Comparing the Characteristics of Prison Inmates Who Require Psychiatric Hospitalization with the General Prison Population

Abstract

This research profiles the 472 patients hospitalized during an an-nual period at Central New York Psychiatric Center, which is the sole provider of hospitalization for any of New York State's 40,000 sentenced inmates who require acute inpatient psychiatric care. Patient characteristics are compared with those of the State's general prison population. Application of this form of analysis may prove useful elsewhere, as overrepresentation of patients with particular characteristics can be seen to hold implications for the planning and development of relevant programs to address the needs of this clientele. Demographic and criminal justice characteristics examined include age, sex, race, marital status, religion, educational level, disabilities other than mental illness, crime of conviction and sentence length.