Health and wellbeing of offenders on probation in England: an exploratory study

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) 2012, Vol.380, p.S21-S21
• Main Authors: Pari, Anees Ahmed Abdul, Dr, Plugge, Emma, DPhil, Holland, Sarah, BSc, Maxwell, Janet, MFPH, Webster, Premila, FFPH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alcohols; cross-sectional studies; drinking; drug abuse; drugs; general practitioners; health services; health status; Internal Medicine; issues and policy; lifestyle; men; mental health; odds ratio; quality of life; questionnaires; regression analysis; risk; screening; socioeconomic status; surveys; women
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60377-3

Abstract Background A growing amount of published work indicates that offenders in incarcerated settings have much poorer mental and physical health than does the general population. However, little is known about the health status of offenders, especially those on probation. Identification of these issues and engagement with health services is essential. The aim of this study was to assess self-reported health status, quality of life, and access to health services in a sample of probationers in England to inform policy makers of future service requirements. Methods This cross-sectional study was undertaken between May, and July, 2011, in Reading and Newbury, UK. Self-administered questionnaires including the SF-36 health survey (version 2), alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT), drug abuse screening test, and questions about access to health services and lifestyle indicators were administered to a pragmatic sample of 132 offenders older than 18 years who presented at probation offices. All statutory cases were eligible when they attended probation offices on a predetermined study day, except when the offender was assessed as presenting a high risk of harm to staff. Data were anonymised and completed questionnaires were analysed with descriptive statisitcs, t tests for independent sample means, and Z tests for the difference between two independent proportions. Additionally, we used multiple stepwise logistic regression with backward stepwise elimination to identify factors associated with poor mental health. Findings Most participants were men (n=109 [83%]), which is similar to the national probation caseload ( Z test, p=0·59). Mean age of participants was 34·9 years (SD 12·8), and their age distribution was similar to the national probation caseload, except that more participants were older than 50 years (19·7% vs 5·7%; Z =6·58; p