Parrott Janet M, Houben Fiona R, Visser Renske C, MacInnes Douglas L
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford, Kent, UK.
Department of Health and Wellbeing, Canterbury Christchurch University, Kent, UK.
Crim Behav Ment Health. 2019 Aug;29(4):218-226. doi: 10.1002/cbm.2121. Epub 2019 Aug 16.
The number of older people and their proportion of the prison population in high-income countries is increasing substantially. This pattern is mirrored by the age profile in forensic hospital services, and both trends seem counter to the age-crime curve concept. How do we understand this and what are the mental health needs of this growing group?
The aim of this review is to identify existing research robust enough to inform policy and practice in relation to mental health in older offenders and the knowledge gaps that should drive future research.
A keyword-based search strategy of the databases Embase, PsychINFO, Medline, and grey literature 2008-2018. Article selection was limited to empirical research with the potential to inform policy or practice and findings synthesised narratively.
Much of the research in this field focuses on prevalence and the increased psychiatric morbidity of the older offender population. Older prisoners and those older patients in secure hospitals have needs that differ in some respects from their younger counterparts and community-dwelling older people. There are few studies of interventions for mental health in older prisoners or into the challenges of timely release given their complex needs. Discharge of older individuals from secure settings is also an area where further research is required in order to inform policy and service provision.
The older population in prisons and secure settings is growing, and there is much concern as to how far facilities and services have been able to identify and meet the mental health needs of those of older age. Cooperation between researchers and services and between disciplines will be essential if we are to secure a more robust evidence base in this respect. Engaging service users in such research and considering the whole criminal justice pathway including diversion remains a priority.
在高收入国家，老年人数量及其在监狱人口中的比例正在大幅增加。法医医院服务的年龄分布也呈现出这种模式，而且这两种趋势似乎都与年龄犯罪曲线概念相悖。我们该如何理解这一现象，以及这个不断增长的群体的心理健康需求是什么？
本综述的目的是确定现有足够有力的研究，以为老年罪犯心理健康方面的政策和实践提供信息，并找出应推动未来研究的知识空白。
对Embase、PsychINFO、Medline数据库以及2008 - 2018年灰色文献进行基于关键词的检索策略。文章选择限于有潜力为政策或实践提供信息的实证研究，并对研究结果进行叙述性综合。
该领域的许多研究集中在老年罪犯群体的患病率及精神疾病发病率上升方面。老年囚犯以及安全医院中的老年患者在某些方面的需求与年轻囚犯及社区老年人有所不同。针对老年囚犯心理健康干预措施的研究很少，也很少有关于鉴于他们复杂需求而及时获释所面临挑战的研究。让老年人从安全环境中出院也是一个需要进一步研究以指导政策和服务提供的领域。
监狱及安全环境中的老年人口正在增加，人们非常关注设施和服务在多大程度上能够识别并满足老年人的心理健康需求。如果我们要在这方面获得更有力的证据基础，研究人员与服务机构以及各学科之间的合作至关重要。让服务使用者参与此类研究并考虑包括分流在内的整个刑事司法流程仍是当务之急。
