Flora I Matheson1,2,3,4, Kathryn E McIsaac5, Kinwah Fung3, Lynn A Stewart6, Geoff Wilton6, Leslie A Keown6, Avery B Nathens7,8, Angela Colantonio3,9, Rahim Moineddin3,10. 1. MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital , Toronto, ON, Canada. 2. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada. 3. ICES , Toronto, ON, Canada. 4. Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada. 5. Research and Innovation, Nova Scotia Health Authority , Halifax, NS, Canada. 6. Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada , Ottawa, ON, Canada. 7. Department of Surgery, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada. 8. Sunnybrook Research Institute , Toronto, ON, Canada. 9. Rehabilitative Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada. 10. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious hidden health issue disproportionately affecting people who experience incarceration. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between TBI and serious disciplinary charges among men and women sentenced by the courts to terms of two or more years. METHODS: The study originated in Ontario, Canada and used linked administrative health and correctional data. The cohort included adults experiencing their first federal sentence between 1998 and 2011 (N = 12,038). We examined disciplinary charges incurred 2 years post-sentence commencement. TBI was defined using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) diagnostic codes. Robust Poisson regression was conducted to assess the association between TBI and disciplinary charges. FINDINGS: The prevalence of TBI for the full sample was 13.2%. One-third of adults with a recent TBI had a serious disciplinary charge. The unadjusted risk of incurring a serious charge for those with a history of TBI was 39% higher than those with no history of TBI (CI: 1.29-1.49). The adjusted risk was 1.14 (CI: 1.06-1.22). CONCLUSIONS: TBI is a serious health concern that makes it difficult for incarcerants to adjust to prison. Additional support/resources are needed to support those with histories of TBI.
BACKGROUND:Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious hidden health issue disproportionately affecting people who experience incarceration. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between TBI and serious disciplinary charges among men and women sentenced by the courts to terms of two or more years. METHODS: The study originated in Ontario, Canada and used linked administrative health and correctional data. The cohort included adults experiencing their first federal sentence between 1998 and 2011 (N = 12,038). We examined disciplinary charges incurred 2 years post-sentence commencement. TBI was defined using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) diagnostic codes. Robust Poisson regression was conducted to assess the association between TBI and disciplinary charges. FINDINGS: The prevalence of TBI for the full sample was 13.2%. One-third of adults with a recent TBI had a serious disciplinary charge. The unadjusted risk of incurring a serious charge for those with a history of TBI was 39% higher than those with no history of TBI (CI: 1.29-1.49). The adjusted risk was 1.14 (CI: 1.06-1.22). CONCLUSIONS: TBI is a serious health concern that makes it difficult for incarcerants to adjust to prison. Additional support/resources are needed to support those with histories of TBI.
Entities:
Keywords:
Serious charges; data linkage; longitudinal; prison; sex differences