TABLE 1—
Sample Description, Stratified by Federal vs State Prison Setting: 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, United States
| Variable | Federal (n = 3686), % or Mean (SE) | State (n = 14 499), % or Mean (SE) | χ2 or t |
| Race/ethnicity | 82.38*** | ||
| Non-Hispanic White | 26.05 | 35.25 | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 43.43 | 40.59 | |
| Non-Hispanic other | 5.39 | 5.97 | |
| Hispanic | 25.12 | 18.19 | |
| Sex (male) | 92.99 | 93.25 | 0.69 |
| Age, y (overall range = 16–84) | 37.16 (0.21) | 35.36 (0.09) | −8.16*** |
| Prevalence of mental health conditions among prisonersa | |||
| Depression | 10.92 | 19.20 | 108.82*** |
| Mania | 4.11 | 9.77 | 110.21*** |
| Schizophrenia | 1.98 | 4.65 | 39.95*** |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | 3.16 | 5.72 | 32.44*** |
| Anxiety | 4.64 | 7.13 | 23.46*** |
| Personality disorders | 3.28 | 6.04 | 31.62*** |
| Other | 0.81 | 1.96 | 22.72*** |
| Reported at least 1 disorder in their lifetime (n = 5207) | 17.56 | 27.09 | 109.34*** |
| Continuity of treatments for mental health conditions | |||
| Lifetime use of medication for a mental health condition | 13.18 | 23.93 | 160.91*** |
| Took mental health medication at admission to prisonb | 18.52 | 18.59 | 0.01 |
| Received medication while incarceratedb | 52.47 | 42.22 | 27.75 |
| Received medication at both time points | 63.61 | 52.67 | 18.88*** |
| Received medication in prison only | 16.34 | 27.74 | |
| Access to and use of medical treatment in prison | |||
| Saw health care professional at any point during current incarceration | 91.52 | 84.44 | 78.11*** |
| Questioned about health or medical history | 91.05 | 88.56 | 11.90*** |
| Other mental health treatment modalities | |||
| Ever saw a counselor during lifetime | 87.41 | 78.45 | 118.49*** |
| Saw a counselor in prisonc | 46.33 | 40.95 | 3.94* |
| Used self-help group or peer group in prison | 21.45 | 18.87 | 1.77 |
| Offense characteristics | |||
| Length of time served for current offense, y (overall range = 1953–2003) | 4.41 (0.09) | 5.33 (0.07) | 7.44*** |
Note. The sample size was n = 18 185 US prisoners.
These mental health conditions are not mutually exclusive and prisoners were free to report having been diagnosed with multiple disorders during their lifetime. Therefore, weighted percentages exceed 100%.
The denominator of this measure is the number of prisoners who reported having taken medication for a mental health or emotional condition at admission to prison for their current sentence (n = 3718).
The denominator of this measure is the number of prisoners who reported having ever received counseling from a trained professional (n = 4073).
*P < .05; ***P < .001.