International Journal of Prisoner Health

PURPOSE: Aging and mental illness both represent significant public health challenges for incarcerated people in the USA. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the vulnerabilities of incarcerated people because of the risks of infectious disease transmission in correctional facilities. Focusing on older adults with mental illness, this paper aims to examine efforts to decarcerate US correctional facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether these approaches may lead to sustainable reforms beyond the pandemic...

PURPOSE: The first prison system case in Zimbabwe was notified in July 2020 shortly after State declaration of disaster. A legal-realist assessment was conducted of the Zimbabwean correctional system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a focus on assessing right to health, infectious disease mitigation and the extent to which minimum state obligations complied with human and health rights standards. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The Zimbabwean correctional system operations during COVID-19 disaster measures are scrutinized using a range of international, African and domestic human rights instruments in relation to the right to health of prisoners...

PURPOSE: The targeted use of standardized outcome measures (SOMs) of mental health in research with older adults who are incarcerated promotes a common language that enables interdisciplinary dialogue, contributes to the identification of disparities and supports data harmonization and subsequent synthesis. This paper aims to provide researchers with rationale for using "gold-standard" measures used in research with community-dwelling older adults, reporting associated study sample psychometric indexes, and detailing alterations in the approach or measure...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to continue research and development of the ECAD-P learning system with an emphasis on developing a scalable unit for testing in a larger number of more diverse correctional settings. There are almost 2.3 million US persons incarcerated. Geriatric and end-of-life (EOL) care in corrections is not as equitable as care in the free world. Technological delivery of geriatric training to staff through computer-based learning (CBL) offers a novel approach to improve care and reduce disparities among those who are most vulnerable during confinement...

PURPOSE: The first case of COVID-19 in the Malawi prison system was reported in July 2020. Human rights organisations raised concerns about the possibility of significant COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in the prison system, because of the poor infrastructure, lack of healthcare and adequate COVID-19 mitigation measures, existing co-morbidities (tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C), malnutrition and poor health of many prisoners. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors conducted a legal-realist assessment of the Malawian prison system response to COVID-19 during state disaster measures, with a specific focus on the right to health and standards of healthcare as mandated in international, African and domestic law...

PURPOSE: The rate of female committals to prison has grown rapidly in recent years. Women in prison are likely to have trauma histories and difficulties with their mental health. This paper aims to synthesise the findings of qualitative literature to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the context of prison-based mental health care. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A systematic search of five academic databases, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO), Excerpta Medica DataBASE (EMBASE) and Medline, was completed in December 2020...

PURPOSE: This paper aims to describe and analyse Swiss prisoners' and experts' views on collective punishment, the practice where a group is punished for one person's transgression. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A series of qualitative interviews with prisoners and stakeholders are reported following thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Despite being forbidden by the Geneva Convention and other international instruments, participants from this study expressed the view that collective punishment continues to be practiced in some form in prisons in Switzerland, violating the rights of prisoners via unjust and arbitrary decision-making, unjust rules, inequalities in prison structures and continuation of incarceration based on the behaviour of others...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the eventual legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales should extend to persons deprived of liberty, as well. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using a relational view of dignity strengthens the argument that the need to protect the dignity of persons deprived of liberty requires the extension of the legalisation of assisted dying to persons deprived of liberty once generally achieved in England and Wales...

PURPOSE: This study aims to identify the patient characteristics that may influence family involvement in a family-centered care program during detention. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Little is known about the needs of incarcerated adolescents and their families. This exploratory study used a cross-sectional design to collect data from incarcerated adolescents with conduct disorder followed in a French outpatient psychiatric department. Logistic regression models were used to identify the sociodemographic, clinical and family characteristics of these incarcerated adolescents that could predict family involvement in their care...

PURPOSE: Prisons in the sub-Saharan African region face unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Malawi, the first prison system case of COVID-19 was notified in July 2020. While prison settings were included in the second domestic COVID-19 response plan within the Law Enforcement cluster (National COVID-19 preparedness and response plan, July-December 2020), they were initially not included in the K157bn (US$210m) COVID-19 fund. The purpose of the study was to assess prison preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in Malawi...

PURPOSE: This paper reports on insights from an evaluation of Birth Companions (BC) (a UK-based charity) perinatal support in two prison settings in England. The initiative involved the provision of group and/or one-to-one perinatal support and training women prisoners as peer supporters. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A mixed-methods study was undertaken that involved observations of support groups and peer support supervision sessions (n = 9); audio recorded interviews (n = 33) with prison and health-care staff, women in prison, peer supporters and BC staff; analysis of existing routinely collected data by BC and notes undertaken during regular meetings (n = 10) with the BC Project Manager...

PURPOSE: Prisons in Africa face unprecedented challenges during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In July 2020, the first prison system case of COVID-19 was notified in Zimbabwe. Subsequently, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services released their COVID-19 operational plan. The purpose of the study was to assess preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in selected prisons in Zimbabwe. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A multi-method situation assessment of COVID-19 preparedness was conducted across three Zimbabwean prisons...

PURPOSE: This analysis aims to examine the role of pre-release, HIV-related, peer-based rehabilitation program attendance on post-release linkage to community-based HIV care in South Africa. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: During a post-release linkage-to-care prospective study, participants from six correctional facilities who had an HIV-positive diagnosis and were taking anti-retroviral medications at release ( N = 351) self-reported rehabilitation program participation...

Purpose: People in prison are at a higher risk of preventable mortality from infectious disease such as HIV/AIDS, HBV, HCV and TB than those in the community. The extent of infectious disease-related mortality within the prison setting remains unclear. Our aim was to collate available information on infectious disease-related mortality, including the number of deaths and calculate the person-time death rate. Design/Methodology/Approach: We searched databases between 1 Jan 2000 and 18 Nov 2020 for studies reporting HIV, HBV, HCV, TB and/or HIV/TB-related deaths among people in prison...

PURPOSE: As prison drug use continues to be a concern worldwide, harm reduction practices serve as an alternative approach to traditional abstinence-only or punishment-oriented methods to address substance use behind bars. The purpose of this study is to present a summary of research surrounding prison-based harm reduction programs. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This narrative review of the international literature summarizes the harms associated with prison drug use followed by an overview of the literature surrounding three prison-based harm reduction practices: opioid agonist therapy, syringe exchange programs and naloxone distribution...

PURPOSE: With a rapidly growing population of older adults with chronic illness in US prisons, the number of people who die while incarcerated is increasing. Support for patients' medical decision-making is a cornerstone of quality care for people at the end of life (EOL). This study aims to identify, describe, and analyze existing policies regarding EOL decision-making in U.S. Departments of Corrections. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study performed an iterative content analysis on all available EOL decision-making policies in US state departments of corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons...

PURPOSE: People who inject drugs (PWID) face multiple health problems, including infectious diseases and drug overdoses. Applying syndemic and risk environment frameworks, this paper aims to examine the co-occurrence and clustering of drug-related harms and their association with incarceration experience with or without in-prison drug injection. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors used data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015 among 557 active opioid injectors...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper aims to examine differences in measures of and relationships between visitation and quality of life (QOL) among older and younger jailed adults. The authors also explored the contribution of visitation to QOL among adults in this setting. The authors anticipated fewer visits and lower QOL among older adults. Framed by psychosocial developmental theory, the authors also anticipated a larger effect in the relationship between visitation and QOL among older rather than younger adults and that visitation would contribute most readily to psychological QOL...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision for incarcerated persons drawing on a human rights perspective. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Seven databases were searched to identify empirical studies published from 2010 to 2020. Articles included were qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, written in English and with westernised health/prison settings, with a key focus on the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision and human rights...

PURPOSE: Interprofessional collaboration is necessary for handling the complex psychosocial needs of prisoners. This collaboration must be addressed to avoid high recidivism rates and the human and societal costs linked to them. Challenges are exacerbated by a linear approach to handling prisoners' problems, silo working between welfare agencies and professional boundaries between frontline workers. There are few adequate theoretical frameworks and tools to address these challenges in the prison context...