A systematic review of psychotropic drug prescribing for prisoners

Abstract

Objective: To conduct a review of the literature on prescribing psychotropic drugs for prisoners. Methods: Articles were retrieved from nine databases, reference lists, citations, governmental prison websites, and contact with authors. The articles included were written in English, focused on adults’ time as prisoners, included at least one drug of interest, and discussed prescribing. Thirty-two articles met these inclusion criteria. Results: Five main themes were identified from the reviewed studies: polypharmacy, high-dose therapy, duration of treatment, documentation and monitoring, and issues associated with the prisoners’ environment. Conclusions: Consideration of these themes within the included studies identified areas for future research, particularly models of good practice, as numerous descriptions of poor practice exist. Policy-makers and prescribers should review current systems and practices, to ensure the care being offered to prisoners is optimal.