About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

10 J. Ethnicity Crim. Just. 1 (2012)

handle is hein.journals/wecj10 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal ofEthnicity in CriminalJustice, 10:1-23, 2012 Routledge Copyright 0 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Taylor& Francis Group ISSN: 1537-7938 print / 1537-7946 online DOI: 10.1080/15377938.2011.609395 The Interaction of Race/Ethnicity and Mental Health Problems on Visitation in State Correctional Facilities MELISSA J. STACER University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA This paper explores the relationship between mental bealth prob- lems and visitation for prison inmates. Logistic regression analyses indicated that inmates with mental bealth problems have lower odds of visitation. Interaction effects indicated that visitation for Hispanic inmates differed depending upon whether inmates re- ported mental bealth problems. Hispanic males reporting a bistory of mental bealth problems had increased probabilities of visitation compared to Blacks and Whites. Hispanic females who reported symptoms of psychotic disorder bad decreased probabilities of visi- tation compared to Blacks and Whites. Disparities in visitation by mental bealth status for Hispanic inmates are partly explained by cultural expectations and gender roles. KEYTERMS Mental bealth, race/ethnicity, visitation, prison Substantial research indicates that the prevalence of mental health problems among jail, state, and federal inmates is incredibly high (Allen, 2008; James & Glaze, 2006). In a report for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, James and Glaze (2006) found that 56% of state inmates, 45% of federal inmates, and 64% of jail inmates either had a history of mental illness or reported symptoms of mental health problems at midyear 2005, indicating the magnitude of this health issue among correctional populations. Inmates with mental health problems Submitted January 2011; resubmitted April 2011; accepted April 2011. An earlier draft of this manuscript was presented at the 2008 meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. I would like to thank Dr. Kenneth Ferraro, Dr. Sarah Mustillo, Markus Schafer, and J. David Thomas for comments on previous drafts and Dr. Simon Bauer-Leffler for comments on statistics. Address correspondence to Dr. Melissa J. Stacer, Department of Sociology, Anthropol- ogy, and Criminal Justice Studies, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712. E-mail: mjstacer@usi.edu 1

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most