NCJ Number
149299
Date Published
1994
Length
73 pages
Annotation
During this study on prison procedures for mentally disturbed inmates, researchers spent between 8 and 15 person- days in each of seven Scottish penal establishments, observing changeover periods, reception processes, recordkeeping, interaction between different grades of personnel, interaction between staff and inmate patients, and conditions and regimes for the mentally disturbed.
Abstract
Interviews were conducted with staff members and the researchers had access to some prisoner records. In terms of the reception and initial assessment of mentally ill inmates, the researchers recommended that aims and objectives should be clearly established for both reception and initial assessment, each prisoner should be treated as an individual through this process, the flow of information into the prison about an inmate should be improved, and that at least one staff member on each reception and admission team should be trained in identifying mental disturbance. With regard to information and referral systems, prisons should modernize their computerized systems of records, there should be regular meetings of the different staff involved with prisoners, and staff should be provided time and space for the inmate-related report writing. All prison staff should be given basic training in identifying mental disturbance and, when possible, prisons should set aside discreet accommodation for mentally ill inmates. Finally, cooperation and team-building among staff are critical in providing adequate mental health services for inmates. 2 appendixes