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Social Determinants and Mental Health Among Older Adults in the Criminal Justice System

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Book cover Psychiatric Ethics in Late-Life Patients

Abstract

Official statistics suggest that as many as half of adults aged 50 and older in prison are diagnosed with some type of mental health problem, including serious mental disorders, such as major depression, schizophrenia, and cognitive impairment. The social determinants of mental health, such as lack of access to housing, employment, and mental health services, also have been shown to influence older adults’ risk of the onset and prolongment of mental health issues and involvement in the criminal justice system. Weaving case vignettes with review of the literature, this chapter provides an overview of what is empirically known about research and practice at the intersection of mental health, aging, and criminal justice involvement. Gaining a better understanding of this intersection may have significant implications for advancing mental treatment and interprofessional practices and programs that integrate the social determinants of mental health among older adults at any point of the criminal justice trajectory, such as the courts, jails, and prisons. This chapter concludes with the application of case examples to forensic interprofessional assessment and intervention planning that account for geriatric mental health diagnosis and treatment, case management, and advocacy practice.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, New York, NY, USA

    Tina Maschi

  2. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Dhweeja Dasarathy

Authors
  1. Tina Maschi
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  2. Dhweeja Dasarathy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina Maschi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Meera Balasubramaniam

  2. Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Aarti Gupta

  3. Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Rajesh R. Tampi

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Maschi, T., Dasarathy, D. (2019). Social Determinants and Mental Health Among Older Adults in the Criminal Justice System. In: Balasubramaniam, M., Gupta, A., Tampi, R. (eds) Psychiatric Ethics in Late-Life Patients. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15172-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15172-0_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-15171-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-15172-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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