Screening for Depression in Prisoners Using the Beck Depression Inventory

Abstract

As part of the admission process to the North Carolina state prison system, 1,494 prisoners completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The mean BDI score for this population was 12.57 ( SD=8.51), which corresponds to the “mild depression” range on the instrument. While overall BDI scores for prisoners were elevated relative to general population norms for the test, female inmates, younger prisoners, close custody inmates, and those serving their first period of incarceration produced even higher BDI scores. Thus, reports of generalized feelings of depression are common among prisoners. Results suggest that a score of 20 might serve as an appropriate cutting score to determine the need for further assessment and mental health intervention in this population. Factor analysis of the inmates' responses yielded four distinct, interpretable factors labeled (a) cognitive symptoms, (b) vegetative symptoms, (c) emotional symptoms, and (d) feelings of punishment. These factors may suggest different components of the response to incarceration.