Former Mental Patients in a Prison and Parole System

Abstract

This paper examines the socially disruptive behavior of former mental patients for a sample of Federal inmates during prison confinement and upon release to the community. The analysis focuses on comparisons between these and other inmates in terms of prison disciplinary infractions and post-prison adjustment. Within the prison, it was found that the former mental patients had a higher disciplinary infraction rate than other inmates. This difference persisted even when differences in the known correlates of disciplinary infractions were accounted for. In the community, it was also found that the former mental patients were more likely to fail at adjustment. However, this difference was not statistically significant once differences in the known correlates of post-prison failure were accounted for. The implications of these two findings are discussed.