Measuring the quality of life of incarcerated individuals

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-02-2018-0005
• Published date: 11 March 2019
• Date: 11 March 2019
• Pages: 1-13
• Author: Ashley Elizabeth Muller,Anne Bukten
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice

Measuring the quality of life of

incarcerated individuals

Ashley Elizabeth Muller and Anne Bukten

Abstract

Purpose –Measuring quality of life (QoL) under incarceration can be used to track successful rehabilitation

and risk of re-offending. However, few studies have measured QoL among general incarcerated populations,

and it is important to use psychometrically strong measures that pose minimal burdens to respondents and

administrators. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach –The aim of this analysis was to explore the utility of a short generic tool

measuring overall QoL, the QOL5, in an incarcerated population. The authors drew data from the

Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction Study, a cross-sectional survey of 1,499 individuals from

Norwegian prisons.

Findings –Factor analysis suggested a unidimensional structure that explained 53.2 percent of variance in

QoL scores. Intrascale correlations were high and internal consistency was acceptable (α¼0.764). The

QOL5 was strongly correlated with mental health, moderately correlated with exercise frequency and weakly

correlated with ward security.

Practical implications –The QOL5 is a short measure that presents minimal burden to respondents and

administrators. The authors recommend its further use in incarcerated populations to measure overall QoL as

well as cross-cultural adaptation and validation in more languages.

Originality/value –In this analysis of the largest published sample to date of incarcerated individuals and

their QoL, the QOL5 appears to be an acceptable and valid measure of overall QoL.

Keywords Prisoners, Quality of life, Wellbeing, Mental health, Psychometrics, Health promoting prison

Paper type Research paper

1. Background

In a rehabilitative approach to incarceration, incarceration should help individuals re-integrate into

society, rather than make them suffer and reduce their quality of life (QoL) (Dore, 2010). The

Good Lives Model is a recently developed theory of rehabilitation that illuminates the role of

measuring QoL in the incarceration process. Offending is conceptualized as a result of lacking

the capabilities to achieve a good and personally meaningful life in safe, functional and socially

acceptable ways (Ward et al., 2007). Poor QoL upon incarceration can reflect the lack of a “good

life”that may have prompted offending and improved QoL upon release may be seen as an

indicator of both successful rehabilitation and reduced risk of re-offending.

Norway has embraced a rehabilitative philosophy, and the official approach to incarceration is

that the restriction of liberty while incarcerated shall be the only right taken away. Inmates should

complete their periods of incarceration better equipped to participate in society and with

improved QoL (NCS, 2017).

QoL is a subjective outcome that has been standardly collected in the healthcare system

for several decade s. One influential d efinition of overal l QoL is an “individual s’perception of

their position in l ife in the context of th e culture and value sy stems in which they li ve and in

relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns”(WHOQOL Group, 1996). When

measured multi-d imensionally, overall QoL of ten incorporates health, soc ial and environmental

domains, differentiating it from the narrower concept of “health-related QoL”which this paper

Received 8 February 2018

Revised 23 April 2018

Accepted 30 May 2018

Ashley Elizabeth Muller is

based at the Norwegian Centre

for Addiction Research,

Institute of Clinical Medicine,

University of Oslo,

Oslo, Norway and

the Norwegian Institute of

Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

Anne Bukten is based at the

Norwegian Centre for

Addiction Research, Institute of

Clinical Medicine, University of

Oslo, Oslo, Norway;

Division for Mental Health and

Addiction, Oslo University

Hospital, Oslo, Norway and

The Correctional Service of

Norway Staff Academy,

Oslo, Norway.

DOI 10.1108/IJPH-02-2018-0005 VOL. 15 NO. 1 2019, pp. 1-13, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200

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