title: A systematic review of psychotropic drug prescribing for prisoners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a review of the literature on prescribing psychotropic drugs for prisoners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles were retrieved from nine databases, reference lists, citations, governmental prison websites, and contact with authors. The articles included were written in English, focused on adults' time as prisoners, included at least one drug of interest, and discussed prescribing. Thirty-two articles met these inclusion criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five main themes were identified from the reviewed studies: polypharmacy, high-dose therapy, duration of treatment, documentation and monitoring, and issues associated with the prisoners' environment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consideration of these themes within the included studies identified areas for future research, particularly models of good practice, as numerous descriptions of poor practice exist. Policy-makers and prescribers should review current systems and practices, to ensure the care being offered to prisoners is optimal.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia.
authors.forename: Elise V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: M Joy
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Spark
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs