An Examination of Mental Health and Psychiatric Care among Older Prisoners in the United States

Despite that prisons in the United States (and other high-income countries) have witnessed an increase in the proportion of older inmates, and that prison populations exhibit high rates of psychiatric illness, there is limited knowledge on the nature of older inmates’ psychological health and use/provision of psychiatric care. The present study addresses these gaps, analyzing a nationally representative sample of 1,907 male and female older inmates (age range = 50–84 years; M = 56) housed in U.S. state and federal prisons. The results highlight: (a) the prevalence of psychological issues among older prisoners; (b) factors associated with certain mental disorders and symptoms of mental health issues; (c) the prevalence of psychiatric treatment before and during imprisonment for those with (and without) reported psychological health issues; (d) similarities and differences between male and female older inmates in relation to psychological health, factors associated with psychological issues, and the use/provision of psychiatric care. Discussion points toward recommendations for managing inmate mental health, as well as direction for further research on older inmate mental health and psychiatric care.     

An Examination of the Effects of Different Victimization Types on Psychological and Behavioral Health Outcomes and the Mediating Role of Stress

Although a considerable amount of research has highlighted the link between interpersonal victimization and adverse psychological and behavioral health, a paucity of research has examined and compared the effects of multiple forms of victimization in the same study. There is also a limited understanding of the underlying individual factors (e.g., emotional processes) that might link experiences of victimization to psychological and behavioral health adversities. To address these gaps, the author used a nationally representative sample of 19,422 Canadians aged 15 years old or older to examine the effects of different types of victimization on psychological and behavioral health outcomes, and to determine whether these associations are mediated by perceived stress. Results revealed that some victimization types (i.e., personal, household/property, cyberbully, ex-partner physical/sexual and emotional abuse) had statistically significant adverse effects on psychological and behavioral health outcomes (i.e., self-report mental health, life satisfaction, satisfaction with safety from crime, and alcohol/drug abuse). Results also revealed that perceived stress mediated the association between some victimization types and psychological, but not behavioral, health outcomes. Discussion points toward the utility of examining multiple victimization types, as well as other converging individual factors or adversities, in explaining psychological and behavioral health outcomes.     

Rawls on agreeing to disagree: How democracies differ from non-democracies in justifying war

We use Rawls’s account of public reason and the Law of Peoples to test two hypotheses: democracies are more likely to invoke self-defense in justifications than non-democracies, and democracies are more likely to invoke human rights in justifications than non-democracies. Through an analysis of war justifications since 1875, we find that although democracies and non-democracies are similarly likely to use self-defense as a justification, democracies are more likely to justify war through human rights. Institutions and values centering on rights that promote domestic public justification also promote justifications compatible with those values and institutions at the international level.     

Roles of government in a mixed economy

This essay argues that market failure analysis provides an unsubstantial basis for assessing the kinds of things governments should be doing if they could do them well, and modern public choice theory an inadequate guide to obstacles to effective governmental action. The argument is supported by analysis of political rhetoric and actual policy in two arenas: support of R&D, and help for poor children.     

Detection of the rare PGM1(3) allele. Further biochemical and genetic characterization of the PGM1(3) isozymes

A family possessing the rare PGM1(3) allele has been found in North Carolina, and criteria for the electrophoretic separation and accurate typing of the PGM1(3) isozymes are outlined. The PGM1(3) isozymes detected proved to be useful in helping to determine parentage in an incest investigation. The pattern of segregation of the PGM1(3) allele in four generations of this family and thermostability studies on the PGM1(3) isozymes are presented.     

English court upholds ban on newspaper publishing identity of HIV-positive health-care worker

In the last issue of the Review, we reported about an HIV-positive health-care worker in the UK who brought legal proceedings to prevent the National Health Service from notifying his previous patients that he is infected. In February 2002, the Court of Appeal for England and Wales (Civil Division) upheld a ban on publishing his name and that of the health authority for which he worked.     

HIV-positive child made ward of court after father refuses treatment with antiretroviral drugs

In 1999, we reported a number of cases in Canada, the US, and the UK in which child-welfare authorities have disputed parents' decisions to refuse HIV testing or treatment for their children. This article reports on new developments in one of those cases. On 10 May 2002, the English High Court heard submissions regarding the future of a three- year-old HIV-positive girl who was made a ward of the court after her father refused to allow her to be treated with antiretroviral drugs.