This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts addressing problem and pathologic gambling behaviors and perceived health in inmates ages 18-49 years. Each manuscript was submitted for publication. The first manuscript contains an extensive review of the literature on problem and pathological gambling and perceived health in inmates. There was a dearth of literature examining gambling and perceived health in inmate populations; only one article examining these concepts in older inmates was retrieved. The most widely used tool for assessing gambling in inmate populations was the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS). The Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) was the tool most commonly used to measure perceived health in this population.

“A haunting and harrowing indictment . . . [a] significant achievement.” —The New York Times Book Review L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist * New York Times Book Review Paperback Row * Time Best New Books July 2020 Waiting for an Echo is a riveting, rarely seen glimpse into American jails and prisons. It is also a damning account of policies that have criminalized mental illness, shifting large numbers of people who belong in therapeutic settings into punitive ones. Dr. Christine Montross has spent her career treating the most severely ill psychiatric patients. This expertise—the mind in crisis—has enabled her to reckon with the human stories behind mass incarceration. A father attempting to weigh the impossible calculus of a plea bargain. A bright young woman whose life is derailed by addiction. Boys in a juvenile detention facility who, desperate for human connection, invent a way to communicate with one another from cell to cell. Overextended doctors and correctional officers who strive to provide care and security in environments riddled with danger. Our methods of incarceration take away not only freedom but also selfhood and soundness of mind. In a nation where 95 percent of all inmates are released from prison and return to our communities, this is a practice that punishes us all.

Over the past four decades, the rate of incarceration in the United States has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, both historically and in comparison to that of other developed nations. At far higher rates than the general population, those in or entering U.S. jails and prisons are prone to many health problems. This is a problem not just for them, but also for the communities from which they come and to which, in nearly all cases, they will return. Health and Incarceration is the summary of a workshop jointly sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) Committee on Law and Justice and the Institute of Medicine(IOM) Board on Health and Select Populations in December 2012. Academics, practitioners, state officials, and nongovernmental organization representatives from the fields of healthcare, prisoner advocacy, and corrections reviewed what is known about these health issues and what appear to be the best opportunities to improve healthcare for those who are now or will be incarcerated. The workshop was designed as a roundtable with brief presentations from 16 experts and time for group discussion. Health and Incarceration reviews what is known about the health of incarcerated individuals, the healthcare they receive, and effects of incarceration on public health. This report identifies opportunities to improve healthcare for these populations and provides a platform for visions of how the world of incarceration health can be a better place.

Community and primary health care nursing is a rapidly growing field. Founded on the social model of health, the primary health care approach explores how social, environmental, economic and political factors affect the health of the individual and communities, and the role of nurses and other health care practitioners in facilitating an equitable and collaborative health care process. An Introduction to Community and Primary Health Care provides an engaging introduction to the theory, skills and range of professional roles in community settings. This edition has been fully revised to include current research and practice, and includes three new chapters on health informatics, refugee health nursing and developing a career in primary health care. Written by an expert team, this highly readable text is an indispensable resource for any reader undertaking a course in community and primary health care and developing their career in the community.

The United States has higher rates of incarceration than any other country. Incarceration has negative effects on individuals, their families, and society. Jails face two major issues that this study focuses on: high rates of behavioral health disorders and high rates of recidivism. Of all correctional settings, jails have been found to have the highest rates of behavioral health disorders. This is problematic for these facilities, as there is a legal requirement that jails assess for, and treat, mental illness. Recidivism is also a concern for jails, contributing to the overcrowding that many of these facilities experience. Research is in general agreement that mental health disorders (MHD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are associated with a higher risk of recidivism; however, research in rural jails is lacking. The current study includes a three and a half year follow up to assess the link between behavioral health and recidivism among 283 rural county jail inmates. The relationship between MHDs, SUDs, & recidivism is investigated in order to determine which, if any, behavioral health disorders are associated with higher risk of rearrest. Findings support the need for correctional facilities to implement evidence-based interventions for individuals at higher risk of recidivism, potentially leading to a decrease in recidivism rates.

"This dissertation is psychology looks at ways of enhancing the health of drug users in prison. A new screening instrument for drug use disorders is presented, and separate prison studies evaluate auricular acupuncture as well as cognitive-behavioral treatment. An approach to treatment of inmates with so-called dual diagnosis - drug use and psychiatric disorders - is also explored in a pilot study of long-term auricular acupuncture. The empirical results are discussed within the framework of recent findings on offender rehabilitation and treatment for drug use. Based on perspectives of risk management, ""good lives"" and existential psychology, a new model for enhancing health among drug users in prison is proposed. Contents include: Enhancing health for drug users in prison - theoretical issues, Offender rehabilitation, Offenders who use drugs, Methodological issues in prison research, Enhancing health for drug users in prison - practical aspects studied, Study I - How do we know an inmate uses drugs?, Study II - Can we offer any low-threshold treatment to drug users in prison? Study III - Do prison inmates (60% drug users) change following structured psychological treatment?, Study IV - How do we help inmates with special needs?, A Health-enhancement model for approaching drug users in prison, Conclusions, References."

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.