté. 2006. Non-fatal suicide-related behavior among inmates: Testing for gender and type differences. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 36: 670–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dear, G., D. Thomson, and A. Hills. 2000. Self-harm in prison: Manipulators can also be suicide attempters. Criminal Justice and Behavior 27: 160–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DuRand, C.J., G.J. Burtka, E.J. Federman, J.A. Haycox, and J.W. Smith. 1995. A quarter century of suicide in a major urban jail: Implications for community psychiatry. The American Journal of Psychiatry 152: 1077–1080.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fazel, S., and J. Danesh. 2002. Serious mental disorder in 23,000 prisoners: A systematic review of 62 surveys. Lancet 349: 545–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazel, S., J. Cartwright, A. Norman-Nott, and K. Hawton. 2008. Suicide in prisoners: A systematic review of risk factors. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 69: 1721–1731.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, R. 1988. Deliberate self-harm: Self-injurious behavior within a correctional mental health population. Criminal Justice and Behavior 15: 210–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frottier, P., F. König, T. Matschnig, M. Seyringer, and S. Frühwald. 2008. Das Wiener Instrument für Suizidgefahr in Haft. Psychiatrische Praxis 35: 21–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fulwiler, C., C. Forbes, S.L. Santagelo, and M. Folstein. 1997. Self-mutilation and suicide attempt: Distinguishing features in prisoners. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 25: 69–77.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gharaibeh, N., and J. El-Khoury. 2009. The state of health care provision and extent of mental health in the prisons of the Arab world: A literature review and commentary. International Journal of Prisoners Health 5: 241–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gößling, J., and N. Konrad. 2004. Zur Entität der so genannten Haftpsychose. R&P 22: 123–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gostin, L.O. 2008. ‘Old’ and ‘new’ institutions for persons with mental illness: Treatment, punishment or preventive confinement? Public Health 122: 906–913.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grassian, S. 1983. Psychopathological effects of solitary confinement. The American Journal of Psychiatry 140: 1450–1454.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grassian, S., and N. Friedman. 1986. Effects of sensory deprivation in psychiatric seclusion and solitary confinement. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 8: 49–65.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, R., D. Bressington, J. Lathlean, and A. Mills. 2008. Relationship between adherence, symptoms, treatment attitudes, satisfaction, and side effects in prisoners taking antipsychotic medication. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology 19: 335–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, G.A., and R.A. Rosenheck. 2008. Homelessness in the state and federal prison population. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 18: 88–103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gunn, J., A. Maden, and M. Swinton. 1991. Treatment needs of prisoners with psychiatric disorders. BMJ 303: 338–341.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, T., and E. Zimmermann. 1989. Psychiatric symptoms, cognitive stress and vulnerability factors. A study in a remand prison. British Journal of Psychiatry 155: 36–43.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hartvig, P., and E. Kjelsberg. 2009. Penrose’s Law revisited: The relationship between mental institution beds, prison population and crime rate. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 63: 51–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haycock, J. 1989. Manipulation and suicide attempts in jails and prisons. Psychiatric Quaterly 60: 85–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, L. 2006. Suicide prevention on correctional facilities: An overview. In Clinical practice in correctional medicine, ed. M. Puisis, 317–328. Philadelphia: Mosby/Elsevier.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A.J., J.J. Shaw, G. Lever-Green, D. Parker, and L. Gask. 2008. Improvements to suicide prevention training for prison staff in England and Wales. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 38: 708–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herpertz, S., and H. Saß. 1994. Offene Selbstbeschädigung. Nervenarzt 65: 296–306.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, W. 1989. Suicides by prisoners. Medical Journal of Australia 151: 188–190.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, W., and M.P. Dunne. 1991. Psychological distress and psychiatric morbidity in women prisoners. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of psychiatry 25: 461–470.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, J.E., and C. Zlotnick. 2008. A pilot study of group interpersonal psychotherapy for depression in substance-abusing female prisoners. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 34: 371–377.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karp, J.G., L. Whitman, and A. Convit. 1991. Intentional ingestion of foreign objects by MalePrison inmates. Hospital & Community Psychiatry 42: 533–535.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klonsky, E.D., and J.J. Muehlenkamp. 2007. Self-injury: A research review for the practitioner. Journal of Clinical Psychology 63: 1045–1056, In Session.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, N. 2001. Psychiatry in custody and prisons. In Contempory psychiatry, Psychiatry in special situations, vol. 2, ed. F. Henn, N. Sartorius, H. Helmchen, and H. Lauter. Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, N., and B. Völlm. 2010. Forensic psychiatry. In Ethics in psychiatry, ed. H. Helmchen and N. Sartorius. Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, N., M.S. Daigle, A.E. Daniel, G. Dear, P. Frottier, L.M. Hayes, A. Kerkhof, A. Liebling, and M. Sarchiapone. 2007. Preventing suicide in prisons. Part I. Recommendations from the International Association for Suicide Prevention Task Force on Suicide in Prisons. Crisis 28(3): 113–121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liebling, A. 1995. Vulnerability and prison suicide. British Journal of Criminology 35: 173–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohner, J., and N. Konrad. 2006. Deliberate self-harm and suicide attempt in custody: Distinguishing features in male inmates’ self-injurious behavior. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 29: 370–385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacCain, S.J., and K.T. Mueser. 2009. Training in illness self-management for people with mental illness in the criminsal justice system. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation 12: 31–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maden, A., M. Swinton, and J. Gunn. 1994. Psychiatric disorder in women serving a prisonsentence. The British Journal of Psychiatry 164: 44–54.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, A., C. O’Driscoll, and A. Samuels. 2008. Clozapine use in a forensic population in a New South Wales prison hospital. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 42: 141–146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, G.P., S. Lapham, and M. Lackey. 2008. The effect of a jail methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) program on inmate recidivism. Addiction 103: 2017–2023.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metraux, S. 2008. Examining relationships between receiving mental health services in the Pennsylvania prison system and time served. Psychiatric Services 59: 800–802.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metzner, J., and J. Dvoskin. 2006. An overview of correctional psychiatry. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 29: 761–772.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metzner, J., and L. Hayes. 2006. Suicide prevention in jails and prisons. In Textbook of suicide assessment and management, ed. R. Simon and R. Hales, 139–155. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, D.W., A.C. Edwards, and L.R. Faulkner. 1993. The adaptation to prison by individuals with schizophrenia. The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 21: 427–433.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murdoch, N., P. Morrisd, and C. Holmes. 2008. Depression in elderly life sentence prisoners. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 23: 957–962.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Naud, H., and M.S. Daigle. 2009. Predictive validity of the suicide probability scale in a male inmate population. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 32: 333–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, R.F., and K. Hughes. 2008. Review of completed suicides in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 1999 to 2004. Psychiatric Services 59: 676–682.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piselli, M., S. Elisei, N. Murgia, R. Quartesan, and K.M. Abram. 2009. Co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders among male detainees in Italy. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 32: 101–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, D., M. Piper, L. Appleby, R. Webb, and J. Shaw. 2006. Suicide in recently released prisoners: A population-based cohort study. Lancet 368: 119–123.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Prince, J.D., A. Akincigil, and E. Bromet. 2007. Incarceration rates of persons with first-admission psychosis. Psychiatric Services 58: 1173–1180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rieger, W. 1971. Suicide attempts in a federal prison. Archives of General Psychiatry 24: 532–535.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rösler, M., W. Retz, K. Yaqoobi, E. Burg, and P. Retz-Junginger. 2009. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in female offenders: Prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity and psychosocial implications. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 259: 98–105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sacks, J.Y., K. McKendrick, Z. Hamilton, C.M. Cleland, F.S. Pearson, and S. Banks. 2008. Treatment outcomes for female offenders: Relationship to number of axis I diagnoses. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 26: 413–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salize, H.J., H. Schanda, and H. Dressing. 2008. From the hospital into the community and back again – a trend towards re-institutionalisation in mental health care? International Review of Psychiatry 20: 527–534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Senior, J., A.J. Hayes, D. Pratt, S.D. Thomas, T. Fahy, M. Leese, A. Bowen, G. Taylor, G. Lever-Green, T. Graham, A. Pearson, M. Ahmed, and J.J. Shaw. 2007. The identification and management of suicide risk in local prisons. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology 18: 368–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shelton, D., S. Sampl, K.L. Kesten, W. Zhang, and R.L. Trestman. 2009. Treatment of impulsive aggression in correctional settings. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27: 787–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, L. 2002. Prisoners’ motives for self-injury and attempted suicide. The British Journal of Forensic Practice 4: 18–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tacke, B., Hanisch, A., Knaack, M., and Rode, I. 1975. Untersuchung psychiatrischer und psychologischer Faktoren, welche für Selbstbeschädigungen (das sog. Metallschlucken) von Häftlingen in Strafanstalten bestimmend sind. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, J. 2009. No one knows: Offenders with learning disabilities and learning difficulties. International Journal of Prisoner Health 5: 141–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teplin, L.A., K.M. Abram, and G.M. McClelland. 1996. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among incarcerated women. I. Pretrial jail detainees. Archives of General Psychiatry 53: 505–512.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thole, E. 1976. Suizid im Gefängnis. ZfStrVo 25: 110–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. 1987. Standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners. http://www.unchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_comp34.htm. Accessed June 2010.

  • Völlm, B., and M.C. Dolan. 2009. Self-harm among UK female prisoners: A cross-sectional study. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology 20: 741–751.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, R.H., J.E. Callagan, and A.F. Newman. 1969. Effect of solitary confinement on prisoners. The American Journal of Psychiatry 119: 771–773.

    Google Scholar 

  • Washburn, J.J., L.A. Teplin, L.S. Voss, C.D. Simon, K.M. Abram, and G.M. McClelland. 2008. Psychiatric disorders among detained youths: A comparison of youths processed in juvenile court and adult criminal court. Psychiatric Services 59: 965–973.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Way, B.B., R. Miraglia, D.A. Sawyer, R. Beer, and J. Eddy. 2005. Factors related to suicide in New York state prisons. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 28: 207–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. 2007. Preventing suicide in jails and prisons. Geneva. www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/resource_jails_prisons.pdf. Accessed June 2010.

  • Yang, S., A. Kadouri, A. Revah-levy, E.P. Mulvey, and B. Falisard. 2009. Doing time: A qualitative study of long-term incarceration and the impact of mental illness. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 32: 294–303.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Psychiatry, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Norbert Konrad

Authors
  1. Norbert Konrad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Norbert Konrad .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Norbert Konrad

  2. Section of Forensic Psychiatry, Division, University of Nottingham and Rampton Hos, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Birgit Völlm

  3. University of Montreal Fac. Medicine, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    David N. Weisstub

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Konrad, N. (2013). Prison Psychiatry. In: Konrad, N., Völlm, B., Weisstub, D. (eds) Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0085-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0086-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation