NCJ Number
239347
Date Published
July 2012
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This is the first Australian study to measure the prevalence of mental disorders among offenders nationally, using information provided by 690 police detainees who participated in the Australian Institute of Criminology's Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA).
Abstract
Results indicate that almost half of detainees may have a diagnosable mental disorder at the time of arrest, including 42 percent of women and 28 percent of men with no previous diagnosis. Of the 668 detainees who were asked whether they had ever been diagnosed with a mental health problem by a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or nurse, 41 percent reported having been previously diagnosed. Of these respondents, 272 were able to recall at least 1 diagnosis; 23 reported 2 diagnoses, and 5 reported 3 diagnoses. A table shows the diagnostic categories of mental health problems reported by the detainees. These findings indicate that mental disorders among detainees are likely to be more prevalent than in the general population. Mood disorders, e.g., depression and bipolar, were the most often reported disorders and at very high rate (28 percent of males and 44 percent of females). Anxiety and substance-use disorder were reported by detainees in a similar proportion as in the general population. Four percent of female detainees and five percent of males reported having been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Screening detainees at admission presents an opportunity to identify those who may benefit from comprehensive assessment and treatment. This study was the first to use the Corrections Mental Health Screen (CMHS) on an Australian offender population. This instrument has been validated for gender-specific screening. 2 tables, 2 figures, and 41 references