BackgroundDepression is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding and enjoyable activities. It is one of the leading mental disorders among prisoners worldwide. However, little attention is given to this condition, especially in developing countries. Hence, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among prisoners in North Wollo Zone Correctional Institutions, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 407 prisoners from November 20 to December 20, 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was utilized to measure the prevalence of depression among prisoners. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 20 software program. Descriptive and inferential statistics including bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were run to assess the association between depression and the independent variables, and apvalue of less than 0.05 was taken to declare statistically significant values.ResultsA total of 407 prisoners participated in the study, making the response rate 96.9%. The mean age of the participants was 31.7 ± 12.83. Forty-one percent of them were between the ages of 18 and 27 years. In this study, the prevalence of depression was 55.5%. Age 38-47 (AOR = 4.29; 95%CI = 1.51, 12.20), having children (AOR = 2.75; 95%CI = 1.40, 5.42), sentences for 5-10 years and over 10 years (AOR = 6.26; 95%CI = 3.19, 12.30 and AOR = 7.71; 95%CI = 3.47, 17.17, respectively), having a history of mental illness (AOR = 5.22; 95%CI = 2.39, 11.36), having two or more stressful life events (AOR = 6.61; 95%CI = 2.73, 15.96), and poor social support (AOR = 8.13; 95%CI = 3.43, 19.27) were significantly associated with depression.ConclusionsIn this study, more than half of the study participants were found having depression which is relatively higher compared with other previous studies across the globe. Moreover, different variables including the inmate's age of 38-47 years, having children, a sentence of 5-10 and over 10 years, history of mental illness, having two or more stressful life events, and poor social support were factors significantly associated with depression. Thus, awareness creation for police officers and prison managers about depression screening in prison and treatment programs including psychological counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy for prisoners are recommended.