Mental and Physical Well Being in Prisoners

Abstract

Global health attention is necessary to improve the prison population mental and physical health because limited public health ramifications and inmates’ psychological effects impose many strains on community preventive measures and prison rehabilitation. Though some prisoners are  younger than the general population, the jail population often has the worse health. Many have considerable mental and physical health needs as a result of social and economic poverty. Since many prisoners have histories of tobacco use and alcohol or drugs, many of these risk patterns  result in addictions that are tied to unhealthy  lifestyles. Prior contact with mental health, substance use or medical services  typically was very limited or absent due to lack of access to treatment, diminished resources, barriers for the uninsured and underserved, financial stability to afford care, stigma, or reluctance to focus on self-care. There are certain mental health disorders and infectious diseases that are prevalent in prisoners and should be addressed. Many prisoners have serious, debilitating mental and physical conditions that go untreated or undiagnosed while they are incarcerated. Prior to being incarcerated, If crime and incarceration are to be decreased and rehabilitative efforts are increased to deter re-incarceration, preventive measures are necessary that include community mental and medical services accessibility and affordability while availability of such services are provided in prison and coordination of care of evidence-based therapy and infection-control strategies are highly recommended before the inmate returns to the community. This review covers most common mental and physical health issues and their management for inmates because few research has explored how having a mental health disorder compound with a physical ailment affects an inmate’s behavior while advocating for human rights-informed strategies for the treatment of people in the criminal justice system.