International Journal of Prisoner Health: Volume 3 Issue 2

Punishing the disoriented? Medical and criminological implications of incarcerating patients with mental disorders for failing to pay a fine

G. Müller‐Foti, F.J. Robertz, S. Schildbach, R. Wickenhäuser

According to the German penal code, offenders can basically be sanctioned to a prison sentence or (in cases of misdemeanours) to a fine. If an offender is sentenced to a fine, but…

Mentally ill prisoners in Australia have poor physical health

Tony Butler, Stephen Allnutt, Baohui Yang

Our objective was to compare the physical health status of adult prisoners with and without a mental illness. Mental illness was diagnosed in a sample of 557 Australian prisoners…

Prison psychiatry

Norbert Konrad, Julio Arboleda‐Florez, Alan D. Jager, Kris Naudts, Jose Taborda, Nicoleta Tataru

It is basically a primarily legal philosophical and political problem whether or not mentally disordered persons “belong” in prison. Countries applying the construct of criminal…

Mental health care in prison: How to manage our care

Hjalmar J.C. Van Marle

In the prison system there are high percentages of mentally disordered offenders, often with co‐morbid psychiatric disorders. In addition, the setting and ward atmosphere in…

Forensic mental health care in South America: An overview of the Brazilian and Argentinian cases

G. V.T José, Jorge O. Folinio, Rodrigo Salton

South America is a heterogeneous continent, with diverse prison realities. Its prison population is estimated at 600,000 inmates, of whom 10,000 are declared insane. Physical and…

Risk factors for self‐injurious behaviour in custody: Problems of definition and prediction

Johannes Lohner, Norbert Konrad

This article reviews the international literature of the last two decades on self‐injurious behaviour in prisons and jails and introduces the risk factors associated with this…

Mental health and suicide prevention services for Canadian prisoners

Marc S. Daigle

There is a dissonance between the purposes and services of the justice system compared to the needs of suicidal people or those with mental health problems. Correctional…