Time out of cell and time in purposeful activity and adverse mental health outcomes amongst people in prison: a literature review
Time out of cell and time in purposeful activity and adverse mental health outcomes amongst people in prison: a literature review
Purpose: the purpose of this study is to synthesise the available peer-reviewed literature on the impact of time out of cell (TOOC) and time in purposeful activity (TIPA) on adverse mental outcomes amongst people in prison.
Design/methodology/approach: the outcomes of interest of this literature review were mental health, suicide, deliberate self-harm (DSH) and violence. Exposures of interest were TOOC, TIPA or a partial or indirect measure of either. In total, 14 studies were included. An abbreviated review methodology was used because of time constraints.
Findings: there was consistent evidence of an association between lower TOOC and TIPA and worse mental health and higher suicide risk. Limited evidence suggests a link between TOOC and DSH. No evidence was identified regarding the relationship between TOOC/TIPA and violence.
Research limitations/implications: a lack of longitudinal studies prevents conclusions regarding causality. Significant heterogeneity of mental health outcomes limits the comparability of studies.
Practical implications: these findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of TOOC and TIPA on adverse mental outcomes for prisoners when designing prison regimes, including during urgent adaptation of such regimes in response to Covid-19. They are likely to be of interest to practitioners and policymakers concerned with prison regime design.
Originality/value: this paper is the first to synthesise the existing literature on the impact of TOOC and TIPA on mental health outcomes.
COVID-19, Confined Spaces, Correctional Facilities, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Prisoners/psychology, SARS-CoV-2, Social Isolation/psychology, Stress, Psychological
54-68
Stephenson, Thomas
613449cb-51a0-4956-b07f-26848b207364
Leaman, Jane
bc5a2f86-62a8-4efc-99db-8b03b4742f05
O'Moore, Éamonn
fd830271-5d8b-4848-a555-e760ca534a5e
Tran, Anh
122eeb23-a7ff-4405-8777-270b9c7c5d04
Plugge, Emma
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
25 January 2021
Stephenson, Thomas
613449cb-51a0-4956-b07f-26848b207364
Leaman, Jane
bc5a2f86-62a8-4efc-99db-8b03b4742f05
O'Moore, Éamonn
fd830271-5d8b-4848-a555-e760ca534a5e
Tran, Anh
122eeb23-a7ff-4405-8777-270b9c7c5d04
Plugge, Emma
b64d2086-6cf2-4fae-98bf-6aafa3115b35
Stephenson, Thomas, Leaman, Jane, O'Moore, Éamonn, Tran, Anh and Plugge, Emma
(2021)
Time out of cell and time in purposeful activity and adverse mental health outcomes amongst people in prison: a literature review.
International Journal of Prisoner Health, 17 (1), .
(doi:10.1108/IJPH-06-2020-0037).
Abstract
Purpose: the purpose of this study is to synthesise the available peer-reviewed literature on the impact of time out of cell (TOOC) and time in purposeful activity (TIPA) on adverse mental outcomes amongst people in prison.
Design/methodology/approach: the outcomes of interest of this literature review were mental health, suicide, deliberate self-harm (DSH) and violence. Exposures of interest were TOOC, TIPA or a partial or indirect measure of either. In total, 14 studies were included. An abbreviated review methodology was used because of time constraints.
Findings: there was consistent evidence of an association between lower TOOC and TIPA and worse mental health and higher suicide risk. Limited evidence suggests a link between TOOC and DSH. No evidence was identified regarding the relationship between TOOC/TIPA and violence.
Research limitations/implications: a lack of longitudinal studies prevents conclusions regarding causality. Significant heterogeneity of mental health outcomes limits the comparability of studies.
Practical implications: these findings highlight the importance of considering the impact of TOOC and TIPA on adverse mental outcomes for prisoners when designing prison regimes, including during urgent adaptation of such regimes in response to Covid-19. They are likely to be of interest to practitioners and policymakers concerned with prison regime design.
Originality/value: this paper is the first to synthesise the existing literature on the impact of TOOC and TIPA on mental health outcomes.
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More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 January 2021
Published date: 25 January 2021
Keywords:
COVID-19, Confined Spaces, Correctional Facilities, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Prisoners/psychology, SARS-CoV-2, Social Isolation/psychology, Stress, Psychological
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 485220
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485220
ISSN: 1744-9200
PURE UUID: 886e3804-9fda-49b9-b563-12fd0efe9824
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Date deposited: 01 Dec 2023 17:41
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:57
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Contributors
Author:
Thomas Stephenson
Author:
Jane Leaman
Author:
Éamonn O'Moore
Author:
Anh Tran
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