As the costs of prisoner illness and health services use mount, research should focus on factors that predict these outcomes. This cross-sectional study, therefore, examines predictors of (a) prisoner illness, (b) use of physical health services, and (c) mental health services among 661 incarcerated males with a drug abuse history. These three in-prison outcomes were significantly predicted by a number of demographic, past illness, past health services use, and drug abuse history factors, all ascertainable at prison intake. If these relationships are confirmed in subsequent prospective studies, measuring these predictors may offer a simple, cost-effective approach for estimating future prisoner illness and demand for health services.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Correctional Association. (1999a). Inmate health: Part 1. Survey summary. Corrections Compendium, 24(10), 8-17.
2.
American Correctional Association. (1999b). Inmate health: Part 2. Survey summary. Corrections Compendium, 24(11), 12-20.
3.
Anno, J. (1997). Health behavior in prisons and correctional facilities. In D. S. Gochman (Ed.), Handbook of health behavior research: Vol. 3. Demography, development, and diversity(pp. 289-303). New York: Plenum.
4.
Barsky, A. J., Cleary, P. D., & Klerman, G. L. (1992). Determinants of perceived health status of medical outpatients. Social Science and Medicine, 34, 1147-1154.
5.
Blaum, C. S., Liang, J., & Liu, X. (1994). The relationship of chronic diseases and health status to the health services utilization of older Americans. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 42, 1087-1093.
6.
Chitwood, D. C., McBride, D. C., French, M. T., & Comerford, M. (1999). Health care need and utilization: A preliminary comparison of injection drug users, other illicit drug users, and nonusers. Substance Use and Misuse, 34, 727-746.
7.
Falkin, G. P., Prendergast, M., & Anglin, M. D. (1994). Drug treatment in the criminal justice system. Federal Probation, 58, 31-36.
8.
Idler, E. L., & Benyamini, Y. (1997). Self-rated health and mortality: A review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 38, 21-37.
9.
Jylhae, M., Leskinen, E., Alanen, E., Leskinen, A. L., & Heikkinen, E. (1986). Self-rated health and associated factors among men of different ages. Journals of Gerontology, 41, 710-717.
10.
Kaplan, G., Barell, V., & Lusky, A. (1988). Subjective state of health and survival in elderly adults. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 43, S114-S120.
11.
LaRue, A., Bank, L., Jarvik, L., & Hetland, M. (1979). Health in old age: How do physicians'ratings and self-ratings compare?Journal of Gerontology, 34, 687-691.
12.
Lindquist, C. H., & Lindquist, C. A. (1999). Health behind bars: Utilization and evaluation of medical care among jail inmates. Journal of Community Health, 24(4), 285-303.
13.
Marquart, J. W., Merianos, D. E., Hebert, J. L., & Carroll, L. (1997). Health condition and prisoners: A review of research and emerging areas of inquiry. The Prison Journal, 77, 184-208.
14.
McCorkel, J. A., Butzin, C. A., Martin, S. S., & Inciardi, J. A. (1998). Use of health care services in a sample of drug-involved offenders: A comparison with national norms. American Behavioral Scientist, 41, 1079-1111.
15.
McDonald, D. C. (1995). Managing prison health care and costs. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
16.
McLellan, A. T., Luborsky, L., O'Brien, C. P., & Woody, G. E. (1980). An improved diagnostic evaluation instrument for substance abuse patients: The Addiction Severity Index. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, 26-33.
17.
SPSS, Inc. (1999). SPSS Base 10.0 user's guide. Chicago: Author.
18.
Suls, J., Gaes, G., & Philo, V. (1991). Stress and illness behavior in prison: Effects of life events, self-care attitudes, and race. Journal of Prison & Jail Health, 10, 117-132.
19.
Thorburn, K. M. (1995). Health care in correctional facilities. Western Journal of Medicine, 163, 560-564.
20.
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1999a). Correctional populations in the United States, 1996 (NCJ 174462). Washington, DC: Author.
21.
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1999b). HIV in prisons 1997 (NCJ 178284). Washington, DC: Author.
22.
Vlahov, D. T., Brewer, F., Castro, K. G., Narkunas, J. P., Salive, M. E., Ullrich, J., & Munoz, A. (1991). Prevalence of antibody to HIV-1 among entrants of US correctional facilities. Journal of the American Medical Association, 265, 1129-1132.
23.
Weiner, J., & Anno, B. J. (1992). The crisis in correctional health care: The impact of National Drug Control Strategy on correctional health services. Annals of Internal Medicine, 117, 71-77.
