The Relation between the Type of Crime Committed and the Mental Health Status of the Female Prisoners in Urmia

Zareipour, M.A and Narmayou, N and Javadi, M.H and Ghelichi Ghojogh, M (2017) The Relation between the Type of Crime Committed and the Mental Health Status of the Female Prisoners in Urmia. Social Behavior Research & Health (SBRH), 1 (1). pp. 18-26.

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Abstract

The mental health of female prisoners as a high-risk group is very important. Evaluating their health needs has been neglected in most societies. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relation between the type of crime committed and the mental health status of the female prisoners in Urmia province, Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 150 female prisoners in 2016. The standard questionnaire of general health with 28 questions and also a questionnaire including demographic information, the type of crime, and the conviction period were used in order to evaluate the mental health status. The collected information was analysed through SPSS16 and by using chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The results showed that 74% of the female prisoners were suspected to have mental disorder and the least of it was depression with 20.4 per cent being affected by it and the most severe mental disorder pertaining to social function with 78% being affected. Also, the prisoner who had committed murder or had been accomplices for murder, and those sentenced to death had the worst mental health. The statistical relation between mental health and the type of crime and the length of the sentence was significant and the odds ratio of mental disorders among women who were sentenced for murder and for being accomplices to murder was 2.4 times that of women who were convicted for crimes related to drugs. Conclusion: Considering the poor mental health of female prisoners and its relationship with the severity of the crime and the conviction period, it is necessary to make policies to promote mental health in prisoners in order to promote the other aspects of prisoners’ health and also to prevent the recurrence of crime after the discharge from prison.

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