Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Jane McCarthy, King’s College London (JMccarthy@standrew.co.uk)In the UK, intellectual disability (ID) is not routinely screened for within the criminal justicesystem. The consequence is that people with ID may not be directed to the most appropriateprison location or departments to receive the support they need. This study aims to establish theextent of ID among prisoners at a local prison in London, UK. Prisoners arriving at the prisonwill be screened and follow-up diagnostic assessments carried out. The study will explore thecharacteristics of prisoners with ID; the extent to which they have additional mental healthproblems and examine their prison pathways and healthcare resources they use. In addition to ID,participants will be screened for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All those screening positive for any of these disorders willassessed for additional mental health problems and substance misuse. Participants’ prisonpathways of in terms of resources required and locations used in comparison to the generalprison population will be explored. The study is currently at the recruitment stage. Data on ratesof recognised and previously unrecognised ID, ASD and ADHD will be reported along withpreliminary results on characteristics and comorbidity.Aging in Place: Neurocognitive Impact of Long Term Prison Sentences andLegal ImplicationsStacey Wood, Scripps College (swood@scrippscollege.edu)Longer sentences at both the state and federal level have resulted in a large and growing agingpopulation in US prisons. Human Rights Watch estimates the number of inmates over 55 at125,000 and growing (Humans Rights Watch, 1/27/2012). Many of these older inmates faceincreased risks of cognitive decline secondary to histories of low educational attainment,psychiatric disorders, substance and alcohol abuse, trauma histories, head-injuries, and poorpremorbid medical care. In addition, we argue that the prison environment itself may be anindependent factor that increases the incidence of dementia secondary to low levels of cognitivestimulation, poor medical care, poor diet, and psychological trauma. Further, demographically,prison populations are at higher risk for hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease priorto incarceration and these risks become amplified in the prison environment. In fact, a recentreport indicated that prison inmates demonstrated accelerated aging, appearing 10 - 15 yearsolder medically resulting in classifications of inmates over age 50 as older in 15 states (VERAInstitute of Justice, 2010; HRW 1/27/2012). This presentation will review the literature onaccelerated aging in the prison population with an emphasis on implications for neurobehavioralassessment and legal decision-making.Neurobehavioral Examination of the Forensic ClientGeorge Woods, Morehouse School of Medicine (gwoods@georgewoodsmd.com)201