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Mental health disparities evident in U.S. prisons

Fewer than half of inmates who reported being on medication on admission were administered medications in prison, according to a recent analysis.

“Someone who already has risk factors or a known mental health disorder is going to be much more likely to adapt poorly,” Nadine M. Connell, PhD, assistant professor of criminology at the University of Texas, Dallas, said in a press release. “And that could include self-harm, that could include violence and aggression against others, violence and aggression against staff or other inmates, and being unable to benefit from treatment or rehabilitation options that are available.”

Nadine M. Connell

Connell and colleagues examined data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, including 14,499 state prisoners and 3,686 federal prisoners.

Findings indicate that 5,207 (26.2%) prisoners were diagnosed with a mental health condition at some time, but only 18% of those inmates were taking medication when admitted. However, fewer than 50% of those who were medicated prior to admission were administered continued medication therapy, the researchers wrote.

“Many institutions are doing the best they can with the resources available to them,” Connell said in the release.

Independent of access to treatment, the researchers reported that inmates with schizophrenia were more than twice as likely as inmates with depression to have continued medication administration.

These findings suggest further validated mental and physical health screenings of prisoners. – by Samantha Costa

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.