Prison misconduct among female inmates with mental disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and co-occurring disorders in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

This survey study attempted to address two research questions: (1) whether female inmates with either singular mental illness or singular substance abuse/dependence disorders were more likely to break institutional rules in prison than their disorder-free counterparts; and (2) whether female inmates with both mental illness and substance abuse/dependence disorders (CODs) were more likely to engage in misbehaviour than either disorder-free or singularly disordered women during the course of their confinement. The current study employed a sample of 643 female inmates and the data for analyses contained information on inmates’ CODs, mental and substance abuse/dependence disorders, and pre-prison and prison experiences. The results showed that female inmates with CODs committed the most misconduct in prisons, but no significant effect was found on prison misconduct among inmates with singular disorders and disorder-free female inmates. Possible explanations for these results were suggested, and public policy implications were discussed in the concluding section.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental disorders
• Taiwan
• inmates
• prison misconduct
• co-occurring disorders

Part I

• 1. In the 12 months before the current incarceration, I had been drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs that led to…

  1. unable to do what I should to – for example, unable to work, go to school, or take care of children, etc.

  2. get in hazardous situations. For example, I drove a car, swam, used machines, or walked around in a drive way after drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs.

  3. an arrest by a police.

  4. a quarrel or a fight with family members, spouses, or friends.

Part II

• 2. In the 12 months before the current incarceration, I had the following experience.

  1. I had to drink more alcohol or use more drugs to get the effect I wanted.

  2. When I was trying to reduce drinking or substance use, or stop drinking or using drugs, I would experience a number of bad side effects, such as shivering and vomiting, or I had to take medicine to reduce bad side effects.

  3. I would drink or use substance longer than before.

  4. I tried numerous times to drink less or use drugs less and more than once I tried to quit drinking or using drugs, but failed.

  5. I spent a lot of time drinking alcohol or using drugs, and spent a lot of time overcoming side effects derived from attempts to stop drinking or using drugs.

  6. Because of drinking alcohol or using drugs, I gave up on my interests, or did not maintain contact with my family members or friends like I did before.

  7. Even though I had mental problems, I continued to drink alcohol or use drugs.

Scoring:

If a survey respondent answered “yes” to at least one item in the first part, or “yes” to at least three items in the second part, she would be classified into the category of “substance abuse/dependence” in the current study.

Source: Survey of State Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) 2004 conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Macau [MYRG2014-00049-FSS].

Notes on contributors

Shih-Ya Kuo

Shih-Ya Kuo is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Macau. Her work has recently appeared in International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Police Quarterly, Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, International Sociology, and Journal of Criminal Justice.

Ruohui Zhao

Ruohui Zhao is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Macau. Her work has recently appeared in Justice Quarterly, Police Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Journal of Criminal Justice.