NCJ Number
130416
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 33 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1991) Pages: 175-182
Date Published
1991
Length
8 pages
Annotation
An investigation was initiated at the request of the Quebec region of Canada's Correctional Service to evaluate the mental health of penitentiary inmates in the Special Handling Unit (SHU) and the Long-Term Segregation Unit (LTSU).
Abstract
Of 62 inmates held in the SHU, 41 or 65.1 percent completed the interview. Of 46 inmates held in the LTSU, 32 or 69.6 percent completed the interview. The mean age of subjects in the SHU and the LTSU was 32.9 years and 31.1 years, respectively. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule was used to assess mental disorder; 29 percent of SHU inmates suffered from severe mental disorders, notably schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These results suggested that inmates who were disorganized, disruptive, and lacking in self-control were sent to the SHU or the LTSU. While the proportion of inmates suffering from schizophrenia and mania were higher in the SHU and the LTSU than in the general penitentiary population, the proportion of inmates suffering from major depression was greater in the general inmate population than in isolated populations. A third of the SHU inmates reported having attempted suicide, the same proportion of general penitentiary inmates who report they had tried to kill themselves. Two inmates from the SHU and three from the LTSU were transferred for psychiatric care while in the penitentiary. Study findings suggest that mentally disordered inmates are being isolated within penitentiaries and that they are not receiving mental health care. 21 references, 1 note, and 1 table