Abstract
The average daily number of prisoners (both convicted and on remand) in Slovenia in 2009 was 1,415.8 (Annual Report 2009) and with an overall capacity for 1,098 prisoners the average occupancy rate for prisons was 128.94 %. The highest occupation rate (204.6 %) was found in Ljubljana prison, followed by Dob prison (187.1 %). Ljubljana prison is the biggest prison in the country with an average of 435.9 prisoners incarcerated in 2009 (and capacities for 233 people) (Annual Report 2009). The number of inmates in Slovene prison system has grown in the last 10 years and overcrowding became a significant issue. Unfortunately, there is no systematic way to gather and report the data on the prevalence of mental disorders in prisons. The reliable indicator of mental health is the suicide rate, which is about 12 times higher than in the general population and thus a major (health) problem. There are several improvements that could be applied in the system, such as better assessment of suicidal risk and mental health, education of prison staff and a need to decrease stigma and provide aftercare for prisoners with mental health problems.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Mrs Olga Uršič-Perhavc and Mr. Aleksander Kotnik (both from Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia) for their fruitful contributions and professional comments on the chapter. Special thanks also to Ms Barbara Bernik Zupančič for her text review.
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Poštuvan, V., Madjar, T. (2013). Ethical Issues of Mental Health Care in the Slovene Prison System. In: Konrad, N., Völlm, B., Weisstub, D. (eds) Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_18
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