GENDER, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, AND INSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOR - A COMPARISON OFMALE AND FEMALE MENTALLY-ILL PRISON-INMATES

A limited number of studies have examined the relationship between men tal disorder and disruptiveness in correctional institutions. The focu s of such studies, however, has generally been male populations. This study compares patterns of institutional misconduct across categories of mental health status in both male and female inmate populations. Wh ile the results did not find a ''disturbed-disruptive'' pattern in mal e populations, a strong and independent relationship between mental il lness and behavior was observed in female inmate populations. Data als o suggest that race further interacts with both gender and pathology t o increase the likelihood of maladaptive behavior in prison.