Offenders with Cognitive Deficits in a Canadian Prison Population: Prevalence, Profile, and Outcomes

Impaired cognitive function has been associated with criminal behavior. In Canada it is unknown the extent to which this disorder affects federal inmates or its impact on key correctional outcomes. In this study, 488 incoming male offenders were assessed on the Cognistat, a neuropsychological screen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of law and psychiatry 2016-01, Vol.44, p.7-14
Main Authors: Stewart, Lynn A., Wilton, Geoff, Sapers, Jeremy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcohol-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Alcohol-Related Disorders - psychology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology
Canada - epidemiology
Cognition Disorders - epidemiology
Cognition Disorders - psychology
Cognitive deficits
Educational Status
Humans
institutional adjustment
Learning Disorders - epidemiology
Learning Disorders - psychology
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
offender
Prevalence
Prisoners - statistics & numerical data
recidivism
Risk Factors
Unemployment
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Summary:Impaired cognitive function has been associated with criminal behavior. In Canada it is unknown the extent to which this disorder affects federal inmates or its impact on key correctional outcomes. In this study, 488 incoming male offenders were assessed on the Cognistat, a neuropsychological screening tool. Twenty-five percent of offenders were found to have some level of cognitive deficit. Lower levels of educational achievement, unstable employment history, learning disability, serious alcohol problems, and symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were significantly associated with the presence of cognitive deficits in this sample. Although there was a significant trend for offenders with cognitive deficits to have more admissions to segregation, level of cognitive deficit was not consistently related to rates of institutional charges or rates of completion of required correctional programs. On release, cognitive deficits were not related to returns to custody or returns to custody with an offence. These results indicate that while offenders with cognitive deficits may require assistance with educational upgrading and employment to improve their reintegration potential, they do not pose a particular management problem in the community after release relative to offenders without cognitive deficits.
ISSN:0160-2527
1873-6386
DOI:10.1016/j.ijlp.2015.08.026