Psychiatric morbidity in prisoners and solitary cellular confinement, I: disciplinary segregation

Abstract

Surveys of prisoners have demonstrated a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. There is increasing concern that behavioural disorder secondary to psychiatric morbidity may be perceived and dealt with by prison staff as a disciplinary problem instead of as illness-related behaviour. A survey among prisoners in England and Wales identified the characteristics of those who had been placed in disciplinary segregation. There was no evidence that prisoners with severe mental illness were more likely to report disciplinary segregation following adjudication under the prison rules. Segregated prisoners were more likely to be younger, with histories of violent offending, career criminality, early environmental disadvantage, anti-social personality disorder, drug misuse - specifically crack cocaine - and higher scores of psychopathy. Disciplinary segregation may be an indicator of increased risk of future offending.