The Epidemiology of Self-Harm in the Romanian Juvenile Prison System: A Two-Year Cohort Study

Background: There is no extensive literature on social predictors of self-harm in the juvenile justice system, over the time of a prisoner’s sentence. Self-harm behavior displays a higher prevalence in prison, 11 to 14 times greater than in the general population. Our study extended the current research in self-harm by examining dynamic factors of self-harm in adolescents over their sentence in the Romanian juvenile prison system. Method: The present research examined longitudinal predictors of self-harm behaviors in 439 adolescent inmates (Mage = 16.21;5.2% female, 94.8% male), enrolled in prison during 2011-2012, following them for two years. A series of time-to-event analyses were applied to start from the time of the subject’s internment in the juvenile prison system. Results: Findings from the multivariate survival analyses show that adherence to self-harm conduct in prison was consistently influenced by family factors and prison contexts;although low ability to cope with frustration, sensitivity and emotion dysregulation also mattered. Keeping the other covariates invariant, serving a prison sentence in a closed regime reduces the probability of remaining free of self-harm events, increasing the monthly hazard of self-harm by a factor of 5.26 on average (HR = 5.26, 95% CI = 2.37 - 11.64) compared to the open regime. Conclusion: A greater focus on longitudinal studies may help improve the screening process and also follow the progress of each juvenile to warrant the efficacy of preventive programs in self-harm, according to their emerging needs.

The Epidemiology of Recurrent Violence and Its Relationship with Sentence Time in the Romanian Juvenile Prison System: A Two-Year Cohort Study

Background: Research suggests that a small number of persistent violent offenders are responsible for a majority of prison violence and tend to behave violently to a disproportionate amount. However, literature on patterns of violence in juvenile prisoners is limited. Method: In order to explore how subjects engage in violence while incarcerated in the juvenile prison system, the authors will examine both proximal and distal predictors of violent behavior among juveniles in custody. This study adds to the current empirical research by longitudinally examining dynamic risk factors of recurrent violent behavior across a population of juvenile prisoners (Mage = 16.21;94.8% male) in custody in the Romanian juvenile justice system, starting from their entry date until the end of the follow-up period (Me = 2 years). Results: Results from a series of repeated aggressive events survival analyses show evidence of a long-term deleterious association between pre-incarceration risk factors and poor developmental trajectory associated with violence. Adherence to destructive conduct in prison was consistently influenced by low ability to cope with the prison environment, although education level and family factors also mattered. Implications for prison professionals and forensic practitioners are presented. Conclusion: Recurring aggressive behavior is frequent for individuals who experience complex adverse experiences during childhood, suggesting that screening youths upon their admission into juvenile justice settings should include an assessment of their basic self-regulation needs. A greater focus on longitudinal studies may help improve the screening process and also follow the progress of each juvenile to warrant the efficacy of preventive programs in self-harm, according to their emerging needs.

Prevalence and features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in prisons in Tuscany

BACKGROUND Prisons can be a reservoir for infectious diseases,including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),due to the very intimate nature of the living spaces and the large number of people forced to share them.AIM To investigate the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology in prisons,this study evaluated the infection incidence rate in prisoners who underwent nasopharyngeal swabs.METHODS This is an observational cohort study.Data collection included information on prisoners who underwent nasopharyngeal swab testing for SARS-CoV-2 and the results.Nasopharyngeal swab tests for SARS-CoV-2 were performed between 15 February 2021 and 31 May 2021 for prisoners with symptoms and all new arrivals to the facility.Another section included information on the diagnosis of the disease according to the International Classification of Diseases,Ninth Revision,and Clinical Modification.RESULTS Up until the 31 May 2021,79.2%of the prisoner cohort(n=1744)agreed to a nasopharyngeal swab test(n=1381).Of these,1288 were negative(93.3%)and 85 were positive(6.2%).A significant association[relative risk(RR)]was found only for the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among foreigners compared to Italians[RR=2.4,95%confidence interval(CI):1.2-4.8].A positive association with SARS-CoV-2 infection was also found for inmates with at least one nervous system disorder(RR=4,95%CI:1.8-9.1).The SARS-CoV-2 incidence rate among prisoners is significantly lower than in the general population in Tuscany(standardized incidence ratio 0.7,95%CI:0.6-0.9).CONCLUSION In the prisoner cohort,screening and rapid access to health care for the immigrant population were critical to limiting virus transmission and subsequent morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B and Associated Factors in the Garoua Central Prison, Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in Cameroon. Garoua city is the headquarters of the North Region of Cameroon, where the HBV prevalence is among the highest of the country. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg carriage and associated factors among persons incarcerated in the Garoua Central Prison. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted from July 1 to July 31, 2023 at the Garoua Central prison. We included all prisoners willing to participate in the study and who gave their verbal consent. We collected data using a pre-established data entry form and we used rapid test for blood screening for HBV surface antigen (HBs Ag) with ELISA confirmation. Data were analyzed using the R® software for Windows. After the univariate analysis, we selected associated variables to HBV infection with p-value p-value was set at 5%. Results: We included 1389 prisoners out of which 97.6% were male. The median age (IQR) of the study population was 28 (23 - 35) years. The median (IQR) duration of incarceration was 12 (6 - 26) months and the mean (±sd) number of incarcerations was 1.24 (±0.6). HBV prevalence was estimated at 14.8% (95% CI: 13.0 - 16.7). Upon uni- and multivariate analysis, no risk factor was significantly associated with viral hepatitis B infection in our study population. Conclusion: The prevalence of Hepatitis B was high in the Garoua Central Prison, but there were no additional risk factors for HBV infection. There is a need to include the Garoua Central Prison and by the way other prisons in the country in the chronic viral hepatitis care program.

Tuberculosis in the Carcinal Environment in Chad Due to the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Circulante Complex

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease and its control is considered a challenge, particularly among vulnerable populations such as prisoners. The prevalence of TB in prisons is an alarming public health problem in many countries. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis and the strategies for controlling this disease in the Chadian prison population. During the course of our study, the prevalence of tuberculosis in prisons was 9.64%. The age group between 55 years and over (43.33%) was the most represented in this study, and all patients were men with a frequency of 62.66%. The cross-tabulation of Culture_7H9G and Culture_7H9P showed that out of our total positive sample, we found a total of 87 positive strains and 63 negative strains. Our study shows that it is essential to know the prevalence of tuberculosis in all the country’s prisons. Indeed, this can serve as an indication of the need for action in prisons to reduce TB rates, in particular by improving the structure of prison environments, diagnosing new cases quickly and accurately, identifying drug-resistant strains and implementing effective, direct treatment observed in people with tuberculosis.

Defection or Cooperation—Richard Power’s Moral Insights in Prisoner’s Dilemma

Prisoner’s Dilemma is a master trope for relaying the permanent impasse or dilemma of cooperation versus defection.In Prisoner’s Dilemma Richard Powers narrates a multiform of dilemma mainly narrating Eddie Hobson’s traumatic history,along with Eddie’s attempt to carry out a strategy—Eddie’s ideal Hobstown which is supposed to cope with the confused dilemma.Pow⁃ers’strategic moral insights are revealed by assuming that each player feels sympathy for the other and a moral cooperative instead of antagonistic solution to the Prisoner’s Dilemma will be found.

OBE理念下监狱学专业课程体系构建研究——以贵州警察学院监狱学专业建设为视角

监狱工作是构建“和谐社会”不可忽视的重要一环,罪犯刑释后的再犯罪率,往往是衡量监狱工作质量高低的首要标准。贵州警察学院作为培养监狱民警后备军的高校之一,需要在先进理念指导下开展人才培养模式的改革与实践,提高监狱人民警察的执法技能和职业素质。为此,在OBE理念下,构建监狱学专业目标体系和课程体系坚持能力导向、遵循逻辑结构、突出实践技能等原则,强调与职业需求接轨,构建模块化课程体系;以项目实践为主线,使实践教学体系落地以职业能力为核心,实施多元化课程评价方式。以满足司法机关对政治业务素质高、实战能力强的应用型、复合型政法人才的要求。

Richard Power’s Philosophical Thoughts in Prisoner’s Dilemma

The“prisoner’s dilemma”illustrates that everyone is rationally thinking about maximizing their own interests and taking their own best strategies,but the end result is counterproductive.In Prisoner’s Dilemma Richard Powers describes multiformareas of dilemma;to lose balance;to make choices;and ask each other:what to do next?It is a master trope for relaying the permanent impasse or dilemma of cooperation versus defection.In most cases,the prisoner's dilemma is more about the number of defeats in the game,and even a major loss of society.Individual rationality is likely to be a collective disregard,and if everyone is acting on the principle of self-interest,it is often the result that everyone is lost.Powers expresses his philosophical insight:Until a cooperative instead of antagonistic solution is collectively agreed upon,we still remain imprisoned in an interminable and oppressive struggle and conflict decided by self-interest and rational control,which is also a moral response to historical consciousness of postmodernism.

大数据环境下监狱安全情报工作体系构建及策略

[目的/意义]将大数据技术运用到监狱安全情报工作,构建大数据环境下的监狱安全情报工作体系,促进监狱安全情报工作理念转变,推动监狱安全情报分析预测更加精准科学。[方法/过程]分析大数据给监狱安全情报工作带来的机遇和挑战,结合安全情报工作流程,研究监狱安全情报工作体系相关要素,构建基于大数据环境的监狱安全情报工作体系。[结果/结论]立足总体国家安全观,以监狱安全情报信息化系统、监狱安全情报信息综合平台、监狱安全情报保障系统为框架主体,构建大数据下的监狱安全情报工作体系,能够提升监狱安全防控效能,促进社会长治久安。

Intentional ingestions of foreign objects among prisoners: A review

The intentional ingestion of foreign objects(IIFO) is described more commonly in prison populations than in the general population, with an estimated annual incidence of 1 in 1900 inmates in our state correctional facilities. Incidents often involve ingestion of small metal objects(e.g., paperclips, razor blades) or other commonly available items like pens or eating utensils. Despite ingestion of relatively sharp objects, most episodes can be clinically managed with either observation or endoscopy. Surgery should be reserved for those with signs or symptoms of gastrointestinal perforation or obstruction. For those with a history of IIFO, efforts should focus on prevention of recurrenceas subsequent episodes are associated with higher morbidity, significant healthcare and security costs. The pattern of IIFO is often repetitive, with escalation both in frequency of ingestions and in number of items ingested. Little is known about successful prevention strategies, but efforts to monitor patients and provide psychiatric care are potential best-practice strategies. This article aims to provide state-of-the art review on the topic, followed by a set of basic recommendations.

An Adaptive Strategy via Reinforcement Learning for the Prisoner＇s Dilemma Game

The iterated prisoner's dilemma(IPD) is an ideal model for analyzing interactions between agents in complex networks. It has attracted wide interest in the development of novel strategies since the success of tit-for-tat in Axelrod's tournament. This paper studies a new adaptive strategy of IPD in different complex networks, where agents can learn and adapt their strategies through reinforcement learning method. A temporal difference learning method is applied for designing the adaptive strategy to optimize the decision making process of the agents. Previous studies indicated that mutual cooperation is hard to emerge in the IPD. Therefore, three examples which based on square lattice network and scale-free network are provided to show two features of the adaptive strategy. First, the mutual cooperation can be achieved by the group with adaptive agents under scale-free network, and once evolution has converged mutual cooperation, it is unlikely to shift. Secondly, the adaptive strategy can earn a better payoff compared with other strategies in the square network. The analytical properties are discussed for verifying evolutionary stability of the adaptive strategy.

Hepatitis C virus infection and prisoners: Epidemiology, outcome and treatment

The studies on hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection in prison populations are few and mostly cross-sectional. We analyzed prevalently the articles appearing on Pub Med in the last ten years. HCV infection is frequent in prisoners, prevalences ranging from 3.1% to 38% according to the HCV endemicity in the geographical location of the prison and in the countries of origin of the foreign prisoners and to the prevalence of intravenous drug use, which is the most important risk factor for HCV infection, followed by an older age of prisoners and previous prison terms. HCV replication in anti-HCVpositive cases varies from 45% to 90% in different studies, and the most common HCV genotypes are generally 1 and 3. The response to antiviral treatment is similar in prisoners to that of the general population. Unfortunately, treatment is administered less frequently to prisoners because of the difficulties in management and follow-up. The new directly acting antivirals offer a good therapy option for inmates because of their good efficacy, short duration of treatment and low incidence of side effects. The efforts of the prison authorities and medical staff should be focused on reducing the spread of HCV infection in prisons by extending the possibility of follow-up and treatment to more prisoners with chronic hepatitis C.

An Exploration of the Relation between Hunting and Aggressiveness: Using Inmates Networks at Prison Secondary School as an Illustration

Aim of this research is to explore the relation of hunting with aggressiveness. For this purpose, two samples of prison inmates (who were students of the prison secondary school) were collected (class A = 23, class B = 12). The network indicators for superficial, idiosyncratic and strategic behavior (particularly, aggressiveness), applied in Bekiari and Hasanagas (2016), which were based on the primary network variables (outdegree, indegree, Katz status, pagerank, authority) were used. Non-network variables were also used for the criminal profile of the inmates. The data were sampled with questionnaire. Spearman test was conducted for detecting correlation between aggressiveness and hunting and Principal Component Analysis was used for formulating a typology. The following results were produced: The criminal profile seems hardly to be related with hunting experience or attitude. The relation of hunting experience and attitude with the superficial, idiosyncratic and strategic aggressiveness was examined. These three occasions of aggressiveness are expected to describe the incidental reaction, impulsive and adaptive reaction, respectively. The hunting is quite irrelevant to the incidental reaction. The impulsiveness seems to be more strongly correlated with hunting. In case of adaptiveness, there are many similarities with impulsiveness. The typology which is based on the existence (or not) of hunting experience seems to be more insightful, as it reveals a gradual involvement of aggressiveness dimensions, from incidentality to impulsiveness and further to adaptiveness. The following behavioral patterns of gradually enhanced aggressiveness appear: incidentally just provoking, impulsively being aggressive but without harming, and adaptively being aggressive and harming.

Prison Term Prediction on Criminal Case Description with Deep Learning

The task of prison term prediction is to predict the term of penalty based on textual fact description for a certain type of criminal case.Recent advances in deep learning frameworks inspire us to propose a two-step method to address this problem.To obtain a better understanding and more specific representation of the legal texts,we summarize a judgment model according to relevant law articles and then apply it in the extraction of case feature from judgment documents.By formalizing prison term prediction as a regression problem,we adopt the linear regression model and the neural network model to train the prison term predictor.In experiments,we construct a real-world dataset of theft case judgment documents.Experimental results demonstrate that our method can effectively extract judgment-specific case features from textual fact descriptions.The best performance of the proposed predictor is obtained with a mean absolute error of 3.2087 months,and the accuracy of 72.54%and 90.01%at the error upper bounds of three and six months,respectively.

THE OPTIMAL CONTROL FOR PROMOTING THE COOPERATION IN EVOLUTION GAME GENERATED BY PRISONER'S DILEMMA

Natural selection opposes the evolution of cooperation unless specific mechanisms are at work in Prisoner＇s Dilemma. By taking advantage of the modern control theory, the controller design is discussed and the optimal control is designed for promoting cooperation based on the recent advances in mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation. Two con- trol strategies are proposed： compensation control strategy for the cooperator when playing against a defector and reward control strategy for cooperator when playing against a coop- erator. The feasibility and effectiveness of these control strategies for promoting cooperation in different stages are analyzed. The reward for cooperation can＇t prevent defection from being evolutionary stable strategy （ESS）. On the other hand, compensation for the coopera- tor can＇t prevent defection from emerging and sustaining. By considering the effect and the cost, an optimal control scheme with constraint on the admissible control set is put forward. By analyzing the special nonlinear system of replicator dynamics, the exact analytic solution of the optimal control scheme is obtained based on the maximum principle. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by examples.

Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma game on highly clustered community networks

This paper studies the evolutionary prisoner＇s dilemma game on a highly clustered community network in which the clustering coefficient and the community size can be tuned. It finds that the clustering coefficient in such a degree-homogeneous network inhibits the emergence of cooperation for the entire range of the payoff parameter. Moreover, it finds that the community size can also have a marked influence on the evolution of cooperation, with a larger community size leading to not only a lower cooperation level but also a smaller threshold of the payoff parameter above which cooperators become extinct.

Evolutionary prisoner’s dilemma on Newman-Watts social networks with an asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism

In this paper, we introduce an asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism into the evolutionary prisoner＇s dilemma game （PDG） on Newman Watts social networks, and study its effects on the evolution of cooperation. The asymmetric payoff distribution mechanism can be adjusted by the parameter α： if α〉 0, the rich will exploit the poor to get richer; if α 〈 0, the rich are forced to offer part of their income to the poor. Numerical results show that the cooperator frequency monotonously increases with c~ and is remarkably promoted when c~ 〉 0. The effects of updating order and self-interaction are also investigated. The co-action of random updating and self-interaction can induce the highest cooperation level. Moreover, we employ the Gini coefficient to investigate the effect of asymmetric payoff distribution on the the system＇s wealth distribution. This work may be helpful for understanding cooperative behaviour and wealth inequality in society.

HIPPOCRATES®project:A proof of concept of a collaborative program for hepatitis C virus micro-elimination in a prison setting

BACKGROUND In the last few years we have witnessed a revolution in the treatment of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection.With the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents(DAAs),sustained virological response(SVR)is achieved in more than 95%of the patients.The focus is now being turned to the global targets set by the World Health Organization,with the aim of achieving HCV elimination by 2030.Prison inmates constitute one of the high-risk groups,and receive treatment less frequently due to several barriers in access to health care.AIM To describe the management and follow-up of a cohort of HCV monoinfected patients treated with DAA in the prison setting,where tertial referral liver center specialists locally provide,on-site assessment and treatment for the prisoners.METHODS A prospective observational study was conducted from April 2017 to March 2020,which included all HCV monoinfected prison inmates in the largest Northern Portugal prison.Demographic,clinical,and laboratory data,as well as transient elastography measurements,were collected onsite by the medical team and prospectively recorded.Patients were treated with DAA according to international guidelines.The primary endpoint was SVR at post-treatment week 12.RESULTS There were 98 monoinfected HCV male inmates(mean age,42.7±8.6 years)included in the analysis.Injecting drugs or tattooing were reported in 74.5%,with 38.8%of the latter being done in prison.Alcohol consumption of more than 30 g/d was referred in 69.4%.The most prevalent genotype was 1a(54.1%),followed by 3(27.6%),4(9.2%)and 1b(6.1%).Pretreatment fibrosis degree was mild-tomoderate(F0-F2)in 77.6%and severe in 22.4%(F3-F4).Treatment regimens chosen were:45.9%elbasvir/grazoprevir,29.6%sofosbuvir/velpatasvir,and 12.2%sofosbuvir/ledispavir and glecaprevir/pibrentasvir.No major adverse events were observed.SVR at post-treatment week 12 was 99%.CONCLUSION In a population considered to be both hard-to-access and a cornerstone for HCV elimination,the onsite evaluation and treatment of HCV-infected prisoners,achieved an exceptional highly effective success rate.This type of collaborative program should be considered to be expanded,to support hepatitis C elimination efforts.

Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among inmates in Jos maximum security prison

Background: The prevalence of psychiatric illness in correctional settings is significantly elevated, with higher than community rates reported in most mental disorders. The prison is a correctional institution in which inmates have limited liberty, autonomy, and communication with family and friends. This can be devastating to some inmates thereby leading to deterioration in their physical, psychological and social wellbeing. The study was aimed to determine the prevalence of axis 1 psychiatric disorders and associated factors among prison inmates in Jos, Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in Jos maximum security prison among 608 inmates. Two sets of data collection instruments were used namely (General Health Questionnaire) GHQ-28 and (Composite International Diagnostic Interview) CIDI. SPSS statistical software package for windows version 15.0 was used for data analysis and test of significance was set at