Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Prisoners Health and hygiene Victoria'

OBJECTIVES The overall aim of the project were to conduct a survey of the physical and mental health status of prisoners in New South Wales (NSW). A more specific aim, which is addressed in this PhD, was to analyse in detail a number of key health areas which have particular relevance to prisoner populations namely: tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, herpes simplex type 2 virus, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and drug and alcohol use. METHODS A cross-sectional, random sample of prisoners, stratified by sex, age and Aboriginality was chosen from 27 correctional centres (24 male and 3 female) in NSW in 1996. Screening was conducted by nurses from within the correctional health system. A detailed face-to-face interview was used to collect self-reported information on a range of physical and mental health characteristics, and behavioural issues. The physical health component covered chronic illness, recent symptoms, health services utilisation, medications, and self assessed health status. Mental health issues which were covered included: suicide attempts, self-harm, prior mental illness and psychiatric medication. Standardised screening instruments were used to test for depression, hopelessness and suicidal intent. Behavioural factors sought were drug and alcohol use, gambling, and sexual abuse. Blood samples were taken to screen for a range of infectious diseases and health indicators. These included HIV, syphilis, herpes simplex type-2 virus, rubella, chlamydia, and hepatitis (B, C, and G). A Mantoux skin test was performed to screen for tuberculosis infection. Hearing was assessed using otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS A total of 789 inmates (657 males and 132 females), including 235 Aboriginal people were screened, representing approximately 11% of males and 40% of females in full-time incarceration. For the key areas examined in the chapters we found: Overall health status ???? Overall health status was poor compared with the NSW general population in regard to self-reported chronic illness, recent health complaints, and well-being. Hospitalisation was less frequent in male prisoners than general community males but higher in female prisoners for mental health problems compared with community females. Tuberculosis ???? No previously undetected cases of tuberculosis were found; however, Mantoux positivity was higher in Aboriginal and overseas born prisoners. Viral hepatitis ???? Markers for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis G were significantly more common in the NSW prisoner population than in the general community. Significant disparities were found between prisoners???? self-report of past exposure to hepatitis (B and C) and their serostatus. Thirty five percent of inmates who were hepatitis C antibody positive believed that they were negative, and for hepatitis B, 72% of positives reported they were negative. Multivariate analysis identified Aboriginality, long-term injecting, and injecting while in prison as risk factors for HBV. Risk factors for exposure to HCV were female sex, non-Aboriginality, history of childhood institutionalisation, and injecting-related behaviours. For HGV, female sex, and previous imprisonment were significant risk factors but injecting was not; being aged 25-39 years was associated with a decreased risk for HGV as compared to younger and older inmates. Herpes simplex virus type 2 ???? The prevalence of HSV-2 antibodies in this prisoner population was similar to that observed in NSW STD clinic attendees, and was higher in females than males. Exposure was related to: increasing age and Aboriginality for men, and higher reported number of lifetime sexual partners and the presence of hepatitis C antibodies for women. Few prisoners (1%) reported a previous diagnosis of genital herpes. Childhood sexual abuse ???? The prevalence of self-reported childhood sexual abuse was higher in females than males, and similar to that observed in clinical populations. There was an association between CSA and mental health outcomes, including a history of psychiatric treatment and suicide attempts. Male survivors of CSA were more likely to report self-harm, depression, and involvement in violent relationships. Both men and women with a history of CSA were more likely to report having a sexually transmissible disease (STD). Females exposed to CSA were more likely to report subsequent abusive adult relationships involving physical assault, sexual assault, and verbal abuse. Drug use ???? Overall, 64% of prisoners had used illicit drugs at some time in the past with cannabis (males 56%, females 63%) and heroin (males 29%, females 49%) being the most common. Forty four percent of prisoners had a history of injecting drug use, with injecting prevalence significantly higher in females than males (64% vs. 40%). Half of male and female injectors had done so while in prison. Harmful or hazardous use of alcohol was associated with imprisonment for violent crimes, whereas opiate and methadone use were associated with non-violent crimes. Sixty two percent of property offenders had an injecting history. Alcohol intoxication at the time of offending was associated with imprisonment for homicides and assaults. Males were more likely than females to seek treatment in prison for drug problems. IMPLICATIONS Prisoners in NSW have a number of special health needs which are evidenced in the high levels of infectious diseases (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis G, and herpes simplex virus type 2) and exposure to factors (childhood sexual abuse and alcohol and drug use) with a clear relationship to adverse health outcomes. Prisons represent an opportunity for public health interventions to address some of the health problems identified in this study. Potentially valuable programmes include education to prevent the spread of blood borne communicable diseases and STDs, immunisation for vaccine preventable diseases such as hepatitis B, and treatment to alleviate the effects of drug use and childhood sexual abuse. In the case of prison drug use the prison environment itself presents a threat to health in that sterile injecting equipment is not available to prisoners despite evidence that injecting in prison is widespread. The challenge for prison health planners is twofold: to make maximum use of the window of opportunity to improve the health status of this group, and to provide a continuum of care between the community and prison.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important health concern in prison populations as they have an increased risk of the disease compared to the general population. However, there is a lack of interventions to reduce prisoners’ cardiovascular risk, and little is known about the knowledge and risk perceptions of the disease in prison. This study aims to explore the knowledge and risk perceptions of CVD from the perspectives of prisoners and staff to guide the development of a cardiovascular risk reduction intervention for prisoners. Methods: This was a qualitative, exploratory study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 prisoners and 11 staff, who were purposively recruited from a private prison in Scotland. Framework analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The prisoners and staff had limited, non-expert knowledge of CVD. Common behavioural risk factors and cardiovascular events were identified, but gaps in knowledge were evidenced. There were similarities and differences in perceptions of prisoners’ risk of the disease; risk was primarily assessed by judgements about the prisoners’ current health status rather than their risk factor status. Prisoners’ risk of CVD was attributed to negative health behaviours such as smoking and physical inactivity, and these were influenced by multiple factors that interacted across three levels of influence. Individual factors included self-efficacy and mental health problems, social factors included the prison culture and social interactions, and institutional factors included the prison regime and healthcare barriers. An ecological framework was designed to guide a cardiovascular risk reduction intervention that focuses on the multi-level influences of prisoners’ cardiovascular risk. Conclusion: Prisoners have limited knowledge and misconceptions of CVD, and engage in several risky behaviours. There are multi-level influences on prisoners’ CVD risk and cardiovascular health. An ecological approach is recommended to address these influences to reduce the prisoners’ risk of CVD.

Thesis (MTech (Surface Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007
This thesis focuses on an educational Surface Design Intervention (SDI) for inmates. It covers the present day situation, from 2006 to 2007, in a Western Cape correctional facility, regarding the needs of a selected group of inmates. This group of 20 inmates consists of 10 HIV/Aids positive and 10 HIV/Aids negative participants. The thesis argues that there is potential to plan, design and implement an educational SDI, in a group-work situation, with these participants in order to establish the SDI as a skills-development programme and a therapeutic-intervention and income-generating resource. In addition, this research study aims to understand and interpret how the various inmate participants, in a social setting, construct the world around them and what effect and impact the SDI has on them. This intervention is facilitated by two qualified art therapists and involves the use of different art materials through which the prison inmates express and explore their thoughts, feelings and concerns in a safe, contained and supportive space. The health and wellness literature provided the conceptual scaffolding against which to frame the SDI. The literature indicated that a holistic approach to rehabilitation and instruction is vital to help inmates function optimally in daily life. Ultimately, the SDI process indicates the value of identity formation, emotional expression and ethical development. The thesis concludes that oppositional discourses present in the lives of these prisoners can, and indeed should be reconciled in order for them to achieve a positive affirmation of their status. These polarities, once bridged, offer a moderating influence on these prisoners' lives, which contribute to their wellbeing and success both inside and potentially outside of prison.

This thesis explores the issue of men's access to chronic illness self management programs from a social constructionist perspective. A combination of research methodologies was used; a quantitative analysis to confirm gender differences in levels and patterns of service use; a qualitative analysis to gain an increased understanding of the factors affecting men's access; and a trial to test the application of the research findings. The clients and services of Arthritis Victoria were chosen as the setting for this research. The quantitative analyses were conducted on contingency tables and odds ratios and confirmed that men were under-represented as service users. The analyses also identified gender differences in patterns of service use. The qualitative analysis was based on a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. It was undertaken from a grounded theory approach to allow for the development of theoretical explanations grounded in the data. It was found that men's decisions to access chronic illness self management programs were strongly influenced by dominant social constructions of masculinity which constrained help-seeking and health management behaviour. However, the restrictive influence of hegemonic masculinity was progressively undermined by the increasing severity of the chronic condition until a crisis point was reached in terms of the severity of the condition or its impact on lifestyle. This resulted in a reformulation or rejection of hegemonic masculinity. The described conceptual framework was consistent for men from diverse social groupings, although it appeared less prominent in both younger and older men, suggesting that dominant social constructions of masculinity have the greatest influence on health decisions during the middle stage of adulthood when work and family obligations are greatest. The thesis findings informed the development of some guiding principles for reviewing the structure and delivery of chronic illness self management services for men. The guiding principles will have direct application in the planning of Arthritis Victoria programs, and implications for other chronic illness self management programs in Australia, and also in Western countries with a similar health and sociocultural setting to Australia.

In recent years there has been a strong movement to replace outdated and inadequate jails throughout the United States. According to the National Sheriff's Association 15.9% of all jails have been under a court order to improve services or conditions at one time or another. In addition, 960 jails of the 3,493 existing jails in the United States were built prior to 1950. This need for new construction or renovation has given birth to a new area of expertise among architects and contractors--jail design and construction. While design and construction techniques have improved, little is known of the effects of physical environment on the social climate of a jail. This research seized upon a natural experiment in which an old, antiquated jail (Rocky Butte Jail) was replaced by a new, ultra-modern 470 bed high-rise jail (Multnomah County Detention Center). The question of what kind of physical environment change affects the social climate of a jail has broad implications with regard to design and construction of jails and other secure facilities. If the answer to this question can be determined, then it may be possible to provide improved service delivery in local jails, increase staff satisfaction with the work environment of jails, and improve mental and emotional health of jail staff and inmates; all of which can be translated into savings to the taxpayer. This study is a pre- and post-event research investigation that used the Rocky Butte Jail and the Multnomah County Detention Center as the setting for this inquiry. The Sonoma County (California) and Salt Lake County (Utah) jails served as control jails. The Correctional Institution Environmental Scale was administered to 877 inmates and staff in the four jails in 1983 and 1984. While the evidence is somewhat inconclusive, the Analysis of Covariance suggests that the inmates and staff as a group believe that there is a positive social climate in the Multnomah County Detention Center. This is expressed in terms of perceived support from fellow inmates and fellow officers and that the jail is orderly and well managed. In addition, inmates and staff as separate groups and in toto have a clear perception of what is expected of them. More important, perhaps, is the indication that well written and clear Policies and Procedures contribute greatly to the orderly management of an institution of this size. Finally, the data leads one to the conclusion that it may never be possible to gain a complete grasp of social climate in an institution of this nature. In general, this research provides a contribution to the literature and to future discussions of jail construction and design.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African prevalence is estimated at just over 17.1%, but efforts to reduce the number of HIV and AIDS deaths have dramatically changed. What is disturbing is that HIV prevalence rate in South African correctional facilities is higher than in general population. At 44%, HIV prevalence rate in South African correctional facilities are more than double of the just over 17.1% HIV prevalence rate in general population at the end of 2012 (UNAIDS, 2013). South African department of correctional services should regard these as a serious challenge given the increased number of sexual assaults and rape in correctional facilities as the Minister of correctional services Sbu Ndebele recently stated in Prison Brief. These could be worsening if the DCS does not come up with proactive strategies to reduce this prevalence in our Correctional facilities. These come back to the very same correctional officers who are not even aware of this state of HIV prevalence in their correctional facilities. This is because the findings of this study illustrate that majority of the correctional officers stationed in Johannesburg management area have limited knowledge about HIV and AIDS general information and they do not trust their management and their employee assistant staff when it comes to HIV and AIDS and this deny them necessary support and care from their employer. As the global HIV and AIDS epidemic enters its fourth decade, we are confronted by new challenges. In recent years, research related to HIV and AIDS has abounded as scholars continue to seek insight into the reciprocal influence of the pandemic on the one hand and various social systems on the other (Ebersohn, 2008). The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices of correctional officers relating to HIV in Johannesburg management area, Gauteng Region: South Africa. In this study the emerging findings are that Johannesburg management area are implementing their workplace HIV and AIDS programmes without a KAP study conducted to establish the baseline information about their employees, let alone conducting the KAP study on the regular basis to establish the effect of their workplace HIV and AIDS programmes. This was evident when majority of the respondents in this study had a limited knowledge about HIV in general and HIV prevalence in their country and their correctional facilities. Furthermore, there were also a poor monitoring and evaluation of such programmes. Another disturbing finding was that correctional officers in this management area did not have trust on their employee assistant staff and this was evident when 56% of the respondents responded that they would not use their internal EAP in HIV/AIDS related matters. This was the same when it comes to correctional officers attitudes towards management of this management area. This is evident when 71% of the respondents responded that if tested positive for HIV, they would not inform their immediate supervisors, managers, EAP and let alone their chaplain. This implies that there is a lack of trust between the management and their employees and between the employees and the employee assistant programme staff. However, correctional officers attitudes towards offenders living with HIV and AIDS is very good and encouraging and if correctional officers of this management area are given enough HIV information, they may pass it easily to all offenders as they interact with them on a daily basis. Given correctional officers‟ response on HIV testing and the use of EAP it is recommended that external service providers unknown to correctional officers should be used instead if management is unable to conduct a successful capacity building within the management area. Majority of the correctional officers according to this study had a limited knowledge about HIV treatment, cure and vaccine as they are unable to differentiate between the three and this is should be a serious concern for the department of correctional services. Although correctional officers sexual practices in this study findings indicated that correctional officers are well equipped when it comes to safe sexual practices, workplace HIV and AIDS programmes should include cultural beliefs, religion, tradition and myths to fight the spread of this epidemic.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die kennisvlakke asook die houdings en seksuele praktyke van korrektiewe offisiere binne die Departement van Korrektiewe Dienste in die Gauteng Streek in Suid-Afrika te ondersoek. Indien die korrektiewe offisier nie die nodige kennis en vaardighede besit om die verspreiding van die MIV-virus te beperk nie, kan hulle nie 'n doeltreffende rol speel in die Suid-Afrikaanse tronke nie. 'n Vraelys is vir die inwin van data gebruik en 'n steekproef van korrektiewe offisiere is vir die studie gebruik. Die data is op 'n beskrywende vlak ontleed en gevolgtrekkings is gemaak. Die studie bevind dat 'n minderheid van korrektiewe offisiere oor 'n voldoende kennisvlak van MIV beskik. Daar is verder bevind dat daar nie voldoende opleidingsfasiliteite vir hierdie korrektiewe amptenare bestaan nie en dat die programme wat wel aangebied word, nie behoorlik gemonitor en ge-evalueer word nie. Daar is egter bevind dat korrektiewe amptenare wel 'n positiewe houding het teenoor oortreders wat wel MIV-positief is en dat hulle wel die beperkte kennis waaroor hulle beskik na die beste van hulle vermoë oordra aan die oortreders gesurende hulle daaglikse interaksie. Voorstelle word in die studie gemaak vir die ontwikkeling en aanbieding van doeltreffende opleidingsprogramme vir korrektiewe offisiere. Daar word ook voorgestel dat korrektiewe offisiere op 'n veel groter skaal bewus gemaak word van die komplekse interaksie tussen tradisie, vooroordele en mites wat rondom suksesvolle MIV/Vigs-bekamping bestaan.

Otitis media and consequent hearing loss are known to be high in Koori communities. Previous research on otitis media in Koori communities has focused on its identification, treatment and management. Little research has focused on the prevention of otitis media. Victorian Aboriginal communities often have small populations which result in small sample sizes for research projects. Consequently use of traditional quantitative methods to measure of change arising from health interventions can be problematic. The aim of the research was to describe Koori children’s otitis media risk factors using a Koori research method in order to develop, implement and evaluate preventative interventions.

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been an increasing public health problem since its emergence in the 1990s and incarcerated populations are at disproportionately high-risk for colonization and infection. However, few studies have investigated why levels of S. aureus remain endemic in correctional settings in the absence of an outbreak. The overall objective of this dissertation was to evaluate S. aureus transmission in two maximum-security prisons using a molecular epidemiologic approach and data collected on over 2,700 inmates from 2009 – 2013. The objective of this dissertation was met using three aims. First, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies that used social network analysis (SNA) to evaluate infectious disease transmission via non-sexual/non-injection drug use contact pathways to detect influences of social networks on disease risk. Results of the review demonstrated that SNA approaches in infectious disease epidemiology are flexible and can be used to enhance traditional contact investigations, reveal granular patterns of transmission, evaluate influences of high-risk behaviors and activities, and identify both protective and causal effects resulting from context-specific social interactions. Second, changes in the distribution and diversity of S. aureus isolates with increasing length of incarceration were assessed. The results revealed some evidence for S. aureus transmission based on greater representation of certain strains; however, the genetic diversity of S. aureus was high regardless of length of time served. Third, the influence of social interactions among prison inmates on S. aureus colonization status was examined using SNA. The results showed that S. aureus colonized inmates were more likely to spend time in social groups and that the mechanisms of transmission differed for men and women. For women, the association was driven by being centrally located in the social network and for men it was driven by higher proportions of colonized inmates in close proximity. Overall, the results of this dissertation support the hypothesis that S. aureus is transmitted within prisons as a result of direct skin-to-skin contact and/or exposure to contaminated environmental surfaces. However, the results also demonstrate that, in the absence of an outbreak, S. aureus transmission within prisons is low indicating that endemic levels of S. aureus are primarily maintained by the constant introduction of clones into prisons from jails and the community.

Research conducted within the Victoria Police has previously highlighted problems in the area of employee health and fitness. Officers of law enforcement agencies require a level of health and fitness which will enable them to effectively carry out their daily duties. While much of a police officer's shift is sedentary in nature, intermittent bursts of physical activity require enhanced levels of physical fitness. Despite these physical requirements, after a brief probationary period, police officers are not normally required to undergo any form of medical or fitness assessment for the rest of their careers. A project was conducted within the Victorian Police Force entitled "Operation Physicop" over a twelve month period in a geographical area called 'Y' District (now 'F' and 'G'). The project aimed to measure the effectiveness of workplace health promotion within the Victoria Police Force by measuring changes in several health and fitness parameters as a result of interventions aimed at influencing health behaviour and the workplace environment in a positive way.

This thesis aimed to describe the epidemiology of HCV in South Australian prisons - prevalence, transmission and risk factors. This thesis also aimed to determine the impact of incarceration on reported risk behaviours. A related objective was to evaluate the epidemiological effectiveness of the ELISA - 3 HCV antibody test using PCR as the gold standard. Finally, this thesis aimed to explore the potential for minimising HCV risk in the South Australian prison population. Methods: Two case note audits were conducted at each of eight publicly operated SA prisons ( in summer and winter ) to identify any documented HCV - antibody test results. Prisoners recruited at entry to prison were offered tests for HCV - antibody and completed a pre - entry risk factor survey. Participants completed additional risk factor surveys and ( if HCV - negative at last test ) underwent further antibody tests at three - monthly intervals for up to 15 months. A sample of participants also provided blood specimens for HCV - RNA testing. Limited stakeholder consultations with prison officers and nurses were also conducted. Quantitative data were analysed using univariate and multivariate techniques. Results: 1347 case notes were audited in summer, and 1347 in winter and an overall HCV prevalence of 42 % was estimated. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, HCV prevalence was significantly higher in female prisoners ( 65 % ), those aged above 28 years ( 48 % ), and in Indigenous prisoners originating from metropolitan areas ( 56 % ). Indigenous prisoners originating from remote areas had significantly lower HCV prevalence ( 20 % ). 666 prisoners were recruited at entry, and 42 % were estimated to be HCV - antibody positive. Three seroconversions were noted in 151 initially HCV - seronegative negative individuals followed up for a median time of 121 days - a rate 4.6 per 100 person years - but community exposure could not be ruled out. Overall agreement between HCV - antibody and HCV - RNA assays was 86 % ( 100% in the HCV negative samples ) - kappa = 0.71. Injecting history was highly prevalent in prison entrants ( 70 % ) and both community and prison injecting ( but not tattooing ) were independent predictors of entry HCV status. Prison history was also independently associated with entry HCV status. Injecting in prison during the study was infrequently reported, but significantly more likely in those testing HCV - antibody positive at prison entry ( risk ratio = 2.48, P = 0.046 ). Stakeholders were most supportive of strategies to increase education and to minimise risks associated with hair clippers, but did not support most other suggested preventive strategies. Other issues related to communicable diseases and infection control were explored in the stakeholder interviews. Conclusions: HCV prevalence in South Australian prisoners is extremely high and may have contributed to a ' ceiling effect ' , minimising the seroconversion rate observed in this population. Injecting is relatively infrequently reported in prison, but more likely in those already infected with HCV. Thus, contaminated injecting equipment represents a significant threat to other prisoners and prison staff. Strategies aimed at reducing HCV risk in prisons, which address the concerns of those expected to implement them, are proposed in this thesis.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2006.

This thesis aimed to describe the epidemiology of HCV in South Australian prisons - prevalence, transmission and risk factors. This thesis also aimed to determine the impact of incarceration on reported risk behaviours. A related objective was to evaluate the epidemiological effectiveness of the ELISA - 3 HCV antibody test using PCR as the gold standard. Finally, this thesis aimed to explore the potential for minimising HCV risk in the South Australian prison population. Methods: Two case note audits were conducted at each of eight publicly operated SA prisons ( in summer and winter ) to identify any documented HCV - antibody test results. Prisoners recruited at entry to prison were offered tests for HCV - antibody and completed a pre - entry risk factor survey. Participants completed additional risk factor surveys and ( if HCV - negative at last test ) underwent further antibody tests at three - monthly intervals for up to 15 months. A sample of participants also provided blood specimens for HCV - RNA testing. Limited stakeholder consultations with prison officers and nurses were also conducted. Quantitative data were analysed using univariate and multivariate techniques. Results: 1347 case notes were audited in summer, and 1347 in winter and an overall HCV prevalence of 42 % was estimated. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, HCV prevalence was significantly higher in female prisoners ( 65 % ), those aged above 28 years ( 48 % ), and in Indigenous prisoners originating from metropolitan areas ( 56 % ). Indigenous prisoners originating from remote areas had significantly lower HCV prevalence ( 20 % ). 666 prisoners were recruited at entry, and 42 % were estimated to be HCV - antibody positive. Three seroconversions were noted in 151 initially HCV - seronegative negative individuals followed up for a median time of 121 days - a rate 4.6 per 100 person years - but community exposure could not be ruled out. Overall agreement between HCV - antibody and HCV - RNA assays was 86 % ( 100% in the HCV negative samples ) - kappa = 0.71. Injecting history was highly prevalent in prison entrants ( 70 % ) and both community and prison injecting ( but not tattooing ) were independent predictors of entry HCV status. Prison history was also independently associated with entry HCV status. Injecting in prison during the study was infrequently reported, but significantly more likely in those testing HCV - antibody positive at prison entry ( risk ratio = 2.48, P = 0.046 ). Stakeholders were most supportive of strategies to increase education and to minimise risks associated with hair clippers, but did not support most other suggested preventive strategies. Other issues related to communicable diseases and infection control were explored in the stakeholder interviews. Conclusions: HCV prevalence in South Australian prisoners is extremely high and may have contributed to a ' ceiling effect ' , minimising the seroconversion rate observed in this population. Injecting is relatively infrequently reported in prison, but more likely in those already infected with HCV. Thus, contaminated injecting equipment represents a significant threat to other prisoners and prison staff. Strategies aimed at reducing HCV risk in prisons, which address the concerns of those expected to implement them, are proposed in this thesis.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2006.

While accounting for less than 5 percent of the Canadian population, Indigenous peoples represent more than 30 percent of the federal prison population of Canada. In a prairie province like Manitoba the numbers are even more extreme, with over three-quarters of the prison population being Indigenous. This contemporary “Indian Problem” has been theorized in recent decades as an outcome of the colonial history of Canada. Indigenous Studies scholarship has critiqued the temporal political imaginary of the subsequent reconciliation discourse that locates colonial violence, and, thus, culpability and responsibility of the Canadian state, to an ‘event’ of history. Such national stories not only diminish the interrogation of ongoing structures of colonial violence but relegate any meaningful political processes of accountability and justice to the dustbin of history. This ‘legacy’ framework of historicizing colonial violence has created fecund conditions for (re)apprehending Indigenous bodies at the junctures of legal and medical reasoning, where questions of punishment, containment and rehabilitation for criminal actions become uneasily blurred with questions of healing and repair of damaged bodies and minds. The uptake of ‘Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder’ (FASD) in the Canadian justice system in recent decades operates precisely at this juncture of treating Indigenous peoples as uniquely medicalized, or disabled, criminals, and has created further capacities for deepening this ‘legacy’ framework for apprehending and containing Indigenous peoples as offenders, or even as potential offenders of a social and legal order. FASD is an umbrella term describing the range of lifelong physical, mental, behavioral and learning disabilities that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol while in utero. It is typically thought of as a neurocognitive disability that affects memory, executive reasoning, and the ability to learn from or think consequentially about one’s actions. As such, it has become a broad institutional discourse for predicting criminal behaviors through a medicalized conception of risk of violence. FASD is typically raised as an ethical problem in the criminal justice system, provoking important questions as to whether we punish crimes (for which one is culpable) or disabilities (for which one is not). In addition, if FASD represents a permanent neurocognitive disability without any hope of cure, how should the rehabilitative and reintegrative tenets of the criminal code be imagined and implemented? These problems are compounded further by the regular speculation that Canada is in the midst of a hitherto unknown epidemic of this “invisible disorder” of FASD. Important as these ethical and political problems are, the dissertation argues that the specific institutional urgency surrounding the medicalization of criminal offenders with FASD has been enabled by diagnostic logics of deferral and certainty that pertains to the “Indian Problem.” These logics allow FASD to relocate and bury questions of colonial responsibility within the Indigenous body itself which is tragically doomed to permanent brain damage and cognitive disorder and an incorrigible lifestyle of dysfunction and crime. The ‘colonial legacy’ predicates a foreclosure on Indigenous futurity. This dissertation is based on 24 months of fieldwork in a non-profit community outreach program for justice-involved individuals with FASD in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As an FASD community outreach worker, my job was to assist individuals to navigate the complexities of criminal justice and social welfare systems that might pose challenges to those with cognitive disabilities associated with FASD. I learned very quickly, however, that actors as diverse as lawyers, probation officers, doctors, social workers, FASD researchers and even my community outreach colleagues and supervisors, operated within a diagnostic imaginary that quite often assumed without proof the presence of an FASD diagnosis for our almost exclusively Indigenous clientele. The dissertation analyzes the everyday procedures of FASD knowledge formation and circulation beginning with a basic ethnographic question: how does one know that another has FASD? This line of questioning was situated within the broad institutional apparatus of the criminal justice system in Canada, which I examine thematically and temporally as four separate stages of encounter: 1) the initial crime and related discourses of accusation; 2) the trial setting; 3) the sentencing trial; and, finally, 4) the post-carceral release phase. This temporal framework emerged naturally out of my experience of ethnographic work as a community outreach worker and innumerable casual and professional encounters with social workers, slum landlords, and my many hours spent in courts, probation offices, and jail visitations. In addition, I had a four-month placement with an assessment team at an FASD diagnostic clinic and did extensive work in the archive of legal cases and decisions pertaining to Indigenous offenders and the unique problematic of FASD in the legal system. Breaking down the minute social and legal details that attend to determinations of FASD at these various stages unmasks the ways in which FASD comes to explain Indigenous criminality as a congenital condition that is an expression of biological and cultural dysfunction, while strategically ignoring any examination of ongoing structures of colonial violence.

A qualitative study aimed at exploring the nature and extent of the perceived social support available to male prisoners living with HIV at Pretoria Central Prison was conducted. A literature investigation into the life and world of male prisoners, with a focus on the nature and extent of the perceived social support provided to prisoners living with HIV, is presented. Fifteen (15) prisoners were identified by means of non-probability purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect information on how male prisoners living with HIV at Pretoria Central Prison viewed the nature and extent of the social support available to them. The study shows that the research participants living with HIV tended to receive social support from practitioners and other prisoners trained as voluntary caregivers. The study recommends that prisoners living with HIV should have greater access to social support from their significant others.
Social Work
M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Risk taking behaviours such as drug use, sexual activities and tattooing are prevalent in the correctional institutions, including those in South Africa. Such behaviours pose a serious challenge as regards health care of inmates. In particular, these behaviours contribute to the transmission of HIV/AIDS which results in morbidity and mortality. Harm reduction components are employed as effective measure to curb the spread of the pandemic. These components are lauded owing to their considerable impact. They consist of needle exchange programmes, substitution therapy, condom provision and education. Various developing (Morocco, Brazil and Egypt) and developed (Scotland and Canada) countries make use of such components to address risk taking behaviours in correctional institutions. Although condom provision and education have been implemented by the South African Department of Correctional Services in state institutions, there is an urgent need to enhance the efforts. This study investigates the extent of risk taking behaviours amongst inmates at the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre. It also determines the level of knowledge of inmates and staff regarding HIV/AIDS. The researcher employed a qualitative form of methodology, collecting data by means of a structured questionnaire. The data was coded and analysed by means of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings reveal that the risk taking behaviours are prevalent at the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre. Furthermore, the analysis of the knowledge items regarding HIV/AIDS indicates that there are certain deficits that require attention. They are also notable differences in the primary sources of HIV information for inmates and staff. It was found that a dire need exists to enhance and expand current harm reduction initiatives in correctional institutions in order to offer health care services that are compliant with international conventions such as the Dublin Declaration on HIV/AIDS as well as the South African Constitution. Reluctance to do so is tantamount to housing inmates in „de facto‟ death chambers. Hence the augmentation of such initiatives is strongly recommended.
Penology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Penology)

Thesis describes the development and current state of Czech prison, psycho-social problems in prisons and psychosocial hygiene. Among prisoners and the Prison Service staff are examined views on psycho-social hygiene in prison in České Budějovice and Příbram prison and quality of life prisoners subject to health.