Psychiatry in the federal correctional system in Canada (original) (raw)
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Challenges for Canada in meeting the needs of persons with serious mental illness in prison
The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2013
The number of prison inmates is predicted to rise in Canada, as is concern about those among them with mental illness. This article is a selective literature review of the epidemiology of serious mental illness (SMI) in prisons and how people with SMI respond to imprisonment. We review the required service components with a particular focus on care models for people with SMI in the Canadian correctional system. An estimated 15 to 20 percent of prison inmates have SMI, and this proportion may be increasing. The rate of incarceration of aboriginal people is rising. Although treatment in prison is effective, it is often unavailable or refused. Many of those with SMI are lost to follow-up within months of re-entering the community. There is much policy and service development aimed at improving services in Canada. However, the multijurisdictional organization of health care and the heterogeneity of the SMI population complicate these developments.
Care or Punishment: A Critique of the Treatment of Mentally Ill Persons in Canadian Prisons
2020
In the 18th-Century, John Howard, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, travelled around Europe to study firsthand the conditions in prisons and made the following observation: "The insane, when they are not kept separate, disturb and terrify other prisoners. No care is taken of them, although it is probable that by medicines, and proper regimen, some of them might be restored to their senses, and usefulness in life" [1].
An introduction to correctional psychiatry: Part I
PubMed, 1997
This article, to be published in three parts, provides an overview of relevant national guidelines/standards for providing mental health services within a correctional setting and describes essential characteristics of a mental health system designed to meet constitutional standards. Part I will provide a brief summary of pertinent epidemiological studies and an introduction to the most widely used national standards/guidelines. Part II will focus on organizational issues within correctional mental health systems, staffing issues, and psychiatric screening/ evaluation processes. Part III will address issues pertinent to treatment programs for inmates with serious mental illnesses, confidentiality, involuntary treatment, and management information systems.
Journal of Criminal Justice, 2024
Purpose: Canadian correctional workers (CWs) experience substantial challenges with mental health, but prevalence estimates have been limited across provincial and territorial services. Methods: Participating CWs from all 13 provincial and territorial services (n = 3740) self-selected to complete an online mental health and well-being survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics and symptoms of several mental disorders. Participants worked as correctional officers, community operations (e.g., probation officers), institutional operations (e.g., program officers), community administrators (e.g., managers), institutional or regional headquarters administrators, or institutional management (e.g., superintendents). Results: Across Canada, participants screened positive for one or more mental disorders (57.9%), with several regional differences (ps < 0.05). Correctional officers reported more positive screens than other CWs (ps < 0.05). Years of service and being married were inversely related with mental health (ps < 0.05). Conclusions: The current results suggest provincial and territorial CWs report mental health challenges much more frequently than the diagnostic prevalence for the general public (10.1%) and need additional supports. Unexpectedly, there were absent elevations associated with data collected after the onset of COVID-19.
An introduction to correctional psychiatry: part II
Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine, 1998
This article, to be published in three parts, provides an overview of relevant national guidelineslstandards for providing mental health services within a correctional setting and describes essential characteristics of a mental health system designed to meet constitutional standards. Part I will provide a brief summary of pertinent epidemiological studies and an introduction to the most widely used national standards/guidelines. Part II will focus on organizational issues within correctional mental health systems, staffing issues, and psychiatric screening1 evaluation processes. Part Ill will address issues pertinent to treatment programs for inmates with serious mental illnesses, confidentiality, involuntary treatment, and management information systems. An estimated 1,630,940 persons were incarcerated in prisons and jails within the United States at midyear 1996, which represented a 119 percent increase in the total number of inmates in custody when compared with the correctional population at year end 1985. The total correctional population included 73,607 women, which accounted for 6.3 percent of all prisoners nationwide.' Local jails are facilities that hold inmates beyond arraignment. generally for over 48 hours but for less than a year. Local jails are administered by city or county officials. Prisons are correctional facilities in which persons convicted of major crimes or felonies serve their sentences, which are usually in excess of a year. There are
Analysis and Commentary An Introduction to Correctional Psychiatry: Part II
1997
This article, to be published in three parts, provides an overview of relevant national guidelineslstandards for providing mental health services within a correctional setting and describes essential characteristics of a mental health system designed to meet constitutional standards. Part I will provide a brief summary of pertinent epidemiological studies and an introduction to the most widely used national standards/guidelines. Part II will focus on organizational issues within correctional mental health systems, staffing issues, and psychiatric screening1 evaluation processes. Part Ill will address issues pertinent to treatment programs for inmates with serious mental illnesses, confidentiality, involuntary treatment, and management information systems. An estimated 1,630,940 persons were incarcerated in prisons and jails within the United States at midyear 1996, which represented a 119 percent increase in the total number of inmates in custody when compared with the correctional population at year end 1985. The total correctional population included 73,607 women, which accounted for 6.3 percent of all prisoners nationwide.' Local jails are facilities that hold inmates beyond arraignment. generally for over 48 hours but for less than a year. Local jails are administered by city or county officials. Prisons are correctional facilities in which persons convicted of major crimes or felonies serve their sentences, which are usually in excess of a year. There are