The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) - Service correctionnel du Canada

Executive Summary
With indications that the rate of mental disorder among federally sentenced offenders is
increasing, Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) requires tools that can provide efficient
standardised methods for screening of offenders who may require mental health intervention.
The large numbers of offenders coming into reception centres over a year makes it attractive
to look at an automated method that will allow administrators to compile institutional,
regional and national statistics and provide quick and accurate profiles of the offenders who
are showing significant symptoms of distress. The Computerized Mental Health Intake
Screening System (CoMHISS) combines two self report measures tapping psychological
problems, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Depression Hopelessness and Suicide
Screening Form (DHS), with the Paulhus Deception Scales (PDS).
From February 2008 to April 2009 over 1,300 male offenders incarcerated on a new sentence
at the regional reception centres completed the measures. In this study, cut-off scores based
on psychiatric patient norms determined that less than 3% of the federal male population
would be screened in for further service or evaluation. However, using non patient norms
almost 40% of the population would be screened in. Further research is required to establish
CSC specific norms and appropriate cut off scores. Preliminary data indicate relative higher
rates of psychological symptoms among the Aboriginal specific population, but these
differences were not statistically significant. Comparative data on the results of the
assessment across regional reception centres demonstrated the highest rates of symptomology
in the Atlantic region. A profile of the offenders who completed the assessment is presented
and compared to those who refused the assessment or produced invalid results.
Further research is required to confirm the accuracy of the measures in identifying seriously
mentally disordered offenders who will require additional services. Future possible
developments of the CoMHISS may include incorporation of measures of cognitive deficits
and attention deficit disorder and the merging of the mental health assessments with results
from the Computerised Assessment of Substance Abuse which will provide estimates of rates
of concurrent disorders.
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