A study of criminality and psychiatric morbidity among prison inmates

Introduction: Prisons hold many people that society does not want to have around and it would be wise to keep them there. In India, we do not have a clear understanding of the extent and patterns of mental health problems in prisons. Materials and methods: The study was carried out in the Chanchalguda Central Prison. Study sample of 100 prisoners was selected by random sampling technique ensuring proportionate representation to violent as well as the non-violent groups. Mini Plus 5.00 administered for psychiatric disorders.  Results: 86% of prisoners are diagnosed as having a diagnosis of either mental illness or substance use according to mini-plus. 53% of prioner reported substance use prior to imprisonment. Conclusion: A high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity (86%) was found in the prison pointing to the fact that urgent attention is required with the aim of reducing the burden of psychiatric disorders.