2021
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111254
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Mental Health in Prison: Integrating the Perspectives of Prison Staff

Abstract: (1) Background: The Italian Constitutional Court’s decision n. 99/2019 abolished the distinction between physical and psychological health care in the Italian prison system. However, this and other changes to the penitentiary system present challenges to prison staff, which may vary based on their roles and backgrounds; (2) Purpose: To create a process of dialogue and collaboration that include different points of view, needs, and proposals regarding mental health in prisons, this study collects and integrates… Show more

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Cited by 14 publications
(10 citation statements)
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“…Across the 1-year follow-up period, of those accepting treatment, only those 11 prisoners who left the prison (3 due to transfer to another prison and 8 to release) discontinued it at least in this prison; 140 (93%) continued to the conclusion of the study and completed the final assessments. This substantially confirms the high rate of acceptance of therapeutic proposals in Italian prisoners (Testoni et al, 2021). In our cohort, approximately 65% (n = 197) of newly admitted prisoners were affected by a current mental disorder (55% substance use disorder and 10% other psychiatric disorder).…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 86%
“…Across the 1-year follow-up period, of those accepting treatment, only those 11 prisoners who left the prison (3 due to transfer to another prison and 8 to release) discontinued it at least in this prison; 140 (93%) continued to the conclusion of the study and completed the final assessments. This substantially confirms the high rate of acceptance of therapeutic proposals in Italian prisoners (Testoni et al, 2021). In our cohort, approximately 65% (n = 197) of newly admitted prisoners were affected by a current mental disorder (55% substance use disorder and 10% other psychiatric disorder).…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 86%
“…Our reflections became critical of the way some prison peer support schemes are operationalised, leading to anxiety that our findings could damage schemes – or result in reduced provision – and prisoners would suffer. Peer supporters face extremely high levels of distress and self-harm and, particularly given the chronic lack of other services such as healthcare (Testoni et al, 2021), their work is essential:Those girls that I used to go out to, they used to slash their faces all the time, it really upset me, I used to say to them ‘ you’ve got your whole life ahead of you, don’t slash your beautiful face’ … the thought of removing this one thing (Listening), this one person that they have, to talk to, and that they feel safe with … I don’t know ….…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Our reflections became critical of the way some prison peer support schemes are operationalised, leading to anxiety that our findings could damage schemesor result in reduced provisionand prisoners would suffer. Peer supporters face extremely high levels of distress and self-harm and, particularly given the chronic lack of other services such as healthcare (Testoni et al, 2021), their work is essential:…”
Section: The Importance Of Peer Support and Listeningmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Overall, the findings of this study contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the pre-existing psychosocial vulnerabilities that inmates ‘import’ into prison and that, when compounded by stressful circumstances (such as COVID-19), may increase the likelihood of suicide attempts [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Interestingly, correctional physicians highlighted the tendency amongst prison staff to ‘psychiatrize’ behavioral difficulties, overestimating the presence of psychiatric disorders [ 73 ]. It is essential to distinguish between psychiatric illnesses, which tend to be enduring, and psychological distress, which is typically context-dependent and transient.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%