Mental Health Status of Incarcerated Women in India: A Perspective from a Social Worker

Women constitute a growing segment of the incarcerated population across the world, presenting unique issues for social workers in correctional settings. In this article, based on a study conducted in Mandoli Jail, New Delhi, India, we address the need to broaden the scope and quality of social work provided for women inmates, specifically highlighting the potential role of social workers in promoting their mental health. Our study revealed that the mean age of women inmates was 39.43 years, indicating that most of the women were in their reproductive age and therefore prone to specific health issues. On an average, they were overweight, with only 42.22% women inmates being active, while remaining were inactive (15.56%), moderately inactive (22.22%) or moderately active (20.00%). Of greater concern were the mental health findings: 87.8% experienced distress (45.57% moderately elevated, 54.43% strongly elevated), 73.3% depression (34.85% moderately elevated, 65.15% strongly elevated), 77.78% anxiety (41.43% moderately elevated, 58.57% strongly elevated) and 82.22% somatisation (43.24% moderately elevated, 56.76% strongly elevated). Our study, consequently, identified the mental health of women inmates as a strategic priority for social workers. In this article, we explore the mutuality of various social work practice principles at different levels of intervention and the roles that social workers, as human rights-based professionals, may engage in to improve the mental health of incarcerated women.

Use of rapid molecular tuberculosis diagnostics across Brazil’s incarcerated population

BackgroundIncarcerated individuals in Brazil are at high-risk of tuberculosis (TB), but their access to World Health Organization recommended diagnostics is poorly understood.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of newly diagnosed TB cases in Brazil’s notifiable disease registry, which includes information on diagnostic tests performed, from January 2015 through December 2018. We quantified reported use of TB diagnostics across incarcerated and non-incarcerated populations and tested for municipality-level factors associated with diagnostic usage among the incarcerated population with generalized linear regression.ResultsBetween 2015 and 2018, 258,014 individuals were newly diagnosed with TB, including 27,400 (10.6%) incarcerated individuals. Among these, 27.5% had an Xpert MTB/RIF test reported; 71.5% had sputum smear; 34.1% had culture; 70.9% had chest radiography. Xpert MTB/RIF use was greater among incarcerated than non-incarcerated individuals (36.2% vs 26.5%, p<0.001). However, we found spatial heterogeneity in state-level use of both Xpert MTB/RIF (range: 4.7-72.4% cases diagnosed) and chest radiography (range: 11.7-88.4%) in prisons. We identified seven municipalities with large incarcerated populations (>5000) with rates of Xpert MTB/RIF usage below the national average in incarcerated individuals.ConclusionPrioritizing expansion of rapid molecular diagnostics in prisons, particularly in regions with limited current usage of molecular diagnostics, will be an essential component of TB control.

The Aging Incarcerated Population: Evaluating Two Decades of Upward Trends

The aging prison population encompasses the fastest rising age category in the US prison system and are continuing to receive national focus due to its high economic and social costs. Due to their confinement status, the aging incarcerated individuals are subject to insufficient health care and risky lifestyles and behaviors. This leads to an even more rapid progression of these concerns than commonly found in typical aging populations. Due to this, correctional departments are challenged to provide the necessary care and support. This study reviewed snapshots of 1998, 2008, and 2018 incarcerated population data from a mid-sized correctional department in efforts to evaluate the trends of the aging incarcerated population (ages 55 or older) over the past two decades. The findings highlight: a) The prevalence of the aging incarcerated population and the change in populations over the past two decades; b) The similarities and differences between the aging and non-aging incarcerated populations; c) The factors that distinguish the 1998, 2008, and 2018 aging incarcerated population; and d) The recidivism and violation rates of the 1998, 2008, and 2018 incarcerated population. This endeavor helped gain insight and knowledge into the impact of the aging incarcerated population. Studies like this one benefit in providing consideration to policy changes focusing on the geriatric population, attention to the aging population’s physical and mental health, and evaluation of new programs that can positively impact the aging incarcerated population.

Literary Translation behind Bars in the Late Soviet Union: Contextual Voices of Vasyl' Stus and Ivan Svitlychnyi

Translation in captivity is nothing new, nor is it restricted to a particular place or historical period. However, this social and cultural phenomenon is marked by a far more frequent occurrence in totalitarian societies. This article examines the practice of literary translation in Soviet labour camps, where, as a result of political repression, Ukrainian scholars, writers, translators, and lexicographers (aka prisoners of conscience) constituted a large part of the incarcerated population. The fact that translation activity thrived behind bars despite brutal and dehumanizing conditions testifies to the phenomenon of cultural resistance and translators’ activism, both of which deserve close scholarly attention. This study provides insights into practical, historical, psychological, and philosophical aspects of translation in extreme conditions. It seeks answers to the questions of why prisoners of conscience felt moved to translate, and how they pursued their work in situations of extreme pressure. Through the lens of translation in prison, the article offers a wide perspective on the issues of retranslation, pseudotranslation, translation editing, text selection, and the functions of literary translation. The focus of the paper is on Soviet Ukraine in the 1970s-80s, when a wave of political repressions led to the appearance of a new generation of prisoners of conscience. Case studies of Vasyl' Stus and Ivan Svitlychnyi are discussed, drawing on their letters during the incarceration period and the memoirs of their inmates.

The Effect of Incarceration on Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes in Brazil: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Tuberculosis notifications in Latin American prisons have more than doubled over the past two decades; however, treatment outcomes and their determinants among incarcerated individuals in this region are not well understood. Methods: Newly diagnosed drug-susceptible tuberculosis cases reported to Brazils Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) between January 2015 and December 2017 were included. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with treatment success among incarcerated individuals. Results: Incarcerated individuals (n=17,776) had greater treatment success than non-incarcerated individuals (n=160,728; 82.2% vs 75.1%, p<0.0001), including after adjusting for demographic and clinical risk factors (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.19-1.34). These differences were partially mediated by increased use of directly observed therapy among incarcerated individuals (DOT) (61% vs 47%, p<0.001), which was associated with greater efficacy in the incarcerated population (aOR 2.56 vs aOR 2.17; p<0.001). DOT was associated with improved treatment success among incarcerated subpopulations at elevated risk of poor outcomes. Conclusion: Tuberculosis treatment success among incarcerated individuals in Brazil is higher than non-incarcerated individuals, but both fall below WHO targets. Expanding the use of DOT and services for socially and medically vulnerable individuals may improve outcomes in carceral settings.

Neuroscience, Empathy, and Violent Crime in an Incarcerated Population: A Narrative Review

Empathy is a fundamental construct that allows individuals to perceive and understand the cognitive and emotional state of others. Empathy is not only a psychological and sociological concept; it also heavily impacts our daily lives by affecting our decisions and actions. Empathy is connected to and involves specific parts of the brain which, if damaged or of reduced volume, can lead to actions that are morally unjust, aggressive, or simply denoting a lack of understanding and sensitivity. The literature affirms that the low level of empathy, guilt, embarrassment, and moral reasoning displayed by violent and psychopathic criminals is strongly associated with empathy-linked brain regions that are smaller in size or less developed. The aim of this review is to show empirical data over the last 5 years on the connection between empathy and neuroscience among violent and psychopathic offenders, reflecting on future research on the topic.