Table 1

Medical Students’ Modified ATP Scores Pre- and Postintervention

Statement(italic = assesses subjective attitude)	Reverse Scored Item	Mean ATP Score Preintervention (SD)	Mean ATP Score Postintervention (SD)	Student’s t Test	p Value
Crime is on the rise in Canada	✓	2.93 (0.83)	3.23 (0.96)	2.541	0.012^a
The prison system functions as it should toward inmates	✓	3.71 (0.88)	3.99 (0.71)	2.666	0.008^b
Canada punishes crimes too severely	—	2.74 (0.71)	2.98 (0.76)	2.536	0.012^a
People in jail or prison have adequate access to mental and physical health care	✓	3.89 (0.97)	4.16 (0.92)	2.169	0.031^a
I know about the mental and physical health needs of incarcerated individuals	—	2.32 (0.97)	3.62 (0.70)	11.61	< 0.001^c
I would feel comfortable treating someone in jail or recently released from jail	—	2.81 (1.08)	3.56 (0.84)	5.844	< 0.001^c
Canada punishes crimes too mildly	✓	3.24 (0.70)	3.51 (0.59)	3.166	0.002^b
Incarcerated individuals are more likely to have had several ACEs than the general population	—	4.48 (0.63)	4.84 (0.39)	5.191	< 0.001^c
The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to punish people who break the law	✓	3.03 (1.00)	2.93 (1.05)	−0.721	0.472
People leaving custody have adequate access to physical and mental health care	✓	3.96 (0.70)	4.13 (0.78)	1.769	0.078
The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to rehabilitate people who break the law	—	3.23 (1.10)	3.19 (1.18)	−0.283	0.778
People leaving custody have adequate access to housing, food, and financial support	✓	4.04 (0.70)	4.14 (0.71)	1.120	0.264
Incarcerated individuals are likely to have more communicable diseases (HIV, Hep C, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections) than the general population	—	4.15 (0.60)	4.24 (0.64)	1.010	0.313
Educational attainment (highest level of school completed) is lower in incarcerated individuals than in the general population	—	4.19 (0.64)	4.28 (0.67)	1.062	0.289
Incarcerated individuals are more likely to have been exposed to violence, substance use, and neglect as children	—	4.34 (0.64)	4.63 (0.50)	3.843	< 0.001^c
Incarcerated individuals are more likely to have active substance use problems than the general population	—	4.21 (0.59)	4.42 (0.59)	2.811	0.005^b
Incarcerated women are more likely to have had multiple unwanted pregnancies and therapeutic abortions than the general population	—	3.79 (0.75)	4.01 (0.70)	2.313	0.022^a
Incarcerated individuals have asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other respiratory diseases at a higher rate than the general population	—	3.60 (0.78)	3.93 (0.73)	3.351	< 0.001^c
Incarcerated individuals are more likely to have been homeless before coming in to custody than the general population	—	3.98 (0.73)	4.22 (0.74)	2.491	0.013^a
First Nations, Metis, and Inuit persons are over-represented in correctional populations in Canada	—	4.15 (0.81)	4.40 (0.64)	2.568	0.011^a
Total Understanding Subscore (max 65)		51.71 (5.70)	54.63 (5.36)	4.059	< 0.001^c
Total Subjective Attitude Subscore (max 35)		21.08 (3.43)	23.78 (2.60)	6.706	< 0.001^c
Total Score (max 100)		72.78 (7.10)	78.42 (6.51)	6.290	< 0.001^c

ACEs = adverse childhood experiences; ATP = Attitudes Toward Prisoners Scale; Hep C = hepatitis C; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; SD = standard deviation
^a p < 0.05
^b p < 0.01
^c p < 0.001