A systematic review of research on the epidemiology of mental health disorders in prison populations: a summary of findings

Brooker et al. (2002) conducted a systematic review of research into the mental health of prisoners. Their final report included a review of the epidemiology of the prison population, an overview of the interventions used to treat the major mental health disorders in both the general and prison populations, and a review of service delivery and organisation for prisoners with mental health disorders. The review found a high prevalence of mental health disorders in prison populations, with up to 15% of prisoners having four or five co-existing mental disorders. This review has been updated, using the same methodology, to include literature dated from 2002 to August 2006. This paper presents findings from the epidemiology section of the updated review, which includes 18 new studies. The recent studies largely reflect the findings of earlier research. However, some studies in the updated review focus on countries where little of this type of research has previously been conducted. The prevalence of mental health disorders, suicide, and substance misuse remains high in prison populations around the world demonstrating the need for suitable evidence-based interventions to address these issues. Future research should concentrate on mapping interventions available to prisoners and evaluating their effectiveness.