A Scoping Review of Correctional-Based Interventions for Women Prisoners with Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Women prisoners are a population at a high risk of experiencing stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems. This is because stressors in prisons, such as strict prison rules, intimidation, and conflicts with other inmates and staff, cause a high prevalence of mental health problems in women prisoners. Mental health services, such as correctional-based interventions, are an important part of overcoming these problems. Therefore, this study aimed to identify correctional-based interventions for women prisoners with mental health problems, specifically to determine the types of correctional-based interventions, the types of mental health problems experienced by women prisoners, and the effectiveness of the interventions. The method used was a scoping review based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Articles were searched using Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar with the keywords “Mental Health Care” OR “Mental Health Services” AND “Correctional Program” AND “Interventions” AND “Mental Disorder” OR “Mental Health Problems” AND Women” OR “Female” AND “Inmates” OR “Offenders” OR “Prisoners” OR “Convicts”. The inclusion criteria used were the year of publication (2000–2023), full-text articles in English, and the study sample was women prisoners with mental health problems. After selection, a total of 10 articles were found to meet the review inclusion criteria. The results showed that the correctional-based interventions given to women prisoners with mental health problems included Yoga, which combines mind and body; Seeking Safety, which was a manual CBT model; Transactional Analysis (TA) training program to enhance communication, relationships, and personal well-being; Transcendental Meditation (TM), a simple technique to reduce mental stress; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches the ability to accept painful or unwanted emotions; and Trauma Effect Regulation to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All correctional-based interventions had significant results and can be used by health practitioners in prisons to address mental health problems experienced by women prisoners.