Wai‐Ming Mak, V., Man‐Yin Ho, S., Li, W., & Ka‐Yan Pau, B. (2021). Relationships between hope and mental health among women in prison. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 31(2), 96–108. Web.
The authors of this study investigated the associations between suffering among women in prison, regular attentional processing patterns, and dispositional perceptions of hope. They decided to survey for this reason: The association between expectancy and psychological symptoms had been the subject of prior studies with non-offenders, but this had not been done with criminals. According to the authors’ hypothesis, women in jail would exhibit fewer signs of stress, despair, and anxiety if they had higher levels of hope. In addition, it would lead to increased attention to positive information in the environment and decreased concentration on negative news.
They used a cross-sectional research design and recruited willing women who were incarcerated and had been referred to mental health care. Each participant completed a set of personal self-rating questionnaires to gauge their degree of optimism, receptivity to negative and positive information, and expressions of stress, sadness, and anxiety. A total of 233 women took part; their ages ranged from 21 to 67, averaging 35.68% were repeat offenders. Overall, the assessments of their psychological symptoms decreased the more optimism they had. On the other hand, higher hope and less mental anguish were related to positive attention bias.
Negative attention bias, on the other hand, was associated with decreased hope and higher psychological distress scores. Both attention biases were shown to partially mediate the association between hope and psychological suffering in statistical models. The results, which were not previously investigated among convicts but applied to women in jail, were in line with those in non-forensic groups. The authors argue that it would be worthwhile to research attention-style therapies since they could boost optimism, relieve psychiatric symptoms, and possibly even curb hazardous behaviors in this susceptible group. The article is relevant in research as it aids in identifying risk and protective factors relevant to women in jail regarding the mental trauma they experience.
Jalali, F., & Hashemi, S. F. (2019). Group life skills training for promoting mental health in women after released from prison: A randomized pilot efficacy trial. Health Care for Women International, 40(3), 314–327. Web.
In this study, the researchers sought to ascertain how well Life Skills Training enhanced women’s mental health after their release. The research was created with the idea that women have a significant role in promoting global health because of the importance of their health. The research design was semi-experimental, including a control group, follow-up, and post-tests. By convenience sample, 150 women who had been freed were chosen. They were randomly split into the control and experimental group. The control group was not included, while the experimental group was trained in life skills. The General Health Questionnaire was used as the research measuring tool.
According to data analysis, life skills training programs can reduce the symptoms of depression among women who have just been released from jail. In addition, life skills training programs can boost women’s coping mechanisms against stress by teaching them various skills, which can be expressed in terms of anxiety symptoms. According to the findings, life skills training programs improved women’s mental health after they were released from jail. However, many therapeutic trials have not been done to lessen and alleviate these challenges. The period right after discharge is significant. Thus, applying strategies and concepts from life skills training programs might be beneficial. So as to help women improve their mental health after being released from jail, life skills training programs make use of a variety of talents. The article is significant for research since women caring for and attending to children might be challenging following release from jail. Therefore, starting the appropriate intervention as soon as possible is essential to support their mental health and help them reintegrate into society. Thus, doing a clinical trial has benefits for all populations, especially those who are targeted.
Li, Y., Wen, Z., He, Y., & Huang, J. (2022). Mental health status among prison officers in enforcing the law during COVID-19 epidemic: A cross-sectional survey from China. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1). Web.
This study conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine the psychological problems that prison staff encountered in combating the COVID-19 epidemic. The factors impacting mental health were found using multivariable logistic regression. The present study’s other goal was to investigate the variables that may affect Chinese correctional officers’ mental health and, in turn, how well they may be able to enforce pertinent legislation. The snowball sampling technique was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey with 981 frontline jail officers. The self-administered survey is divided into four sections: the informed permission form, the sociodemographic part, the employment and living circumstances during the onset of COVID-19, and its control 12-item General Health Questionnaire in Chinese (GHQ-12). In addition, the prevalence of psychological issues was examined through a self-reported survey utilizing the GHQ-12 scale. The findings showed that 33.43% of frontline jail guards might have mental health issues during the COVID-19 epidemic’s prevention and management. These results also demonstrated that the staff suffered from psychological issues, including hopelessness and anxiety. The main signs were sorrow and despair, worry-induced sleeplessness, and ongoing stress.
The study found that 33.43% of the frontline correctional employees who stopped the COVID-19 outbreak from increasing to jail could have had mental health issues. The research results were considerably different from those of frontline healthcare workers. It was unable to compare the prevalence findings from other eras since no data or prior studies analyzed the mental health of jail staff. While the COVID-19 pandemic was being prevented and controlled, respondents with prison officials reported much more psychological issues than Chinese adults polled in 2019. Nevertheless, the report is crucial for research since it revealed that frontline jail guards had mental health problems that had gotten to the point where they needed to be assessed further and could not be ignored.
Lennox, C., Stevenson, R., Owens, C., Byng, R., Brand, S. L., Maguire, M., Durcan, G., Stevenson, C., Shaw, J., & Quinn, C. (2021). Using multiple case studies of health and justice services to inform the development of a new complex intervention for prison leavers with common mental health problems (Engager). Health & Justice, 9(1). Web.
This article builds on intervention theory to learn from creative and progressive efforts that offer interdisciplinary support or treatment for persons struggling with common mental health disorders while associated with the criminal justice system. Additionally, the authors sought to identify critical components of interagency practice to determine what strategies applied to individuals, maintained contact with them, and improved their mental health and other parts of their life. Due to poorly coordinated efforts between the criminal and health justice systems, persons involved in the criminal justice system typically do not get assistance outside of jail despite having complex requirements. The authors employed a multiple-case research method and a targeted ethnographic technique in four research sites. Framework analysis was used to examine data gathered from three sources: documents, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. The seven critical areas of the study were client engagement and motivation, therapy approach, end-of-study preparations, collaboration, and supervision. The client’s relationship with the expert affected their motivation and engagement.
Understanding the interaction between justice and health services was made possible by constructing several case studies. The critical topics found are well-known components of co-working in justice and health. The innovative concepts, however, emerged from research on interdependence and links in intricate, nuanced occurrences and practices, with a particular emphasis on the worth of the framework for implementing and supervisory models. The selection of a few examples that more accurately reflected the identified knowledge gaps resulted in a significant contribution to the program theory and execution of an innovative, comprehensive strategy. The importance of this research paper lies in its ability to guide the conduct of a complicated collaborative care intervention for males in the UK with common mental health issues. This intervention aimed to promote these men’s release from prison and integration into society.
Hayes, A., Senior, J., Fahy, T., & Shaw, J. (2014). Actions are taken in response to mental health screening at reception into prison. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 25(4), 371–379. Web.
The article’s authors wanted to show the steps taken when a test for mental health issues and suicidal thoughts returned positive. It has been criticized for screening people for mental health issues after they are taken into custody. However, because of screening identification, there has not been much research on care paths via detention. Over four months, hand examinations of case data for 2166 prisoners who had just been admitted to five prisons in England and had recorded interaction with medical personnel the month before were conducted. 3% of prisoners were determined to be actively considering suicide, and 30% had no contact with risk assessment records or mental health services. Only 36% of prisoners who used psychotropic drugs did so while in prison; 21% of new arrivals did. In addition, the study looked at what prisoners did after being subjected to mental health screenings upon entering jail. In the first few months of custody, over 30% of individuals screened for present suicidal or self-harm ideas were not treated according to the established protocol.
However, suicide is a severe prison issue, especially for inmates still being processed and those on remand. In addition, there were clear areas of inadequacy in the overall supervision of convicts based on mental health screening at arrival. The lack of standardized processes for screen positives seems to be the main. It indicates that even when screening is conducted on each prisoner, the proper procedures are not followed. Although further research is needed, this study revealed that communication between prison and community programs and inside-prison groups was lacking. The article is essential since it aids in looking at the initial actions performed in the first month of custody to establish the individual’s mental health.
References
Hayes, A., Senior, J., Fahy, T., & Shaw, J. (2014). Actions are taken in response to mental health screening at reception into prison. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 25(4), 371–379. Web.
Jalali, F., & Hashemi, S. F. (2019). Group life skills training for promoting mental health in women after released from prison: A randomized pilot efficacy trial.Health Care for Women International, 40(3), 314–327. Web.
Lennox, C., Stevenson, R., Owens, C., Byng, R., Brand, S. L., Maguire, M., Durcan, G., Stevenson, C., Shaw, J., & Quinn, C. (2021). Using multiple case studies of health and justice services to inform the development of a new complex intervention for prison leavers with common mental health problems (Engager).Health & Justice, 9(1). Web.
Li, Y., Wen, Z., He, Y., & Huang, J. (2022). Mental health status among prison officers in enforcing the law during COVID-19 epidemic: A cross-sectional survey from China.BMC Psychiatry, 22(1). Web.
Wai‐Ming Mak, V., Man‐Yin Ho, S., Li, W., & Ka‐Yan Pau, B. (2021). Relationships between hope and mental health among women in prison.Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 31(2), 96–108. Web.