MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'correctional'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:39:25 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911573&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fhow-forensic-psychology-began-and-flourished%2F There are many subsets of psychology. No doubt one of the most fascinating is forensic psychology. Forensic psychology is basically the intersection of psychology and the legal system. It’s quite a broad field. Psychologists work in a variety of settings, including police departments, prisons, courts and juvenile detention centers. And they do everything from assessing whether an incarcerated individual is ready for parole to advising attorneys on jury selection to serving as experts on the stand to counseling cops and their spouses to creating treatment programs for offenders. Most are trained as clinical or counseling psychologists. So how did this interesting specialty emerge and expand? Here’s a brief look at the history of forensic psychology. The Birth of Forensic Psychology The... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911573 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:09:18 +0100 4911573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382764&cid=t_321073_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-homicide-safer-to-work-in-a-prison-than-in-a-hospital%2F2011.01.21 There’s been a lot of stories in the news lately about homicides committed in hospitals. Just out of curiosity, I went to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website and pulled some data from their Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. It confirmed what I suspected — that homicides of workers in hospitals have increased at twice the rate as correctional facilities, where worker homicides have remained stable. Here’s the graph I was able to make from the BLS data: The red bars (hospital murders) are up to six and seven homicides per year while the blue bars (correctional facility murders) have remained stable at about three per year. This is only for the employees who have been murdered, not all murder victims. When we consider the cost and repercussions of increased ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382764 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4382764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225252&cid=t_321073_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprison-overcrowding-does-it-affect-mental-health%2F2010.12.02 In California, the U.S. district court has ordered that tens of thousands of prisoners be released to reduce overcrowding. The case, Schwarzenegger v. Plata, was argued this past Tuesday and the transcript is online. This is relevant to a psychiatry blog because one of the arguments used in support of the releases is the contention that overcrowded facilities reduce access to mental health and medical services and that overcrowding causes mental deterioration and breakdown. The APA filed an amicus brief in the case, but the brief isn’t available online yet. (Keep an eye out for it here.) The challenge with this case is that there is no (or extremely little) actual research to support the link between overcrowding and psychological problems. Correctional systems have spent a lot of ti... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225252 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4225252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816763&cid=t_321073_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fserving-productive-jail-time%2F Serving Productive Time Are you or have you ever been incarcerated? Do you have a loved one in jail or prison? Do you work or volunteer at a correctional facility? Have you ever been the victim of a crime? Do you understand that we all share the responsibility of helping others—no matter who they are, where they live, or what they have done? If so, you understand that incarceration affects everyone and that only through positive change can people begin to heal and grow. In Serving Productive Time, you’ll read about extraordinary people who are taking tangible steps to make positive changes in their own lives and who are reaching out to help others do the same. Some stories will help you gain a new perspective on those who are incarcerated. Some will help you understand t... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816763 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:56:00 +0100 3816763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581580&cid=t_321073_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fexclusive-video-our-conversation-with-piper-kerman-author-of-orange-is-the-new-black%2F At age 34, Piper Kerman went to prison for a ten-year-old drug smuggling and money laundering offense. She spent 13 months in a minimum-security correctional facility for women in Danbury, CT, which isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Smith graduate and Red Sox fan from a nice, New England family. Piper’s excellent memoir of her prison experience, Orange Is the New Black, was just published by Random House – with back cover blurbs by Dave Eggers and Elizabeth Gilbert (not bad for a first-time writer). Piper sat down with Blisstree for the afternoon to discuss all aspects of her time locked up, from food quality, fitness routines, and friendships to the torturous six years she and her now-husband spent in limbo between her conviction and t... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581580 Wed, 19 May 2010 19:59:08 +0100 3581580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3136722&cid=t_321073_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FVt8xUCA9bwg%2F Relations with helping professionals Results of the 2007 AA Membership Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous confirm growing trust and transparency in the relationships between alcoholics and their health caregivers – doctors, nurses, counsellors and others – who, in turn, appear to be more informed about A.A. 74% of members’ doctors know they are in A.A., and 39% [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3136722 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:58:50 +0100 3136722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052179&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fare-they-animals.html Here's a story about a supermax facility in Illinois. Apparently efforts are being made to improve mental health services to these control unit inmates, some of whom have been insolitary confinement for up to ten years.They're getting a lot of service: group and individual counselling, psychiatric treatment and recreational activities. And they've had some serious behavior problems---109 of the 247 inmates are there because they committed new criminal offenses while in prison, includingstabbing correctional officers and murder.To me the story isn't interesting because of the mental health care issues or because of the nature of the inmates----that's pretty much old stuff to me. What I always think is fascinating are the comments left by the readers. Some people think the inmates are so men... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052179 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0100 3052179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348594&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fwhat-everybody-ought-to-know-about-why.html It's the question I get asked multiple times a week: "Why do I keep doing the same thing over and over again? There must be something wrong with me. Why do I keep coming back to prison?"Maybe you have a genetic brain disease, maybe you had a bad childhood, maybe you chose to pass by opportunities or advantages that other people took, maybe it's pure coincidence and by random chance something happened that swung you to the wrong side of the law. Medicine doesn't have the answer, sociologists don't have the answer, philosophers and religious leaders don't have the answer.Why do you keep doing the same thing over and over again, even if it's not good for you?Don't ask me, I eat lots of chocolate and hang from tall rocks.You do it because you're human, because the nature of humanity through th... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348594 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:00:00 +0100 2348594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313616&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fwho-are-you.html The DOC badge said his name was John X. Doe and that he was born on 1/1/81. The medical information system said his name was John Y. Doe and that he was born on 2/4/84. The legal information system said that John Y. Doe plead guilty to misdemeanor theft and was given six months. John X. Doe has an open robbery charge. John Y. Doe has been through the system three times and has always screened negatively for mental health issues and never needed psychiatric services. John X. Doe was in our forensic hospital for six months being restored to competency. The patient insists he's John X. Doe in spite of both information systems that link him through his DOC number.I've never treated either of these guys before, have no old records of my own and have no way of knowing if they're actually one and... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313616 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0100 2313616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258194&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Flife-after-homicide.html Is there life after homicide? No, I obviously don't mean for the victims---I mean for the killers.This is a question that struck me after one of my patients, a convicted murderer who violated his parole, said to me: "I don't feel good about the fact that I'm a killer."For some reason that statement just struck me and I'm not sure why. Of course someone would feel bad about killing. Sociopaths don't, but most normal non-sociopathic killers do. I think it hit me because my patient's offense had happened over a decade before and he had done well on parole since his release. He was really sad about what he had done and was trying to make things better.The fact of the matter is that all killers aren't the same. You have the barfight killers, the enraged jealous lover killers, the cold and calcu... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258194 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:53:00 +0100 2258194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240894&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fill-show-you.html Working with violent patients has its challenges. The main one is when they actually do become violent. When they act up, smash things or assault someone there is a quick need to coordinate interventions between security and mental health staff. Of course, safety is the primary goal. Nothing therapeutic can happen until the patient regains control of himself, or someone else gets him under control.After that, we get him. Violence is actually pretty rare in my facility---a credit to the quality of the correctional staff---but occasionally it does happen.The only reason I'm writing a blog post about it is because the management of violent patients gets tricky when you're the one they're violent toward. It can be a challenge to continue working with a patient who has threatened you or, god fo... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240894 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:06:00 +0100 2240894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2086923&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fnewsworthy-deaths.html So for the second time in as many days we have another story about a wealthy, high-flying businessman who commits suicide. Yesterday it was a German industrialist, today it was a Chicago real estate auctioneer.I'm not sure what makes these suicides more newsworthy than the death of one of my neighbors a couple years ago that didn't make the newspaper, or the hundreds of other suicide deaths that happen every month in this country, but there it is on CNN. Maybe it's a media comment on the state of the economy. Maybe it's the shock value of a successful or wealthy person just throwing it all away and giving up. Maybe it's a morality tale that materialism doesn't lead to happiness. Regardless, the stories draw eyeballs just for the schadenfreude of watching someone fall from a high place.In o... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2086923 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:53:00 +0100 2086923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2083987&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fnoahs-ark-bring-on-new-fish.html One of our readers asked me to comment on how psychiatrists who work in corrections keep from becoming 'hardened' to their patients when so many of them are 'lying jerks' (anonymous reader's words, not mine).The question was weirdly relevant this week.I came back from a week off to find that our entire department was flooded. A three inch pipe (clean water, fortunately) broke over the weekend and left a five inch layer of water over our entire floor. It leaked from the third floor tier all the way through to the first floor entrance. I don't even want to think about how many gallons that was.The water had been vacuumed by the time I came in but the smell hit me immediately. There are no words to describe this. Employees came in, took a sniff, and immediately turned around to leave. I had n... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2083987 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:24:00 +0100 2083987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2060928&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fclink-responds.html In my post “Who Is A Criminal?” one anonymous commenter posted a link to a newspaper story about a former musician who died of benzodiazepine withdrawal in a Cleveland jail. The anonymous commenter wondered what I thought about the story.Over the course of the years it's not unusual for people to send me links, both on and off the blog, to stories about horrible things that have happened in a jail or prison and to ask my opinion about it. The link usually comes in an email with the subject heading, "Can you believe this???" or "Does this really happen???" The expectation seems to be that I'm supposed to either share their outrage or else defend some obviously horrible outcome.I do neither, mainly because I don't know anything particular about the case in the media. I do know that the f... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2060928 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:14:00 +0100 2060928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2006514&cid=t_321073_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FBreastfeeding123%2F%7E3%2FVQRmM-ERPoo%2F One of the ValuTales series of books my 6- and 4-year-olds enjoy depicts the story of real-life prison reformer Elizabeth Gurney Fry. Fry was a Quaker woman who initiated prison reform for the women and children living in Newgate Prison in the early 1800s. Fast forward 200 years. What are the conditions like in the women’s prisons near you today? What would Elizabeth Fry think of a prison system that separates mothers and children without provision for breastfeeding babies? Remember how Olympic athlete Marion Jones had to wean her baby before she began to serve her prison sentence? What if she could have continued to breastfeed? There is something you can do to support prison reform for breastfeeding mothers and babies. If you are in Canada, read on for specific action you can take. ... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2006514 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:32:21 +0100 2006514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668386&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Flove-me-love-my-tats.html Recently one of our readers wondered what I thought of a study that was recently reported in Scientific American Mind. It was a study that was done in a forensic psychiatric hospital, looking at the correlation between tattoos and a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Briefly, they examined 36 inpatients for the presence or abscence of tattos and then did semi-structured interviews to assess them for antisocial personality disorder. Unsurprisingly, they found that people with tattos were more likely to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and to have histories of substance abuse and suicide attempts.My first thought when I read this report was: "This was a forensic fellows' research project."Psychiatrists in training to be forensic psychiatrists are encouraged to do ... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668386 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0100 1668386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1551326&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fmy-last-day.html As I was leaving prison today I noticed a man standing on the corner. He was wearing nice pants and a dress shirt. He had a knapsack thrown over one shoulder and was wearing sunglasses while talking on a cell phone. I didn't think anything of it until he looked over and saw me and yelled, "Doc! Hey doc! Remember me? You helped me, you really did. I'd hug you but I know that wouldn't be appropriate." Frankly, I didn't recognize him at first. I knew who he was after he called my name, but just to see him standing there, well, the context was quite different and he looked very very different from his appearance in prison. Anyway, he was doing great. He had a place to live, a job, was going to AA regularly, staying clean. He was waiting for his ride to pick him up for AA. His phone rang and ... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1551326 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:53:00 +0100 1551326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512138&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fleave-me-alone-does-shu-syndrome-exist.html [Note: This is the second in a two part series discussing the effects of longterm segregation. The first part in the series can be read here.]When you read legal opinions or listen to professionals talk about the psychiatric effects of longterm segregation you will sometimes hear them refer to something called the "SHU syndrome". The "SHU" stands for Special Housing Unit, another name for a control unit prison or a tier in a regular prison where inmates are kept in longterm segregation.The commonly accepted definition of "syndrome" is a constellation of signs and symptoms that are common to all sufferers of a disease. Syndromes are validated by showing that the particular syndrome can distinguish between people who have the disease versus those who don't, and can distinguish one disease fr... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512138 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +0100 1512138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502528&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fleave-me-alone-science-of-solitary.html Solitary confinement, or segregation, is used for several reasons. Inmates are put into segregation as a disciplinary measure for doing things like threatening or fighting with officers, escaping, destroying state property or setting fires. Segregation is used for medical reasons for inmates who may have infectious diseases (like tuberculosis) or who are refusing evaluation for infectious diseases. Segregation is used for protective custody if the inmate is a juvenile or if there are reasons to believe the inmate's safety might be at risk in regular housing (also called general population). Finally, there are also mental health reasons for putting someone in segregation. Inmates who are new to the facility, who are frightened and need time to adjust, or who have had a recent trauma or loss... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502528 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:00:00 +0100 1502528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1463752&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Feverybody-lies.html Back in the Dark Ages when I applied to medical school, all applicants were required to take the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory or MMPI. This is a personality test designed to identify psychopathology by examining the answers to literally hundreds of questions, many of them innocuous-sounding or not clearly related to any pathological answers. For example, one question that stood out in my mind was "I like to paint flowers." Now, I happen to like flowers and paintings of flowers but never in my life have I ever even tried to paint flowers. You're supposed to answer "true" or "false" to this question. Keep in mind that the answer to this question was going to have some bearing on whether or not I got accepted to medical school. OK, you make your best guess on the "right" (non-p... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1463752 Fri, 23 May 2008 00:25:00 +0100 1463752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1428988&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fhow-to-say-goodbye.html In a few weeks I will be less of a ClinkShrink than I currently am. I'll still be a ClinkShrink, I'll just be doing it in fewer prisons. It feels odd to schedule my patients for followup knowing that I will no longer be there for their followup appointment. I am faced with the question of how to say goodbye to my patients, some of whom I've treated over multiple incarcerations in the last fifteen years.Patients come in and out of my life fairly quickly. With a caseload of at least 150 patients or so, there's no way I can specifically remember each one. Often they disappear without warning, released to parole or transferred to other facilities. Sometimes I read about them in the newspapers later, either arrested or killed. That bothers me. I used to think that inmates didn't get attached to... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1428988 Thu, 08 May 2008 02:24:00 +0100 1428988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=510901&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fyour-doctor-is-making-jokes-about-you.html And Other Things You Don't Want to Know About MedicineYou deserve to know the truth. The truth is, your doctor may be telling jokes about you. Well OK, not necessarily about you, personally. But about medicine. About the experience of treating patients with common conditions in common circumstances. Stories about patients with unreasonable demands or unreasonable behaviors who come back repeatedly for repair after refusing to change the very things causing them problems. With regard to psychiatry, doctors who have been assaulted by a patient in seclusion may use humor to relieve the fear and anxiety associated with caring for a potentially violent person. In situations like this it's better to make a joke than to scream, throw up your hands and walk away.Sometimes in psychiatry you work wi... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=510901 Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:00:00 +0100 510901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=470305&cid=t_321073_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fno-you-dont.html I think Dinah raised an interesting topic in her last post. Can psychiatrists ever refuse to treat someone, or to treat them only under certain conditions?I'll leave Dinah and Roy to talk about the free society way of handling that; I can address what happens inside the walls.The patients I treat get locked up because of persistent misbehavior or persistent high-risk behavior. (I don't call it 'self-destructive' behavior---even though it is---because inside the walls that term has a very different connotation.) I don't really ever have the option of not treating someone. My clinic is never too full to accept new patients and our jail/emergency room never goes on 'fly-by' status due to lack of bed space. So, I get all comers.That being said, I do have certain limits. By the time I get my pa... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=470305 Sat, 10 Mar 2007 17:55:00 +0100 470305