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Background Worldwide, the prevalence of mental health problems in prison populations is higher than in the general population. While prisons may provide opportunities to address mental health problems, the prison setting can also include obstacles to the actual delivery of interventions, such as mental health care staff deficiencies. A brief scalable psychological intervention such as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Problem Management Plus (PM +) intervention, which is delivered by trained non-specialists, could be valuable in addressing common mental health problems in the prison setting. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of PM + , adapted for use in Dutch remand prisons. The secondary aim is to examine barriers and facilitators for scaling up the adapted version of PM + in the Dutch prison setting. Method This single-blind pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) will compare individual PM + with care-as-usual (PM + /CAU) to CAU only. Dutch-speaking remand prisoners (18 years or older; N  = 60) who report an elevated level of psychological distress (K10 ≥ 16) will be included. The feasibility of the intervention will be reviewed using different measures such as recruitment success, intervention retention, protocol adherence, number of serious adverse events, and stakeholders' views. Participants will be assessed for self-reported anxiety, depression, self-identified problems, vulnerability for suicide and self-harm behaviour and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at baseline, one-week post-intervention and three-month follow-up. The pilot RCT will be followed by a process evaluation. For the process evaluation, stakeholders will be interviewed ( N  = 25), including 1) RCT participants, 2) PM + helpers, supervisors and trainers, 3) prison professionals, and 4) family members & friends of RCT participants. Data of the process evaluation will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Discussion This pilot RCT will be the first to study the potential of WHO-developed scalable interventions aimed at reducing mental health problems within (Dutch) prisons. Results from this study could subsequently inform a potential full-powered RCT. Trial registration This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (number NCT05927987) on 13/06/2023.

Background People who inject drugs (PWID) frequently engage in injection risk behaviours exposing them to blood-borne infections. Understanding the underlying causes that drive various types and levels of risk behaviours is important to better target preventive interventions. Methods A total of 2150 PWID in Swedish remand prisons were interviewed between 2002 and 2012. Questions on socio-demographic and drug-related variables were asked in relation to the following outcomes: Having shared injection drug solution and having lent out or having received already used drug injection equipment within a 12 month recall period. Results Women shared solutions more than men (odds ratio (OR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03; 2.21). Those who had begun to inject drugs before age 17 had a higher risk (OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.99; 2.08) of having received used equipment compared to 17–19 year olds. Amphetamine-injectors shared solutions more than those injecting heroin (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.64; 3.62). A housing contract lowered the risk of unsafe injection by 37–59% compared to being homeless. Conclusions Women, early drug debut, amphetamine users and homeless people had a significantly higher level of injection risk behaviour and need special attention and tailored prevention to successfully combat hepatitis C and HIV transmission among PWID. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT02234167

Die Philosophin Ol'ga Šparaga hat die belarussischen Untersuchungsgefängnisse von innen gesehen. Sie erzählt vom Schmutz und von der Kälte, von den Verhören – und von der Angst der Wärter. Um einem drohenden Strafverfahren wegen angeblicher Organisation von Massenunruhen zu entgehen, ist sie nach Litauen geflohen, wo sie Bildungsbeauftragte des Koordinationsrats der belarussischen Gesellschaft wurde. Trotz der massiven Repressionswelle, mit der das Regime die Gesellschaft überzieht, bleibt sie optimistisch: An dem Versuch, die Zeit anzuhalten, ist bisher noch jeder gescheitert.

The article analyses young male convicts’ subjective evaluation of their social skills and their attitude towards development of social skills in correctional facilities. The problem of the research was conditioned by the fact that adolescents in remand prisons and in correctional facilities lacked social skills. The majority of such young convicts come from single-parent or disharmonious families, where lack of social skills may be observed. Such families frequently lead asocial life; therefore, adolescents from such families weakly express intentions to lead a social life after completion of the sentence. Therefore, it was important to conduct the research on subjective evaluation of social skills possessed by adolescents servicing their sentence as well as on their attitude towards development of such skills in correctional facilities and, on the basis of the acquired research results, to enable the convicts to set up goals of positive life and to assist them in acquisition of social skills that the convicts lack. The research was conducted in Kaunas Remand Prison in January – March, 2012. The respondents received questionnaire forms and the goal of the research and instructions of filling in the questionnaire were explained and confidentiality was ensured. 120 questionnaire forms were handed out, 102 forms were returned and included into the research, striving for as reliable scientific research results as possible. The research showed that adolescents, who serviced their sentence in the correctional house, expressed a positive attitude towards development of social skills in correctional facilities. They were able to identify advantages of social skills possession and acknowledged that possession of social skills contributes to communication and establishment of relations. The respondents were also able to objectively evaluate themselves and others, constructively solve conflicts and make decisions. However, their evaluation of social skills as means to express feelings is low. It should be emphasised that the adolescents acquired the following skills and abilities in the correctional facility: communication, listening to others, better understanding of others, calm reaction to conflicts, doing housework and preparation of food. They understood and acknowledged that social skills helped them to agree with administration of the correctional facility as well as with peers. Almost half of the respondents pointed out that they violated rules in their correctional facility; while subjectively evaluating their own aggressiveness prior to their conviction and during servicing of sentence, more than half (59.8 %) acknowledged that they became less aggressive compared to the period before the correctional facility. Almost one fourth of the respondents pointed out that they became more aggressive, though they were perfectly aware of the social skills to be developed for aggressive adolescents. The research results showed that programmes implemented in

On November 17, Kozlov gave an interview to RFE/RL's Russian Service in which he talked about routine rights abuses in Butyrka and described a \"double standard\" under which some prisoners are given preferential treatment, including access to computers and mobile telephones, while others are subjected to routine harassment and abuse. Human rights activists estimate that about 50 prisoners die in custody each year in remand prisons in Moscow alone. written in Prague by RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson on the basis of reporting by Yelena Vlasenko of RFE/RL's Russian Service Copyright (c) 2011.

According to the Moscow Helsinki Group, some 50-60 people die in pretrial custody each year. Remand 'Used To Pressure Suspects' Kirill Kabanov, a member of President Medvedev's advisory council on human rights, told the Rosbalt news agency that judges and prosecutors are ignoring Medvedev's instructions in such matters.

A growing body of neuropsychological and neurobiological research shows a relationship between functioning of the prefrontal cortex and criminal and violent behaviour. The prefrontal cortex is crucial for executive functions such as inhibition, attention, working memory, set-shifting and planning. A deficit in these functions - a prefrontal deficit - may result in antisocial, impulsive or even aggressive behaviour. While several meta-analyses show large effect sizes for the relationship between a prefrontal deficit, executive dysfunction and criminality, there are few studies investigating differences in executive functions between violent and non-violent offenders. Considering the relevance of identifying risk factors for violent offending, the current study explores whether a distinction between violent and non-violent offenders can be made using an extensive neuropsychological test battery. Male remand prisoners (N = 130) in Penitentiary Institution Amsterdam Over-Amstel were administered an extensive neuropsychological test battery (Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery; CANTAB) measuring response inhibition, planning, attention, set-shifting, working memory and impulsivity/reward sensitivity. Violent offenders performed significantly worse on the stop-signal task (partial correlation r = 0.205, p = 0.024), a task measuring response inhibition. No further differences were found between violent and non-violent offenders. Explorative analyses revealed a significant relationship between recidivism and planning (partial correlation r = -0.209, p = 0.016). Violent offenders show worse response inhibition compared to non-violent offenders, suggesting a more pronounced prefrontal deficit in violent offenders than in non-violent offenders.

Purpose People in prisons have a high prevalence of poly-traumatisation throughout their life span. The behavioural and emotional sequalae of trauma are likely to be managed across the whole organisation. However, there is still a lack of clarity about the key components of a trauma-informed approach within the custodial context. This study aimed to gather in-depth knowledge of staff views on the components of an optimal trauma pathway in a prison and the organisational factors that influence its implementation. Design/methodology/Approach The authors’ research design is qualitative, involving in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight members of staff from different professional backgrounds at a single prison in the UK that houses sentenced and remand prisoners. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Three super-ordinate themes were identified within the data. Firstly, components of a trauma-informed pathway included sub-themes of asking about what has happened and knowing how to respond; providing specialist approaches; enabling residents to cope; screening and detection; and a compassionate relational approach. Secondly, organisational factors were associated with sub-themes of culture and leadership, resources and systems and processes. Thirdly, staff factors were associated with sub-themes of skills development and training, staff well-being and support and staff attitudes. Practical implications Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD in prisons are under-detected, and there are complex psychosocial factors within prisons that mediate the effectiveness of psychological therapies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first exploration of staff perspectives on the components of a trauma-informed pathway within custodial settings. Future directions should involve the piloting and evaluation of the components of the trauma-informed pathway, with a focus on longer-term outcomes and exploration of the organisational factors that impact on effectiveness.

Mental illness is common among prisoners, but little evidence exists regarding changes in symptoms in custody over time. To investigate the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric symptoms among prisoners during early custody. In a prospective cohort study, 3079 prisoners were screened for mental illness within 3 days of reception. To establish baseline diagnoses and symptoms, 980 prisoners were interviewed; all remaining in custody were followed up 1 month and 2 months later. Symptom prevalence was highest during the first week of custody. Prevalence showed a linear decline among men and convicted prisoners, but not women or remand prisoners. It decreased among prisoners with depression, but not among prisoners with other mental illnesses. Overall, imprisonment did not exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, although differences in group responses were observed. Continued discussion regarding non-custodial alternatives for vulnerable groups and increased support for all during early custody are recommended.

Access to education is a human right that should be upheld for everyone including individuals who are incarcerated as outlined in Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 25 interviews were conducted between April to June 2021 with various key stakeholders: 5 staff involved with the delivery of educational programs in jails, 10 learners who are or were formerly incarcerated, and 10 representatives from post-secondary institutions or jails. The objective was to identify barriers limiting access to education, while incarcerated and post-release, and how such barriers can be mitigated. Responses were examined using Critical Race Theory as a paradigm and thematic analysis as a methodology. Findings indicate that access to education for individuals who are incarcerated remains limited, not prioritized, and overall an underdeveloped sector in Canada. More funding and resources need to be allocated to prioritize education and expand the capacity of incarceration facilities to offer more programming in ways that are accessible and socio-culturally relevant.